This task was certainly… something, to say the least, and Mika couldn't help but grumble silently to himself as he stood in front of the gates that led to the casino that went by Purgatory's Playplace.
Alastor, of all demons, had requested for Mikazuki to carry this task out. Simply put, the pilot was to retrieve a specific demon from this casino. The reason as to why the Radio Demon wanted them taken in alive was currently not known to him, though it didn't really matter either way. This was a job, after all, and he was meant to carry it out, not ask questions.
According to Alastor, the demon he was to retrieve went by Husk. Or was it Husker? Mikazuki didn't remember what he had called them, though honestly speaking it mattered very little to him in the long run. What did matter, however, was how the demon looked, and unfortunately, Alastor had described their appearance in one of the worst ways imaginable.
"Just look out for a tall guy. Fancy tophat, red wings, sharp claws, long ears and probably drunk whilst playing a round of poker!" was all Alastor had bothered to tell him before he snapped his fingers and quite literally teleported Mikazuki right in front of the doors to Purgatory's Playplace, much to the pilot's chagrin. He remembered Niffty wishing to come with him, though she was stopped by Alastor, who claimed that she would probably distract Mika from his job if she did.
If anything, Mika half wished that she was here. She probably knew more about this demon he was looking for than he did!
Even so… he wouldn't let himself be stopped by such a minor setback. Mikazuki was never too big on improvising, but he could adapt, he supposed. That, and the payment Alastor was offering to provide was… enticing, to say the least. With that in mind, the pilot swung the doors of Purgatory's Playplace open and entered the casino, and he was quickly greeted by the smell of alcohol and the sound of hundreds of demons placing bets on various games they were playing.
He should've seen this coming, Mika reckoned. Though he never bothered to enter one in the past, Mika did hear of the rowdiness of a casino from the few Tekkadan members who bothered to venture in. The sound of a happy man after winning a bet, the cries of a now bankrupt guy after he blew his cash on a rigged game or just the slurred voice of several drunk patrons, all of that seemed to stay the same down here in Hell, and Augus couldn't help but wince at the similarities it shared with the mortal realm.
"Hey, kid, wanna have a go?" inquired a demon with the head of a bull from a close-by poker desk, having spotted Mikazuki enter and apparently seeing him as easy pickings. Turning towards him, Augus simply raised a brow and continued on, not content with replying as the demon snorted in exasperation. "Fine. Suit yourself, then."
"You look like quite the loaded fellow, especially with an arm like that, kid! And those gold claws? You've probably bartered more than once to get em! Why not have another go and try your luck!" goaded another as Mika crossed his table with an active game of Craps. The demon had the head of a snake, something that reminded Mika of that other guy… Sir Pentious, was it? The thing which separated the guy from Sir Pentious, however, was that his hands were also the heads of snakes, and admittedly, Mikazuki did pause briefly to stare at them as they held/bit onto a dice for a roll. After a few moments, however, Augus continued on his way, prompting the serpentine demon to shrug and carry on with his business.
"Hey there kiddo, you wanna have a good time?~"
Yeah, that was an instant no, and Mikazuki was quick to walk away from the Spider demons that were offering to provide him with a 'good time', so to speak. Their attire was truly, admittedly, something to behold, though Augus was not willing to even entertain the idea of accepting their offer. And even if he was… he was already taken, and his heart belonged to only two people whom he'd stay faithful to until he died… a second time.
As soon as he was out of their sights, Mika cautiously peeked over his shoulder to make sure that they weren't following. He sighed just a little in relief when he confirmed that they weren't tailing him, even if one of them did blow a raspberry at him when she noticed her gaze, prompting him to turn away swiftly thereafter and sigh to himself. This would take a while, he supposed…
"You seem new here, kid," came a close-by voice, prompting Mika to turn towards its source with a raised brow. When he did so, he was quick to realize that he was now standing beside the casino's bar, and the speaker was standing on the other side of the countertop. His was certainly something to behold; that suit was definitely normal for someone with his occupation… but the fact that the demon was composed entirely of fire was something that was especially noteworthy.
The apparent lack of response seemed to amuse the fire demon, who chuckled briefly as he placed a cup down and fixed his gaze squarely on the pilot.
"We hardly get new patrons here, and the few who are new to this establishment always seem to be taken aback by my appearance," continued the bartender as he expertly served a glass of alcohol to a demon that sat close by. His general politeness was interesting to Mikazuki, to say the least, though his thoughts were cut short when the bartender continued speaking. "So, what brings you here, kid? You don't seem to be keen on actually placing any bets or even taking a sip of what I'm stirring up."
"... I'm looking for someone," replied Mikazuki, who reckoned that spilling the beans wouldn't be too much of an issue as he walked up to take a seat in front of the bartender. In response to that, the fire demon chuckled briefly and expertly mixed two drinks up.
"Aren't we all? You looking to place one between this person's eyes? If so, at least do it outside. I'd prefer this fuckpit to remain as calm as it is now," urged the bartender as he stopped mixing the drinks and poured the end result into a cup. The mixed drink didn't exactly seem to be drinkable, at least it wasn't to Mika, though the demon that the bartender gave it to begged to differ as it chugged it down within a moment's notice.
How he even managed to drink it despite being composed entirely out of flames… was a mystery best left untouched for now.
"No, I'm just bringing them to a client," replied Mikazuki, with him rejecting the drink offer from the bartender with a wave of his Lupus Rex arm as he spoke. At that, the bartender laughed just a little and drank it himself, seeming content with it all the while. Again… Augus began wondering how that was even possible, though then again, this was Hell…
"Ah, so you're just the middleman for the murder process. I hear ya," replied the bartender as he pointed the empty glass at Mika, who raised a brow at that comparison. He's never heard that term or comparison before, and his amused expression was enough to make the bartender chuckle a little as he continued. "So, tell me, who're you tryna kidnap? Considering how you're a potentially new patron, I may as well give you some help for free. Just this once."
It took a moment for Mikazuki to respond as he simply eyed the fire demon, watching as he cleaned a cup with a rag that was somehow not catching fire in his hand. He seemed fine by demon standards, and divulging the name of the demon he was looking for probably wouldn't be too much of an issue. So, with a shrug, Mika nodded and gave his answer.
"Husk. Or Husker, I guess," replied Mikazuki, still unsure on how the guy's name was to be pronounced. As soon as both names left his lips, however, the bartender noticeably stiffened as he processed that information, and he was quick to place the cup he was wiping down and replying.
"Kid, I'll have you know that Husk works closely with Alastor, the Radio Demon, who's a primary sponsor of Purgatory's Playplace" warned the bartender rather cryptically as Augus raised a brow at that notion. Al' was a sponsor of this place? Well, what was stopping him from just coming here himself?! "What business do you have with one of my top patrons' servant?"
"I work for Alastor," was Mika's immediate answer, one that seemed to briefly surprise the bartender, though he was quick to add on. "For now."
"Huh, thus far the Radio Demon only has two named official Servants, Husk and Niffty," commented the bartender as he picked up a glass of champagne and melted the cap off it. As he did so, he surveyed Mikazuki from head to… waist thoroughly as he poured the contents of the bottle out, and after a short while, he nodded in apparent recognition. "Though… quite recently, there've been rumors of some kid hanging around by his side. I'm to presume you're that kid?"
"... I guess I am?" answered Mika with a shrug. His response was a light chuckle from the flame demon as he nodded.
"Well, even if I don't believe you're one of his newer servants, I still can't bring myself to deny a new potential patron some help," admitted the bartender as he held the glass up towards Mikazuki, who declined it with a shake of his head. "Husk is sitting on the table at the center of the room. Most crowded area. You can't miss it, even if you're fucking deaf."
Turning on the chair he was on, Mikazuki scanned the room briefly to perhaps catch a glimpse of the table which the bartender was speaking of and, sure enough, his vision was quick to lock onto an overly crowded table that was almost as rowdy as Tekkadan after a night at the bar.
Almost.
"Yep, that's definitely the one," assured the bartender as he handed the glass of champagne off to some random demon sitting close to Augus. "Whatever you wanna do to Husk, all I can say is good fucking luck. If you wanna kill him, you'll need it. And if you wanna make him leave the casino, I'd usually say to just call it quits, but you seem like you've got some fight in ya, so like with the first point, good luck nonetheless."
And to that, Mika could only nod as he got off his chair.
"Thanks."
Husk was truly a demon of many talents.
While yes, murder, interrogation and occasional espionage were things that he fancied, his talents were properly demonstrated when it came to a good game of cards. It was like that in life, and it seemed as though it would remain that way even after death.
This fact was made all the more apparent as he sat rather lazily on one end of a crowded poker table, with his gaze locked onto a bat demon that sat on the other end of the table. Unlike him, the bat demon appeared panicked, to say the least, and Husk found himself smirking in self satisfaction at his opponent's panic. Evidently, he ended up revealing some of his razor sharp, yellowed teeth as well, as the bat demon whimpered a little and attempted to avoid eye contact with him by hiding behind the cards he had in his hands.
"So, whaddya say, kid? Do ya fold? Or do you still wanna keep checkin' and delay the inevitable?" taunted Husk rather smugly as he leaned back on his chair, one hand scraping the poker table with its sharp fingers while the other held onto the cards that he still had in his hand. His response was a pained expression from his opponent, who glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"SILENCE, HUSK!" demanded the bat demon, who seemed to be doing his best to maintain his Dracula-esc accent despite the stress he was currently going through. Commendable… though Husk felt more like ridiculing this guy rather than actually commending him. "WHAT I DO IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!"
"Really now?" inquired Husk mockingly, with him leaning forwards and tipping his tophat just a little as he smirked smugly. "You chickenin' out or somethin'? What, didja forget to drink some blood or something? I reckon that ya did, considering how fuckin' pale you look!"
"I SAID TO BE QUIET, HUSK!" proclaimed the bat demon as he pointed a finger at the cat demon, who barely flinched as he unfurled his red wings to loosen their joints up a little before folding them back up. "YOU SHALL RUE THIS HUMILIATION, MARK MY WORDS!"
"I would mark 'em if they mattered, kid," retorted Husk nonchalantly, earning himself a few snickers from the small crowd that had gathered around them as he waved a hand dismissively. The bat demon was most certainly boiling with rage at that point, though before he could let it all loose, Husk spoke up. "Anyways hurry the fuck up, will ya? I don't got all day!"
"FINE THEN!" was his response from the bat demon, who, rather dramatically, raised the cards he had in his hand and slammed it down onto the table, shaking it just a little on impact. "FULL HOUSE!"
And, for a brief moment, a spark of hope was ignited within the bat demon as Husk's expression momentarily faltered. It was enough to give him some form of self satisfaction as he tugged on his collar, having thought that he managed to luck his way out of this whole ordeal… though before long, that thought was ejected from his mind when Husk began smiling once more. Unlike his previous smile, however, this one seemed to be almost… predatorial in nature, and the bat demon began sweating intensely as Husk shook his head mockingly.
"Fair play, kid. You managed to get some good cards, good enough to be called a pro, if I'm being very generous here. But lemme tell you something to set the record straight," spoke the cat demon as he nonchalantly revealed the cards he had in his hand, and once they were revealed, the crowd around them gasped at the sheer power behind the cards he had in his hand, all except for a certain someone who didn't even know how poker worked, and the cat demon took a moment to relish the shock as he set the cards down on the table and leaned back on his chair.
"You may be a 'pro', kid, but round' these parks, and especially on this table, I'm the fuckin king! You hear?"
He didn't even get a response from the bat demon, who had lost all colour in his face by then. Husk was quick to laugh at that as he eyed the demon before him, rolling his eyes as he gathered up his cards. A Straight Flush, he had gotten, and it beat the bat demon's hand by a full fifty points.
"So anyways," continued Husk as he swiped up the cards and got his chips, with him rolling the chips between his fingers rather expertly all the while. "You know the rules, so I'd like my fuckin' money now."
"Y-YOU… YOU CHEATED! I KNOW YOU DID!" was his immediate response from the bat demon, who began seething with rage. Husk replied with a roll of his eyes as he watched the crowd around them disperse, having been satisfied with the 'action', and leaving a handful of stragglers behind to watch the conclusion. "TELL ME, WHAT DID YOU DO?!
"Nothing, kid. I'm just better than you by several miles. And you challenged me, remember?" reminded Husk as he held a hand out. "Now pay up, or do ya want another go at the cards?"
A mild growl could be heard from the bat demon, though rather thankfully, he conceded and handed Husk his winnings. A massive wad of cash, to be specific, one that was probably thick enough to kill a man just by hitting him over the head with it, and as soon as he took it, the cat demon laughed and had the bat demon get the fuck on with his day, to which he did, leaving the cat demon to count his earnings.
'Ah… feels great to be me sometimes,' thought Husk as he went through his winnings, smiling to himself as he closed his eyes briefly to savor the moment.
And of course, that moment was lost when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Sighing at that, Husk turned to face them, speaking up before he opened his eyes.
"Oi kid, if you want a rematch, come again some other time. Cos right now, I-" began Husk, only to open his eyes and realize that the guy he was talking to was not who he had expected. Husk gave the kid a quick one over and was quick to realize that he looked rather off for a denizen of Hell. So human-like in appearance that it made the cat demon feel almost envious, though he was quick to shake it off as he lowered his brows. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Alastor wanted me to-" began the kid, and, almost immediately after hearing that name leave his lips, Husk's mood was almost immediately soured, so much so that he held a finger up to shut the kid down. Thankfully, the boy did stop speaking as he raised a brow in confusion, allowing Husk to speak up over him all the while.
"Alright, kid, listen here. I don't know who the fuck you are or how the fuck you even got to know that Radio Fucktard. But lemme get this straight with you; I AIN'T TAKIN ORDERS FROM THAT SHITEATING SONOVA BITCH, YA HEAR? NOW BEAT IT!"
Husk was sure that he had made that point very clear. He despised Alastor with pretty much all that remained of his heart for varying reasons, and the mere thought of having to return to Alastor in any way, shape or form, was more than enough to make him grumble, and the thought of him being forcefully dragged back to that Radio Prick by this kid was probably even worse!
And, as his luck would have it, the kid wasn't leaving just yet.
"It's a job, so I'm going to have to ask you to come with me," said the kid, surprisingly unphased by the cat demon's previous outburst as he spoke. Husk felt himself grimacing at that statement as he turned to give the kiddo a piece of his mind, though before could, he paused after feeling something cold resting against his shoulder. Raising a brow, he turned towards his shoulder and raised his massive brows when he saw a mechanical hand with golden claws resting atop it.
"What the fuck is this?" demanded Husk as he turned to stare at the boy, this time eyeing him more seriously, only to quirk his brows up when he finally noticed the massive robotic arm and lower legs the boy had. Something out of a sci-fi flick, Husk thought. "The fuck happened to you, kid?"
"... none of your business," replied the boy as he raised a brow. "But I-"
"Yeah yeah, you needa bring my ass back to Alastor and all that crap," replied Husk as he waved a hand nonchalantly. Despite his tone, however, he couldn't help but feel rather intrigued at Mika's mechanical limbs. To his knowledge, a Sinner's physical appearance was typically a close reflection of their cause of death, or at least tied to a Sin they committed in life, and considering just how… outlandish his new appendages were, Husk silently wondered what could've caused his death as he kept his gaze on the kid for a while.
The kid didn't seem to mind the staring, however, as he just stared right back, and before long, Husk sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. This brat didn't seem keen on leaving him anytime soon, and by God, his staring was, admittedly, getting a little unsettling. Sure, the cat demon could probably deal with him relatively easily, but with that being said, he didn't want to waste his time or energy in doing so, and as such, he opted to humor the kid in his own way.
"Know what, kid? You caught me in a pretty good mood today," quipt Husk as he offered the boy a challenging smirk, much to his confusion, not that he voiced it out as he listened to the older demon speak. "On any other day, I'd rip your insides out, stew 'em and make you eat it… but seeing as how I won quite a big sum today, enough to keep the bad thoughts away for some time, I'm willing to give you a compromise.
"Now, you can either walk right the fuck out of here and leave me the fuck alone, or you can face me, mano a catto, in a game of poker. If you lose, you get the fuck on your way and tell Alastor where to stick his cane. But if, by some cosmic miracle, I manage to lose to you, I'll come with you and tell that Radio Bitch to double your payment. How's that sound?"
He wouldn't do it. Husk was sure of that fact. As one of the most infamous poker players in Pentagram City, he had built up quite a record for being close to unbeatable in any and all casino games, and with that record came notoriety. There was no way this kid didn't know about how 'Godly', for the lack of a better term, he was at his craft, and as such there was a tiny, practically unnoticeable chance for him to actually challenge him willingly.
But then again, he did underestimate how far the kid would go to finish a job… and to get some raisins, as Husk was rightfully shocked when the guy nodded and took a seat on the opposite end of the table, seeming mostly neutral all the while.
"I accept your challenge," was the kid's answer, his tone unreadable as Husk stared at him in bewilderment. Well, that was unexpected, he thought… though before long, his initial shock quickly turned into a challenging expression as he smirked and nodded at the kid. He must've been pretty confident in himself, to challenge Husk directly. Either that or the pay was good enough to warrant it.
"You've got balls, kid, I'll give ya that much," quipt Husk as he motioned for an amphibious looking demon in a suit to come to their table. After accepting some cash, the demon agreed to help pass out cards for the match. "You got a name, kiddo?"
"Mikazuki Augus," was his answer, and Husk snorted and handed him some chips.
'He's Japanese. Figures.'
The game of poker began rather… interestingly, to say the least, and when it did, Husk had to do his best to hold his laughter back, much to Mikazuki's confusion.
"Kid, you're holding the cards the wrong way," explained Husk, prompting Mika to realize that he was indeed holding them incorrectly, with all card faces facing the cat demon, more or less giving him an early victory, all the while. Their card dealer snickered at that, and Husk rolled his eyes at such a comical mistake. "You a newbie or sommet?"
"Ah. First game," confirmed Mikazuki as he realigned his cards, prompting Husk to raise a brow. A complete newbie wished to challenge him? Well, Mika had guts, he supposed, though they weren't the good kind. Then again, Mika could've been lying… which he wasn't, though Husk didn't know that at the moment.
"Well, tough luck, kid," quipt Husk as Mika wondered what the symbols on the cards meant exactly. Currently, he had a pair of Clubs, a Diamond, a spade and a King in his hands, though he didn't even know what to do with them! The cat demon was quick to catch on, however, as he cleared his throat with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "…you gonna Check or something?"
"... Check…?" muttered Mikazuki in confusion as their card dealer nodded, with them having to hold back their laughter as they watched Augus stare at the cat demon in confusion, only to go with the flow and check shortly thereafter. At that, Husk snorted, having decided that he was really going up against a beginner as he discarded one of his cards, with their dealer offering him a new one shortly thereafter.
"Hm… hey kid, it's your turn," piped up Husk after adding his new card to his deck, smirking when he acknowledged the cards he had been given. Not even a turn in and he already had a High Card in his hand. His smirk was quick to fade, however, when he realized how Mika appeared confused once more. "Uh…"
With his Lupus Rex arm, Mika discarded a card and was offered a new one. With a raised brow, Mika stared at the new card in confusion before adding it to his hand, something that made Husk chuckle in amusement.
"Jeez, you're even worse than a newbie, kid! Least some of those types have some experience with this stuff!" taunted Husk, with him having expected Augus to respond in kind with a deflection of his own. Banter was always something that the cat demon enjoyed doing on occasion, what with it being a good way to liven up the table and to cause some unintentional barfights, and as such, he found himself raising a brow in surprise when he got no response from Mikazuki. "The quiet type, huh? Figures."
"Hm," muttered Mika in response as Husk discarded yet another card and replaced it with a new one. When it was his turn, Mikazuki did the same, and he took a moment to stare closely at the card he was given in apparent confusion, causing Husk to snort in amusement once more.
This went on for quite some time, and by all means, this was the tamest poker match Husk has ever played in a very long time. Everyone else he's fought against typically spatinsults in his direction or did their best to distract him in some way, usually to no avail. As for Mikazuki, however… he just remained silent and unreadable as he stared at his cards in abstract confusion. This was enough to intrigue Husk, though not as much as it bored him, of course.
So, after some deep consideration, and after the seventeenth turn when their card dealer kinda just (metaphorically) tuned himself out of reality and began handing out cards mindlessly, Husk cleared his throat and attempted to strike up a conversation.
"So, kid, how'd you get mixed up with the Radio Fucker?" inquired Husk as he leaned back on his chair and examined his clawed fingers. Mikazuki replied with a raise of his brow as he stared at Husk from behind his cards, with his gaze being enough to tell the cat demon to rephrase himself. "You don't get mixed up with Alastor by accident, kid, so how'd you meet that fuck, anyways?"
"I didn't. We just bumped into each other," replied Mika flatly as he examined an Ace of Kings card he just got. The sight of the king cards was more than enough to make a pit form in the pilot's stomach as he recalled Orga's old ambitions, though he pointedly ignored those memories as he added it to his hand.
"There's gotta be more than that, kid. So come on, spill. Not like it'll really matter in the long run," urged Husk as he discarded a card and replaced it with another. A Joker, not bad, Husk reckoned as he smirked and added it to his hand, only to turn up and spot Mika staring at him with a raised brow. "Look, kid, this match is fuckin' boring, so just answer the damn question! If I die a second death from boredom, of all fucking things,then you won't be paid, y'know!"
"Hm," muttered Mika as he offered a nod. "Alastor tailed me for a few weeks when I was still working with Barbatos. Then he-"
"Whoa whoa whoa, Barbatos? As in the Eighth Demon of Ares Goetia and one of the many Dukes of Hell Barbatos?" piped up Husk, cutting Mikazuki off with his words as the pilot raised a brow. Meanwhile, Husk continued on with his question, momentarily stunned by the fact that a Sinner, of all people, had potentially worked for a Goetial Demon at one point. "You worked for that prick?"
"Ah. I still work for him, just over the phone," confirmed Mika with a nod as he removed one of his cards from his hand. His replacement was a five of diamonds, a strange but oddly appropriate symbol for a deck of cards. "He calls over the phone to tell me to do things."
"Alright then… I guess I'll just roll with that for now. What about Al', though? How in the everloving fuck did you get his attention?" inquired Husk, pointing a finger at Augus, who didn't even look at him as he answered.
"He found me one day after I finished killing someone. Stalked me for the next few weeks before telling Barbatos he wanted to hire me as an escort," answered Mika, short and simple as he tossed an unwanted card to the side and received a new one, this time being a Queen of Hearts. His explanation was short and simple, and upon processing it, Husk snorted in amusement as he checked his hand.
"Yeah that does sound like the something fucker would do. Stalk 'em for a few weeks to see if they're worth his time then providing them with an offer of partnership or whatever the fuck," scoffed Husk as he removed a card from his hand and gestured at Mika with it. In response, Mikazuki nodded as the cat demon replaced his discarded card with a Ace of Kings. "So, what? You accepted a deal with em or somethin'? If you did, then I gotta say, I'm surprised that you're still here in one piece. Well, mostly one piece, anyways."
As he spoke, Husk gestured towards Mikazuki's Lupus Rex arm, eliciting a raised brow from the pilot as he shrugged. If he took offence to those words, he didn't show it as he responded.
"No. I just agreed to work with him until there's no reason to. I'm still a Servant to Barbatos, but it's also by choice. I haven't made any deals with any devils yet," answered Augus rather nonchalantly as he flexed his golden claws rather nonchalantly. As he did so, the pilot glanced over at Husk, with their eyes locking for a brief moment, and continued with quite a bit of intensity behind his words. "I'd rather not make deals with any kind of Devil, even if I was dying a second time."
"Then you're a shitton smarter than you let on, kid," complemented Husk with a nod as Mika made a Check, slowly but surely getting used to the basics of poker all the while. "So what, Al' and Barby got a business partnership now or something?"
"I don't know. I think they do, but they never bring it up," replied Mika truthfully as Husk rolled his eyes.
"Hmph, well, I don't know what kinda answer I should've expected, really. Then again, maybe I gave you too much credit in the brain department," quipt Husk, snorting whilst Mikazuki had a look at his deck in confusion, with him scratching his cheek with that mechanical arm of his all the while. "So why exactly didja even bother working with Al, anyhow? So far, you're not showing me that you're really smart, but at the same time you don't seem dumb either. Surely you saw that Al' is just out to entertain himself, right?"
"Working with him is less boring than working with Barbatos," replied Mika as he removed the Queen card from his hand and stared at it closely. "Alastor is more… creative with the things he makes me do."
"Your definition of 'less boring' involves being attacked on a daily basis, being sent to harass Vox or somethin' along those lines?" asked Husk rather smugly as he raised an oversized brow. In response, Mika closed his eyes and shrugged.
"As long as it keeps boredom away," admitted Mika, a response that Husk admittedly chuckled at.
"You sound like a real party, kid," quipt Husk with a toothy smirk as Augus shrugged in response. "You not afraid to die or something? I mean, I'm a bit of a hypocrite for saying this, but it wouldn't hurt to try and aim high down here. Someone like ya' could probably become a… erm, Medium Rank Sinner or whatever the fuck if you tried hard enough."
"No interest," was his nearly immediate response from Mikazuki, who lowered the cards he had in his hand to look Husk in the eye. Admittedly, the cat demon was taken aback by that unexpected answer, though Mika did have enough decency within him to continue on speaking. "I died once already. It didn't feel too bad, so dying a second time doesn't really scare me anymore. There's nothing down here for me to achieve, no one here that I want to protect. Nothing to really live for, basically."
"Jeez, that's a properly depressing way to put it, and seeing as how I'm the one saying it, you know it's fucking bad…" mumbled Husk under his breath after Mika finished explaining, with the cat demon's wings lowering down until they rested against his back as he processed Mikazuki's words. "The fuck is even up with kids these days…"
His answer was a shrug from Mika before he went back to checking on his cards, leaving Husk to his own as he sighed and discarded one of his. At that, the card dealer nodded and offered him a replacement, and by then, the cat demon had on him a Full House, something that even caught him by surprise.
'Well, didn't see that coming,' admitted Husk mentally as he shrugged and laid his hand onto the poker table for Mikazuki to have a look.
"Read em and weep, kid, Full House!" announced Husk rather proudly. His moment of pride was, however, brought down a few notches when he saw how confused Mika looked, prompting him to sigh. "Look, kid, I won the match. Full House is the best card combination of the bunch, ya hear."
"Oh," was his only response from Mika, who placed his cards down to let Husk have a look at its contents. The cat demon snorted when he saw an Ace of Kings, Queen of Hearts, Five of Diamonds, an Ace and a Spade. All powerful cards in their own rights, though when combined they didn't really amount to anything really significant. "I guess I lost."
"You guess? Fuck, you lost harder than that time I got drunk and got lost in the toilet!" retorted Husk rather mockingly as he laughed and leaned back on his seat. Mikazuki replied with a mild quirk of his brow, with him silently wondering how that even happened in the first place, as Husk sighed after his laughter died down. "But still, for a newbie, I guess you did alright. Just be glad that I wasn't playing this completely seriously."
"Ah," responded Mika, sounding just as he usually was as he stood and picked the cards up. "So I lost."
"Yeah. So I ain't comin with ya. Tough luck, kid," quipt Husk as he leaned back on his chair. Mikazuki, however, much to Husk's surprise, replied with a mild nod of his head as he picked the poker cards up and handed them to the card dealer. "What, no rematch? No 'but wait'? You ain't gonna try and drag me the fuck out?"
"No reason to," replied Mikazuki with a shrug, surprising Husk with his noncommittal tone of voice as he spoke. "I could care less about this job he gave me. I only took it because I was bored and because the payment was… nice."
"Jeez. What exactly did the red fucker want to pay you with, kid?" inquired Husk out of curiosity. He had a feeling that it was quite a hefty sum of cash if Mikazuki, a beginner, was willing to play a round of poker against him just to get a chance of doubling the amount he'd receive. Or maybe it was women. Or perhaps both…
"Raisins," answered Mikazuki, an answer that led to a complete bluescreen of Husk's brain as he stared at Augus in shock. Upon noticing this, Mika extended his Lupus Rex arm forward and snapped its fingers in front of his face. Unfortunately, the snap came out more as the excessively loud scraping of metal against metal which was truly painful on the ears, though it was more than enough to snap Husk out of it.
"HUH?! WHA?!" demanded Husk, his mind having rebooted by now as he blinked at Mikazuki in confusion. "Oh, it's just you."
"You blanked out for a moment," mentioned Mika as Husk rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, mainly because you're asking for RAISINS as payment, kid!" retorted Husk as he pointed a finger at Mikazuki, who simply blinked, seeing nothing wrong with asking for raisins as payment all the while. "You know that the Radio Fucker is an Overlord, right? He can offer you much more than just raisins if you chew him out enough!"
"I don't have much interest in anything else. Besides, Barbatos pays me some money whenever I finish one of his jobs, though he doesn't call me as much these days," admitted Mika rather sincerely as he reached into his Tekkadan jacket and pulled a raisin out of it. Husk watched as he popped it into his mouth and chewed, and he was just a little surprised when Mikazuki showed that he had enough manners to swallow it before speaking. "Raisins are hard to come by around here, so I keep asking Alastor for them. They're nice."
"... you're really just doin' whatever the fuck you please, huh?" concluded Husk, sounding so baffled that it was almost impressive as he stared at Mikazuki with a bewildered expression.
The nod Mika gave him was enough to make the cat demon roll his eyes as he sighed. That… was an awful reason to justify the fact that he chose raisins to be his payment. But then again, in an odd way, it was aso strangely admirable. The pilot didn't seem to care much at all for money, social status or even some form of notoriety. He was here to live in the moment, and in some way, Husk reckoned that he could respect that.
So much so that his mouth seemed to go on autopilot for just a few seconds.
"Hm, hey kid, you wanna get a drink with me?" inquired Husk out of nowhere, surprising even Mikazuki as he turned to glance at the cat demon with a raised brow. In response to that glance, the cat demon simply snorted. "Hey, the fuck's with that look? I'm inviting you for a drink and you just fuckin' give me the stink eye? Just say yes or no, kid!"
"... sure," replied Mika, seeing nothing else he could do at the moment as Husk chuckled and led the kid over to the bar. Once he was there, the cat demon got two bottles of cheap booze for the two of them, given to them by the same fire demon bartender Mika had consulted with earlier. Sure, Mikazuki could've been underaged. He certainly did look underaged, but fuck it!
This was Hell, and there were pretty much no rules down here!
Several hours later
The sound of knocking on the door to the Sanguine Radio Station alerted Alastor to the return of Mikazuki, and Niffty was quick to leap off the couch in the living and rush towards the door to open it.
"Omigosh, is Husk alright?" inquired Niffty as soon as she opened it and saw that Mikazuki had the arm of an unconscious Husk slung over his shoulder. The cat demon smelled like a bar that constantly sold cheap booze, and Mikazuki himself didn't smell much better. If anything, he smelled worse, what with the stench of puke that came off his person as he held onto the cat demon. "And Mister Mikazuki, you stink again!"
"Ah," was Mika's only response to Niffty as he dragged Husk into the radio station and tossed the still unconscious cat demon onto the couch… only for Alastor to use his magic to stop him from staining his couch and lobbing him into a dirty bean bag labelled Husk. Once he did so, he smiled at Augus, who was quick to roll his eyes and remove his jacket before handing it to Niffty, who took the hint and got ready to clean it of whatever filth Husk had contaminated it with.
"I won't lie, my little gremlin, I didn't expect you to be able to pull off the impossible and bring ol' Husker back here!" admitted Alastor as he snapped his fingers and held his palm out. And within a moment's notice, a bag of raisins appeared on his hand, with its appearance almost getting a smile out of Mikazuki all the while. "But you did good, kid! Now go clean yourself up before you get your reward!"
"Ah," replied Mika with a mild nod as he made his way to the bathroom, only to pause briefly and turn towards the still unconscious Husk with a neutral expression.
He kept his eyes on the guy for a brief moment before looking away and entering the bathroom, leaving Alastor behind to wonder what could have possibly occurred between the two…
Hey look it's Husk!
I referenced JoJo to learn how to play poker and I am slightly embarrassed to admit that.
