"Moxxie?"

While her husband was in his own personal hell unbeknownst to her, Millie found herself tossing and turning in her sleep as well, her mind trapping her in a psychological prison that she couldn't free herself from.

Horrific visions filled her subconscious, blood stains on the walls and claw marks on the floor, sights that once would have filled her joy. Sights that would have satisfied her thirst for blood.

If she didn't know who the blood belonged to, that was.

She wasn't sure how she knew, but something was telling her that it belonged to Moxxie. An inaudible voice; an invisible force.

"Where are you?!" she called out, "Mox?"

Suddenly, the scene before her eyes morphed, and she found herself standing in the center of a white room, a body laying in the middle of the floor. Her husband's screams suddenly filled her ears, screams of suffering and agony.

For the first time in forever, she found herself frozen with fear, not wanting to see the face belonging to the body on the floor.

But, she found herself being forced forward, without any control, until the body was right in front of her.

Mangled and dismembered, her husband lay on the ground, his innards spread out on the floor in front of her.

Keeling over, she could no longer fight the feeling of nausea that washed over her upon the horrific site. Gore had never bugged her before, especially given her profession. Killing and gutting was a part of her daily life.

But this was way more than she could handle.

His face was pale and blue, life having left the body long ago. The once happy and energetic man that had been by her side all this time, dead on the floor, never to speak again.

I'm sorry, Moxxie.

I could've been there...stopped it.

Before she could even have time to cry, there was a hissing sound in the corner of the room, having to wipe her tears with her sleeve to see what was happening.

"Who's there?" Milie shouted, not sure she wanted an answer. Everything was happening too fast for her to process. Reaching into her pocket for her handgun, she was greeted with nothing but air, the same happening when she reached for her knife.

The lights went out, and she heard a pair of roaring footsteps barreling down towards her.

Something gripped her shoulder, and she let out a scream

Millie jolted awake, a hand on her shoulder.

Where was she?

A tightness formed within her chest, her heart beating so hard and fast that she could barely breathe. She could see the pulses through her shirt, the fabric moving up and down with each beat.

What's happening?

Then the memories came back, her brain whirring and clearing away the fogginess of sleep. She remembered where they were and why they were there, her heart slowing a bit as the panic slowly receded.

She instantly turned over to Moxxie, who, thank Satan, was alive and in one piece. A tear forced its way into her eye, relieved to be freed from whatever the hell she had seen during their nap.

Somebody flicked on the lamp on the nightstand, the clock on their wall chiming at the same time.

Her head burst into pain as the light was turned on, and noticing the empty wine glass on the nightstand, the dots began connecting again. One glass typically wasn't enough to give her any symptoms, but after downing it in two sips and then sleeping, coupled with a nightmare, she felt like garbage.

"You're lucky I came to wake you guys up," Loona said, "Stolas is gonna have a fit if we miss dinner."

Millie moaned, "Ugh...what time is it?"

"Nine o'clock," Loona pointed to the clock, "We have a meal to get to, and I ain't passing up free food."

Both of their ears perked as Moxxie's light snores filled the sudden void in conversation, exchanging glances as they decided the best way to wake him up. After all, Millie didn't want to disturb him from such a peaceful state. He was adorable when he was asleep, the way his nose scrunched up whenever he snored and how he would curl up into a ball was enough to melt her heart.

Loona walked over to Moxxie's side of the bed, raising her hand.

"Loona, don't-!" Milie called out, but was cut off.

"Wake up, fatty!" Loona shouted before forcefully slapping him with her front paw, a smack reverberating and bouncing off of the walls as she did so.

Sure enough, Moxxie woke up, jutting upright and hyperventilating, looking like he had just seen a ghost.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted, as if mid conversation with somebody else, desperation in his voice, "Please, just-"

He paused, eyes growing wide, leaning over and wrapping his arms around Millie.

"What's this for?" Millie asked, glaring angrily at Loona while Moxxie wasn't looking.

"N-Nothing," he sighed, "I-I think I just had a bit too much to drink…"

The slur in his husband's words was certainly there, but that didn't explain why he had woken up in such a panic. Maybe it was because he was awoken by a violent slap instead of a gentle tug on the shoulder.

And even though she so desperately wanted to know what was going on with him today, she knew he would just lie again like he had been all day. She was certain something was wrong at this point, now she just had to hope he would admit it to her himself, without needing too much external pressure.

"C'mon," Loona hissed, "Get that drunk bag of bones out of bed and to the dining hall."

Obliging, she helped him out of bed, the effects of their drinks far less on her than on him. At least Moxxie didn't get physical when he was intoxicated, unlike Blitzo or Loona. He simply would slur his words and lose his typically rational train of thought, babbling on about rash nonsense until the alcohol left his system. Which, she had to admit, she found to be quite amusing.

"What?" Moxxie asked, rubbing his forehead and sighing heavily, before repeating himself, "I think I had too much to drink."

"One glass, to be exact," Millie laughed, "You're quite the alcoholic, aren't you?"

He appeared to have some of his wits about him, managing to maintain a conversation for at least a few seconds.

The two of them stepped out of the cabin and down towards the dining hall, Loona close behind. Golden lights illuminated the hallway, two large glass doors coated with a golden rim and finely polished handles waiting for them.

"Weak!" Blitzo shouted at him as they entered, standing outside the door and having overheard their conversation, "Booze is my middle name!"

Stolas and Octavia were already seated by the time they arrived, Stolas making a point to sit uncomfortably close to Blitzo after their boss sat down. Moxxie and Millie sat towards the end of the table, picking up a menu and browsing their dinner options.

"You guys need to set a fucking alarm" Loona sighed, "I wasn't about to wait for 45 goddam minutes for you slowpokes!"

"Loonie!" Blitzo reprimanded, slamming his hand down on the table and propping himself up, "That's not how we talk around here! You forgot to make fun of him!"

The hellhound feigned a look of surprise, "Oh, how could I forget about our shortie over here, Mr. 'I can't please my wife.'"

Millie wanted to snap at her, but didn't want to make a scene. She knew Moxxie wouldn't appreciate it, as drunk as he was.

And for the record, he pleased her quite often.

She sighed before lifting the menu back over her face, Blitzo doing the same.

The same string band that had been playing earlier was now positioned at the far corner of the room, the pleasant sounds of classical music contributing to the sophisticated atmosphere of the dining hall.

Waiters ran back and forth between tables, platters of high stacked and sweet-smelling food balanced precariously on their arms. They moved with precision and purpose, moving from table to table seemingly without effort.

Millie took a sip from the complementary glasses of water positioned at her end of the table, looking for something to quench her thirst. The drink was cool in her throat, cooling her mouth as she sat back down and joined her comrades in procuring the menu.

She checked her reflection in a spoon, focusing on her hair to ensure she looked presentable. Normally, she wouldn't give a damn about her appearance, but when surrounded by passengers of such high class, putting a little bit more effort wouldn't hurt.

The menu had an extensive variety of food options, ranging from simple salads to more elaborate dishes, like a sixteen-hour smoked steak with roasted peppers and potatoes baked to perfection. Their drink options were even more diverse, consisting of wines and juices native to all 9 rings of hell, some of them even having an Earthly origin.

An abrupt sense of uneasiness washed over her as she felt as if there were thousands of eyes on her, although after double-taking she saw that the only person staring at her was Moxxie, who's eyes were fainter than usual, his mouth hanging open as well. Not even Blitzo was looking in her direction, which begged the question: Why did she suddenly feel like she was being watched?
Her question was answered when a waiter approached them from behind, a notepad in his hand and a blank expression on his face.

"Are we ready to order yet?" he said with a sense of enthusiasm that juxtaposed his empty expression and closed-off body language.

"I don't know, are we?" Stolas asked, scanning the expressions of his fellow patrons, closing his menu and setting it down on the table.

Next to her, Moxxie put his hands on his forehead and sighed heavily, "Yeah…"

Millie shot one last quick glance at her menu, settling for a beef wellington dish. They placed the laminated papers in the center of the table.

One by one, their orders were taken, Millie being last in line. He listed the grand total of the meal, which was almost as much as one month's rent back at home. Stolas handed over a pile of bills, seemingly overpaying for the food while also paying before they ate. She longed to one day have enough money to spend on frivolous expenses like this. This was her taste of the royal treatment, and she wasn't going to waste any of it.

Once the waiter had walked away, Blitzo's voice picked up and he pointed to Stolas's face, "Stolas, what the fuck happened to your face?"

At first, Millie didn't know what he was talking about. That was, until she noticed the large scar running down the side of his face, which he had poorly attempted to conceal with a large hat covered in feathers. He immediately placed the palm of his hand over the wound, huffing and pretending to be distracted by something at the other side of the room.

How the hell did she not see that before?

"Yeah, what is that?" Loona asked, leaning in closer.

"I had a...run-in with my wife…" Stolas said, ashamedly, the same expression painted on Octavtia's face, "L-Look, I don't wish to discuss it, alright?"

"Did your bitch make you her bitch?" Blitzo laughed, oblivious to his obvious discomfort. Octavia visibly grimaced and her face went blank, the color seeming to drain itself from her purple eyes.

"Blitz!" Millie hissed.

Blitzo, being his typical obnoxious self, had managed to make an already uncomfortable situation even worse. She loved him like a brother, don't get her wrong, but there were times that she wanted to reach across the room and bitch-slap him.

This was one of those times.

She leaned over to Stolas and whispered, "Sorry about him."

"It's fine…" He sighed, placing his arm around Octavia's chair, "It's not something that I haven't seen from him before."

After a few minutes of an ominous lack of conversation, Moxxie and Octavia began chatting, Millie catching fragments of their words as she hoped to figure out what the hell the two of them had been talking about earlier.

"...yeah, our boss can be...excitable," Moxxie said, speech still slurred "If 'excitable' is a broad enough word. I think he..." His voice gave out as he trailed off.

"Alright, you're clearly drunk," Octavia chuckled slightly, turning to talk to Millie, "How much did you give him?"

"A whole glass," she laughed, "Doesn't take a lot to get to him."

Octavia suddenly leaned in and whispered into his ear, Moxxie whispering back, nervous expressions painted onto both of their faces. Did they really think she wouldn't see them? They were a foot away from her for goodness sake! She only managed to catch the first few words.

"...did you tell him?" Moxxie asked, his voice indicating that he was teetering on the edge of blackout drunk and fully lucid.

"Yeah, he didn't really say much…" Octavia responded, "I think-"

"Whatcha talkin' bout?" Millie asked playfully, "Juicy royal gossip or somethin'?"

The two of them froze, before Octavia stuttered, "We were just, um, discussing our dinner choices."

For a second there she almost sounded like Moxxie with the way she spoke.

Millie sighed, calling bullshit as always, "Alright…"

The sudden sound of a plate clattering to the floor startled them, and she looked to the other side of the table, where a waiter had dropped a plate, bending down and desperately cleaning. She couldn't imagine that incoming scrutiny from whoever their boss was would be pleasant, especially for a mistake that was on public display.

Turning back around, she saw the alcohol working its magic on Moxxie, as he had somehow already fallen back asleep, a glass of water still in his hand. His breaths were shallow, a small rise in his chest following each inhale and exhale. She carefully took the glass out of his hands, setting it gently on the table. He appeared tranquil, and she hated that she would have to interrupt his slumber, disturbing one of the few times he seemed completely at peace.

Like before, she couldn't help but admit that Moxxie looked adorable when he was asleep. Something about the way his hair and sideburns became ruffled, or the way his mouth hung open to form a dopey expression triggered a deep feeling of affection inside of her. She had to resist the urge to nuzzle up next to him due to boundaries and etiquette. The last thing that Millie wanted was to startle her husband or make him uncomfortable, especially when he seemed to be under so much external and internal pressure. Moxxie had always been a planner; the one that worried for everybody else so they could relax. She wished he could rest for the remainder of the evening, so that he could wake up the next morning refreshed and happier. If there was one thing that brought her joy, it was seeing a smile on his face.

"Mox," She whispered, waking him in a far more pleasant manner than Loona had, gently shaking his shoulder, "Mox, get up!"
Moxxie's eyelids fluttered as a faint groan escaped his mouth, slowly propping himself up in his seat.

"Ugh…." He said, "What did I miss?"

"Nothing, we're still waiting for dinner. You alright?"

She already knew how he was going to answer, but that didn't stop her from asking.

"Yeah, just tired…" He laughed, rubbing his eyes with his hands and taking a sip of water, "Sorry, I think I just had a bit too much to drink."

"Cleary," Millie said, "That's the third time you've told me in the last fifteen minutes."

Across the table, Blitzo tapped his foot impatiently as his stomach audibly growled, "Where the fuck is our food?"

"Blitzy!" Stolas called out, "Language!"

When did you start caring about language?

Blitzo slumped his shoulders before sitting back down, pouting and shooting angry looks across the table. Millie couldn't blame him, since she was rather hungry herself. They had been given a basket of rolls once the waiter had left, and Millie reached across to grab one, biting into the sweet, soft dough.

"How has everybody's day been?" Stolas asked suddenly, his expression perking up. Millie didn't question the sudden shift in his attitude, seeing as it would probably raise more questions than it would answer.

"It's been alright," Loona said.

"What do you mean 'alright'?" Blitzo asked, "I took you to the smoking room and the pool! That's more than fucking 'alright'!"

"Fine. It was the best day of my life. Happy?"

"Now I am." Blitzo had a smug smile on his face, while Loona sighed and took a roll out of the basket.

"Mox and I went to the smoking room and had a couple drinks,' Millie said, pointing towards her somewhat-conscious husband, who was nibbling on a roll and sipping water with baggy eyes.

"'Had some drinks'!" Blitzo hissed, "You need to stop giving him drinks."

"For your information," Moxxie said with slurred speech, "I did this to myself, thank you very much!" He slammed his head into the table, whether it was intentional or not she didn't know.

Stolas stifled a laugh while Blitzo appeared more-than-amused.

Moxxie turned over towards Millie, still half-asleep, "You see this woman?" He wrapped an arm around her chair and raised his voice, far clamer as he was when he had woken up, as if he had completely forgotten the last few minutes, "I'd marry her if I could!"

"Who wants to tell him?" Octavia smiled. It was the first time Millie had ever seen her smile, seeming to be intrigued by her intoxicated spouse.

While her husband slipped in-and-out of consciousness, Millie eyed a server carrying a large platter of food, who seemed to be coming their way, walking with grace and rigor.

"Hell yeah!" Loona said as the server came closer, kneeling down next to their table and placing their plates on the polished wood, which was obscured by a tablecloth made of the finest silk that they had ever seen.

"Thank you, sir," Stolas said while tipping the server. His generous spending surprised Millie, who had always assumed he was a stuck-up snob, only sticking around to pursue Blitzo.

Perhaps there was a side of him that she had yet to see.

Next to her, Moxxie perked up, the smell of their feast grabbing his attention. If the food was good enough to snap him out of a hangover simply by being on the table, she could only fantasize about how it tasted.

Each of them were handed a glass of wine, and Moxxie's expression contorted in disgust despite his apparent attempts to mask it. Once all of their plates and drinks had been placed, the servers ran back into the kitchen, disappearing just as quickly as they had come into view.

Without hesitation, she dug her knife into the tender meat, the sweet aroma of smoked meat slowly filling the air. The meat was wrapped tightly in a sweet tasting pastry, which fell apart upon contact with her silverware. Foreign seasonings that were new to her taste only enchanted the dish further, unfamiliar flavors dancing around in her mouth.

Across the table, Blitzo ate loudly, with no regard to his fellow patrons, clanking silverware and making obnoxious noises with his mouth as he devoured the meal. She expected to see discretionary glares coming from the other nobles trying to enjoy their meals, but they were either pretending to ignore them or hadn't noticed him.

"Sir, can you please have a shred of decency?" Moxxie asked quietly, his speech slightly less slurred. Maybe having a full stomach was helping with the alcohol, since it had helped her with hangovers in the past, "Have a little class!"

Blitzo lifted his head from his meal, sauce staining his face and the surrounding tablecloth. He downed a shot of his drink, and sighed heavily before rolling his eyes at Moxxie with disappointment and frustration.

'If I wanted your opinion I would've fucking asked for it!" Blitzo hissed, stuffing his face with a forkful of pasta. For him, simply using silverware was a herculean task.

Moxxie only sighed and went back to his meal, picking at his salad with a fork and taking miniscule sips of wine.

Millie stared out the window behind them, as the crescent moon rose high and higher above the horizon, a faint, white triangle reflecting off of the shimmering sea. It had the vibrance of a thousand diamonds.

"Waning crescent," Octavia chimed in, staring at the moon before her, "The new moon will be out later in the week."

Now the space-themed garments Octavia wore made sense.

"You really like your stars, dontcha?" Millie laughed, "You'd get along well with Moxxie." She made sure to add a little passive-aggressiveness to her tone on those last words.

The owl stared at her, before shrinking away.

A server popped by their table and lit a candle, dimming the restaurant lights as the sun crept lower and lower. Even the music from the band became more slow and pensive, changing from their typical upbeat ragtime themes.

As their main course wrapped up, Millie spotted a tall demon with a dark suit and cane enter the room, his gaze meeting hers, then drifting over towards Stolas. He approached their table with purpose and a graceful step. The other patrons looked upon him with scrutiny, booing him as he arrived.

Next to her, Moxxie and Octavia suddenly tensed up, Moxxie scooting over next to her, his eyes still glazed over. He shot Octavia a nervous glance, and she shot one back, seeming to have some silent agreement.

She remained silent as the man stepped up to their table and tapped Stolas on the shoulder, a playful yet disingenuous smile on his face.

Stolas sighed heavily, contradicting his tense body language, extending an arm out in front of Octavia.

"Heya, pal!" The tall man said, "How's it going?" His voice was deep and brooding with a slight edge. Something about the man's presence rubbed Millie the wrong way, whether it be because of Moxxie's reaction to his presence, or the way he spoke.

"Mr. Heish," Stolas huffed, "What do you want?"

"Please, you can call me Monte! Is it that hard for you to believe that I'm here because I missed you?" He playfully nudged Stolas with his cane.

"Yes it is," Stolas not-so-subtly shoved him away. He motioned towards the rest of the table, "I'm in the middle of something right now, so if you would kindly rid us of your presence…"
"They won't mind, " Monte strolled around to Moxxie's chair and knelt down to eye-level, "He doesn't seem to care, do you?"

Moxxie froze up and shook his head, before the man ruffled the top of his head and circled back around to Stolas, "I-I-"

Millie leaned in closer to her husband, not wanting to let this weirdo get his hands on him. From the way that Moxxie was sweating, and the fact that his heart was beating loud enough for her to hear from her seat, something was definitely wrong.

Perhaps it was the same "something" that had clearly been bothering her husband over the last few hours. Constantly checking over his shoulder, silence when questioned, general uneasiness. It all seemed too strange.

"See? They love me here!" Monte exclaimed, conveniently ignoring the resounding chorus of boos and hissing. Even the servers seemed aware of his presence, ducking behind the kitchen doors and locking themselves inside.

Next to her, Moxxie shrank down into his chair, trying to hide himself from the man's gaze, eyes directed at the floor.

Monte bent down and ran his hand along the top of Octavia's head, "This is Octavia? She's gotten so big since I last saw her!" He laughed heartily, the mix of haughtiness and pride in his voice sending a chill up Millie's spine.

Octavia shriveled back in her seat, clearly just as uncomfortable by the man's presence as Moxxie was, "Yeah…" she muttered, barely audible. Her eyes darted around the room, looking everywhere but the man's face.

"Get your hands off my daughter!" Stolas nearly yelled, his eyes turning red with anger, "You need to leave." He stood up and began motioning towards the door.

"But I just arrived!" Monte wrapped an arm around his shoulder, which was quickly swatted off, "I haven't gotten the chance to meet your new friends!" He took a stale roll out of a basket at the center of the table, showing a distaste for what Millie assumed was common decency.

She couldn't tell if this man was flirting with Stolas or trying to kill him. His cavalier attitude was masked by a layer of pride and arrogance, clearly making it a point to make this night as uncomfortable as possible. Perhaps he was a past lover of his, before Blitzo had become involved in his life. It was obvious that Stolas and Octavia had some sort of past with the man. What she had to figure out was the nature of that past, and judging by their poorly-hidden anger and fear towards him, it wasn't a past that she wished to have been a part of.
"You are leaving," Stolas said as he pushed the man away, "Security!"

"Hey, what did I do?" Monte asked, playing dumb, "If you want me to leave, I'll gladly-"
Two guards ran out into the center of the dining hall and wrapped their hands around each of Monte's arms, dragging him away as Stolas begrudgingly sat back down at their table, scraping a fork against an empty plate.

Millie turned and watched as the man was thrown out the door, applause erupting in the crowd. Never before had she seen such a jovial reaction to a demon's expulsion, only worsening her perception of the man.

Stolas turned around and whispered something to Octavia, to which she nodded back silently. His fatherly nature towards his daughter was a comforting sight, especially in a place as empty as hell. The fires there may have burned hot, but the hearts were cold and empty.

Moxxie and Octavia whispered to each other, both looking as if they had just seen a ghost. She didn't bother with trying to intrude, knowing it wouldn't work.

"What was that about?" Millie asked, not expecting a full answer.

"Yeah!" Blitzo chimed in, "Rich bastard.."

"I don't wish to discuss this any further," Stolas muttered, standing up and taking Octavia's hand. He left a stack of bills on the table, "Here, in case you want dessert. Octavia, come on."

They stormed off without a single word, and an uncomfortable silence arose. Should they go try and talk to them? Was there more to this "Monte" fellow that they weren't being told? Should they be worried about him?

Miliie awkwardly picked at her food, the uncomfortable tension in the air almost making it taste bitter. Like it was a different meal entirely, a strange aftertaste lingering in her mouth.

"Who wants dessert?" Blitzo asked suddenly, snatching the stack of bills from the table.

All of the IMPs shot him a dirty look, shocked by his lack of concern.

"He left us money," Blitzo continued, raising his hands in a confused manner, "Might as well take advantage of it!"