AN: Ok. There was a lack of reception for the opening chapter but, you know what that's Ok. I'll try to make this chapter worth talking about. Again constructive criticism is welcomed, as is directional and motivational advice, since there is no publicly known plot beyond episode 6, so any input is helpful.
And no there will not be any incestuous relationships regarding Octavia.
Shout-out to Storm Wolf and XxIpsywitchxX
Disclaimer: I do not own Helluva Boss/Hazbin hotel. They are created and owned by Vivziepop and her crew.
Chapter two: Notice of Intent.
Octavia had slept better the past eight hours than she had the last few months, but she had to break the blissful cycle of her rest to get up and head back to her room before her parents caught her in Max's bed. She honestly did not to explain that to her already highly agitated mother why she was still sharing a bed with her cousin whenever he visited. At least for once in the long while she didn't wake up to her parents screaming at each other. The Princess truly was tired of the sudden and sometimes violent wake-up call by either her mother going off into an explosive rant or a vase being thrown across the house only to shatter into pieces in the opposite room or in one of the hallways.
'They're taking his presence seriously enough to want to keep their problems to themselves.' Octavia though to herself honestly not use to the house being so quiet first thing in the morning. She could actually hear her thoughts clearly without her music, 'I have a feeling that, this isn't going to be even remotely good.' The Owlet managed to get into her room undetected, changed into her day clothes and down to the kitchen for breakfast, what greeted her there actually shocked her.
Her mother and father were sitting at the table having a calm, civil though albeit soft spoken conversation over cups of coffee. Stella was actually sitting to the right of Stolas, almost in a practical manner so they weren't talking with raised voices or loud enough for their voices to carry across the manor and Maximus possibly overhearing them. Stolas was dressed in his usual robes, but he was also in his pants from the night before. Stella was wearing her own pink robe with a nightgown underneath, and judging by the tired expressions on both of their faces neither of them slept well… making it so far the one thing they managed to do together… or at the very least the same time.
"Mum, Dad?" Octavia spoke up after getting her morning coffee and bowl of cereal and sat to her father's left, "Are the two of you alright?" she asked them seeing the tired concern on both of their faces, as their expressions told her all she needed to know about the situation and what they were thinking. 'This isn't just a visit… Max is here on business.'
Stolas looked to his daughter and let out a weary sigh. "Morning Via, I trust you slept well last night? I mean it was rather quiet." The owl's comment about it being quiet did get a rather annoyed glance from his wife, which he caught and simply replied, "What? I'm just saying it was."
"Does that have anything to do with Max being here?" the owlet inquired with a small hint of concern in her tone, she was hoping to either confirm or disprove her theory in regards to their sudden change of behavior.
"It does…" The family's patriarch confirmed albeit hesitantly. "He is an agent of the High Inquisitor… so he more than likely knows everything." He started to explain to Octavia the situation with a bit of a shake in his tone, "The fighting, I.M.P., Blitzo… the Grimoire… probably everything."
Stella added something that really struck home for the two of them, "Every single little detail about the entirety of the situation." The tone in her voice wavered knowing that what her transgressions were exactly and Stolas just shook his head with a sigh as he knew as well even if it didn't don on him at first when his wife had that outburst there at the table. Stella caught the sigh and hung her head lowly, "I think I need to make a call later." She sighed.
"I believe you need to do more than that." All three sat straighter and looked at the hallway at the new comer. Standing there, dressed in a black suit with a red vest though his tie was simply hanging from his neck untied, with a thick folder tucked into his sling leaving his fully functional arm unobstructed. "Since we are all up and awake, we might as well get started." Max walked up to the table, pulled the folder from his sling put it down before taking a seat. Reaching into his pocket he pulls out a pair of gold framed glasses from a small leather sleeve and placed them on the bridge of his beak.
Octavia was the first to speak, "Would you like some coffee, Max?" she asked him, knowing that it could be troubling for him to actually do the most basic of tasks with only working arm. He even had issues getting properly dressed, if his tie was any indication.
Smiling, he responded, "Yes Via that would be lovely." The younger female got up from the table and headed to the counter to get her cousin a mug. He redirected his attention to his other relatives at the table opening the folder and started to pull out various reports, complaints, and of course potential violations. He pulled out his silver pocket watch to check the time before closed it, pocketed it before scribbling the time down, "Now… where to begin…" he started looking over everything, "Ah yes. Let's start with the day this whole mess between you and this… Blitzo fellow…"
"It's actually Blitzø." Stolas corrected, "He muted the 'o' in his name as a form of… renewal."
Max cocked an eyebrow, but just sighed. "Yes… let us start with that." He actually took out what appeared to be an inkwell pin and scratched the line into the o in Blitzø's name, "What is your arrangement with him? And how did that arrangement come to be?" the questions were direct and completely on point he wasn't pulling punches or wearing kid gloves, he wanted answers and he was intent on getting them.
Stolas looked at his nephew, clearly disturbed but the bluntness of his inquires but answered none the less, "He originally came to the manor to steal the Grimoire… I caught him in the act. He tried to weasel his way out of it… even told me his story to try and get me to let him use it for his business." The elder owl brought his hands together lacing his fingers in a civil manner. "We worked something out. As long as the book is returned to me at the peak of lunar cycle he can use it the rest of the time. He has been entering the living world to execute contracts on those that have wronged new arrivals."
"So you have been letting him use the Grimoire, an artifact entrusted to you to perform your duties of your station and to educate your daughter in the use of, before your retirement?" Max asked critically, he knew the answer already but he pressed on, "So this Blitzø could run his business of illegally entering the living world to eliminate living people that were probably going to end up down here anyways? All they are doing is expediting the process of souls getting down here." He kept writing his confirmations as well as Stolas' account down as Octavia returned with a mug full of coffee-which he silently thanked her for before continuing. "What is the nature of your arrangement between the two of you? And please answer honestly… as his patron YOU are ultimately responsible for the actions of this individual and his company."
Stella's eyes widened, she honestly had failed to realize just how dangerous the situation could possibly because of the Imp's close calls. 'Stolas hasn't had a chance to teach her, because that IMP consistently has that curse be damned Grimoire. Commissioning Striker to kill him was probably a mistake on my end. Killing Stolas without Octavia being prepared to assume father's duty… is fruitless, even damning if Octavia was harmed in the process.' Her husband's reputation was in jeopardy. On top that her standing as noble was also endangered, even more so if the contracts on her husband's life were to come to light. She would lose everything… her standing, her daughter, everything. "Stolas… tell him everything…. Please." Her tone was quiet, almost begging.
Hearing his wife quiet plea he sighed, "It's… more complicated than that. Blitzø and I…" he paused trying to find the correct yet dignified words to actually describe it, the longer he fumbled the more frustrated he became, "We're intimate… alright. The arrangement is like this, in exchange for one night of passion he gets to use the Grimoire to conduct his business on earth. The only condition was that I get it back when I needed to conduct my duties."
Max's pen scratched against the paper of the document he was writing on, "Well sex… can be a contractual obligation." He admitted with a sigh, "Did the two of you put this to parchment and seal it traditionally making it legally binding?"
"No…"
The one word answer silenced the pen as Maximus stops writing, his eyes looked up to his uncle, "You let this individual possess and use your Grimoire on a verbal agreement without so much as basic protections in place to keep this from lashing back at you and the family?" he tried to keep his voice calm and even trying to make sure that he maintained his professionalism even in the face of his Uncle's shortsightedness. "Based on what? That you trust him? That he gives you a level of excitement?"
"Max…" Stolas tried to speak to try and reason with him.
"You're falling to ensure that basic protections being implemented not only endangered your family," He gave the Ars Goetia patriarch a hard glare despite his calm demeanor, "but also endangered all Hell itself… you also from the reports that I have, exposed yourself to the living realm to protect your interest, you failed to cover your tracks… thankfully that wasn't hard for my team to repair since you managed to recover the Grimoire." He started to calm himself internally, "Where is it by the way?" He asked.
"It's… not here." The elder male said shamefully, knowing exactly where it was and who had it.
"He still has it? Very well then," Max said as he took his mug and downed the entirety of it in one go. He was going to need the energy for what he was about to deal with, as he started to pull all the documentation and paper work together neatly and sliding it back into the folder.
The family was shocked that the questioning had ended so suddenly. "Where are you going?"
"To make a phone call and see about renting an office space." He stated as he got up and nuzzled Octavia he started to walk out.
"Wait Maximus what do you intend to do?" Stolas called out to him, "You have no cause to hurt him!"
Max stopped short, "What I intend to do, is set up a branch office in Imp City. What he is doing cannot be allowed to happen without oversight." He stated aloud a slight bit of anger lacing in his tone, "His recklessness is endangering everybody, and for what profit!? He better hope that my audit of his company doesn't turn up anything damning, on them or this family."
It was Stella that asked the last question, "What happens if it does?" She feared the answer, and that fear could be felt by all of those in the room.
"Let's just say… the High King Lucifer has little to no tolerance for gross incompetence." Maximus responded as he finally left the room.
"Damn it that was more difficult than it needed to be." The snow owl demon cursed to himself, he wasn't even half way down the hallway when he heard rapid footsteps behind him, and he stopped and turned to see it was Octavia, "I'm sorry you had to witness that cousin… I really am."
"What happens if this… goes wrong?" She asked looking him right in the face, "My family is already tearing itself apart… I don't think I'd…" he suddenly closed the gap and hugged her tightly with his good arm stopping her rant cold as she started to lightly cry into his coat. "I don't think I could handle it…"
"Via… I promise nothing will happen to you." He whispered to her, "And I haven't gotten the full story yet, I don't go off half cocked like some of my associates do. I'm confident that it will be ok… trust me alight?"
The teen sniffed and nodded as he let go. "Promise me…"
"Via I can't…"
"Promise me damn it!" she demanded a little more forcefully.
At that point he sighed and conceded, "I promise that I will try to make this look favorably on the family. That's all I can do." That got him a nod, before he pulled his business card from his pocket, "Here, my number. I'm probably going to have to update that soon but… it's there." He smiled to her, "Keep an eye on things here ok kiddo?" Octavia nodded before turning to rejoin her family.
With a sigh he turned a kept walking for the door pulling his phone from his vest's pocket and hit a number on speed dial. "It's me. I need a lift, as well as operational expansion clearance."
"What for?" the voice came from the other line.
"I want to open a branch in Imp City to keep my case from exploding into a storm we'd have a hard time controlling." He said with a firm tone.
"That shit-hole?" the voice questioned, "Well we have been getting complaints from both new arrivals and licensed contractors that I.M.P. has been causing some hell for them, here and topside."
"I think it's time to address some of those grievances." The owl smirked as he walked out the manor door.
"I'll talk to the Inquisitor, I can't promise much."
"An office, a small staff and my team are all I need." Max let out a lightly threatening tone. "It's time to go to work." The line clicked off and he sighed as he put the phone away. "I hope this isn't more trouble than it's worth."