AN: Thank you for your kind words.
Stolas sat up on one shoulder in bed, the morning sun was just beginning to pour in from the balcony window, causing Blitzo to pull the covers over his head, his back turned to Stolas.
Stolas gently rubbed Blitzo's shoulder, he was still down for the count, but his initial half-reflex was to loosen up in response to Stolas' touch.
"Stay there, my little darling Blitzy..." Stolas said as he got out of bed and put his robe on and left for the kitchen, kissing him on the cheek as he departed..
Stolas got to the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on as he grabbed some of Blitzo's leftovers from the other day.
"Any chance of an Irish coffee?" a voice said from the front of the room, it was Loona.
"Suppose I should have figured you as a hair of the dog type..." Stolas said, looking up with a beaming smile.
"Beak of the owl?" Loona said, starting to laugh before recoiling from her splitting headache.
Stolas started cooking up some eggs and bacon on the stove, not entirely sure if he was following the steps correctly, but reasonably sure Loona would have called him out for screwing things up entirely.
Stolas looked around in the back pantry where excess plates and silverware were kept and grabbed some trays and little decorative vases. He set out and prepared four of them, clipping small roses from a bush outside and setting each in a vase.
"Here, this is for you and Via." Stolas said, laying two trays on a handsome little cart the servants frequently used for when Stella didn't feel like seeing his face before breakfast.
Loona smiled and wagged her tail as she left for Octavia's bedroom, cart in tow.
Stolas returned to his room and considered knocking on the door with some corny line to the effect of "room service!". But promptly reconsidered after remembering Blitzo's half-awake hatred of sunlight.
Stolas entered and set himself back in bed, placing his own tray over his legs and waving a cup of coffee under Blitzo's nose, causing it to twitch in delight.
"Ugh, I'm up, I'll cook you something in a minute..." Blitzo said as he rubbed his eyes and patted at Stolas, not noticing he'd had made breakfast for them both. "Wow, thanks..." Blitzo said, sitting up in bed as Stolas assembled the tray around him.
"Only the best for my dance partner..." Stolas said, beaming with pride in the morning light, Blitzo couldn't help but feel that the sunshine suited his shapely morning feathers.
"This is good." Blitzo said, picking at the food on the tray as he stroked Stolas' arm.
Stolas smiled as he drank his coffee and pulled Blitzo a little closer for a kiss on the forehead.
Octavia's room was comparatively dark at all hours of the day, it gave the weary tones of the decor a kind of timeless but pathetic feeling.
"Hey birdy." Loona said, leaning over and brushing the hair out of Octavia's eyes.
"Loona..." Octavia said, still in a weary and dreamlike state as she rose up and saw that Loona had brought breakfast.
Octavia sat up and blushed as Loona assembled her tray. Loona, catching her glance for a second replied in turn, wagging her tail.
They got in bed together and started eating, Octavia stroking gently at the petals of the rose in the vase.
"That was, some night..." Octavia said, unsure what somebody was supposed to say in this situation.
"You were great..." Loona said, not killing the tension at all and causing Octavia to stiffen up in response. "At dancing, I mean... Dancing." Loona added with a giggle and a look of apology.
"Thank you. For all this." Octavia said, playfully wiggling the rose in front of the hellhound's nose. "Your idea?" Octavia said as she took dainty bites from her plate.
"Naw, Stolas did that. You think I'd have any kind of eye for that kind of thing?" Loona said, filing through the petals of her rose as she winked back at Octavia.
Stolas and Blitzo returned to the kichen, just finishing cleaning up by the time Octavia and Loona had wandered in.
"How about we go out on a double date today? What do you think, girls?" Stolas said as he wiped down the countertop and Blitzo grabbed the cart from Loona.
"Are you, sure that's a good idea? Isn't you two being together in public going to spark, like, an international incident or something?" Loona said as she sat beside Octavia.
Stolas slinked back in resignation before peeking his head up as an idea formed. "I think I know just the place..."
Stolas left the room to grab his grimoire, Blitzo had left it carelessly in his jacket pocket the night he'd arrived so suddenly.
"What, we going to Paris or something?" Loona said, her knowledge on what the grimoire was capable of falling far short of Stolas' mastery of it.
"Just get dressed, something sensible, we'll all get ready and be back here soon enough." Stolas said, not wanting to ruin the surprise.
Everyone was soon ready to go as they met up back in the parlor and Stolas opened a portal, dragging a still somewhat hungover Blitzo through it.
Octavia looked at Loona and gave her a knowing shrug as the pair walked through the portal together.
The group had all emerged from the portal and into a wide open field, the seeming midday sun was high but a gentle breeze gave the place a calming feel. It reminded Blitzo of the land the estate was on, but there was always something about the refinement of that place that had clouded him out, if only evident now by it's absence.
"Where are we, anyway?" Loona said after looking toward Octavia and finding a similar look of wonder.
"We're here!" Stolas said, scratching at the back of his neck. "I've never really needed to give this place a name..." he added as Blitzo squeezed his hand in solidarity.
"I've been visiting this place for a while, when everything just felt like too much to handle..." Stolas said, looking down at Blitzo and squeezing his hand back.
"So, what are we doing here?" Loona said, placing a hand on her hip.
"Whatever we want, this place never had any memory..." Stolas said, staring off at a nearby lake and turning around, giving a bow to the rest of his company.
"What are we waiting for?" Blitzo said, looking around. "Let's go make some!" he added, nuzzling up against Stolas' hip.
The group walked around the field towards a waterfall by the lake, Blitzo practically spinning with joy, this wasn't anything like the crowded pits of Hell he'd always been used to.
Loona walked alongside Octavia, keeping an arm around her as they went through the woodsy area. Birds chripped in the background, but the pristine nature of the place gave more comfort than unease, a feeling unfamiliar to her.
"I can see why you've come here before..." Octavia said, relating to the easy solace of such a beautiful place.
Everyone relaxed by the waterfall, Stolas seemed to take in the ambiance on his own, laying back as he nestled back in the grass and began watching the clouds. Blitzo cuddled up against Stolas as he wordlessly accepted the embrace.
"That one looks like a horsie!" Blitzo said, pointing at the sky.
Stolas giggled as Blitzo lectured him on all the shapes he saw before rolling up on top of Stolas.
"That one looks like a lovestruck fool..." Stolas said, poking Blitzo on the nose.
Blitzo stroked Stolas back and playfully nipped at his neck.
Loona poked Octavia on the shoulder and pointed up at the waterfall coming from a craggy outcropping.
"I really want to climb this thing." Loona said, walking towards it, flexing as she shook down her muscles and licking her hands for grip. "Tag, you're it!" she added, trying to make progress up the cliff.
"Oh, you..." Octavia said, before chasing after her, licking her hands in preparation.
Gradually Octavia reached the top, Loona's competition having pulled her all they way up the cliff she panted trying to pull herself up.
"You got me!" Loona said, reaching out and pulling Loona up to a beautiful outcropping. Octavia fell down hard on Loona and their eyes met.
"Thanks..." Octavia said, rubbing her hands and leaning over Loona.
Loona and Octavia stood up and saw the world before them. Life in all directions, but not the slightest hint of unwanted company. It seemed to suit them well as Octavia leaned towards Loona, pulling her into a kiss.
"This moment, if it could last forever..." Loona said, trying desperately to keep her cheeks from blushing and her tail from wagging.
The two stood together, hand in hand as they looked upon all of creation, the tributaries all seeming to flow toward the lake below them, a beating heart for the valley below. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Octavia didn't feel alone. Loona laid her head to rest on Octavia's head as she felt welcome in the longest time she could remember.
Stolas closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself, the weather was excellent for just lazing around without a care in the world. Stolas thought of the bittersweet irony that in order for that to happen, he simply needed a new world.
Blitzo's arms soon wrapped around Stolas, it didn't seem to stir him in the slightest as he made no motion of surprise. "You know, I'd never thought I'd have found anyone to bring here..." Stolas said happily, in a state of almost final satisfaction, a film of tears wrapping his eyes..
Blitzo laid his head on his shoulder, he'd picked some yellow flowers from a nearby hill and was tying them into a small string. "Well, I'm real happy..." Blitzo said, as he draped a circle of flowers around the top of his head.
Stolas smiled as he adjusted the little flower crown. "You know, of all the places I've been, I think I like this one the best." he said, sitting up and looking at the leftover flowers in Blitzo's lap.
"My whole life, I've never been able to imagine anything like this..." Blitzo said, gesturing to the world around him, his voice croaking slightly with tears. Hell was full of life, sure, but there was a natural restraint to this place that brought about an inner peace.
Stolas tied little loops of flowers and placed them on Blitzo's horns. The imp smiled back, playfully touching at the petals of the flowers. "Your fellow highness..." Stolas said, stroking Blitzo on the chin.
Loona and Octavia walked along the top of the cliff, the pair unsure what words could even describe or make pleasant conversation in a place like this. The gentle howling of the winds and rustling of leaves was entirely alien to someone who'd grown up in so many different places.
"You climbed this thing like a pro." Loona said, playfully rubbing her knuckles against Octavia's shoulder.
"I fucking hate heights..." Octavia said, not breaking her grip on Loona's arm as they walked away from the ledge. "Yeah, yeah... make your bird jokes..." she said, half chuckling out of embarrassment.
"You hear your dad's hair of the dog one?" Loona said, laying down on a nearby rock and feeling the warmth from the sun. "But if you don't want me to, I don't have to." she added as Octavia sat and steadied her breathing.
"I suppose, might be nice I throw you a bone from time to time..." Octavia said, rubbing her knuckles on Loona's shoulder.
Loona was too enraptured with Octavia's form as it cut a marvelous shape in the glaring sun. "Oh, I'm so getting you back for that, birdy..." Loona said, intertwining her fingers with Octavia and pulling her in for a kiss.
Loona and Octavia climbed back down to rejoin Stolas and Blitzo. Octavia gripping Loona's back and closing her eyes to avoid looking down, she felt comfortable wrapped around Loona's large frame.
Stolas and Blitzo were sitting together as the pair came back down, Octavia still being carried piggyback style. Blitzo waved back to usher them over.
"Lack of any black metal bands, this place doesn't seem half-shitty, nice job owl-dude." Loona said, sitting down with Octavia's legs flanking her on either side.
"Excuse me, that's, your highness..." Blitzo said, gesturing to Stolas as he hooted in a giggling manner, placing his hand bend at the wrist below his turned down head.
"Tag, you're it!" Loona tapped Stolas on the shoulder and ran off, dragging Otavia by the wrist.
Blitzo quickly turned in an attempt to run as Stolas tagged him by the ankle. "No tagbacks, toodeloo!"
Blitzo looked back down as Stolas gave him a knowing shrug before running off after Loona and Octavia.
Blitzo smiled back as he rose up and dusted his jacket off. "Three, two, one! Let's have some fun!"
Blitzo caught up with the group, laying in wait on some rocky outcrop along the hill. Jumping along and chasing after nobody in particular, he laughed even as he struggled for grip at times. Blitzo ran between the gaps in the rock, tagging Octavia on the leg as she tried jumping over the break in the rock.
Hours passed as they all jumped from rock to rock, sometimes fumbling in their attempts to catch one another.
The sun was setting quickly as the game wound back down, returning to their position along the lake. Octavia picked some of the yellow flowers and started braiding flowers in Loona's hair, Octavia turning to allow Loona to return the favor.
"Hey, Loony..." Blitzo whispered as Stolas sat by the lake, napping out of exhaustion. "Can I borrow your knife?"
"Going to try and overthrow the monarchy?" Octavia said, wondering why Blitzo needed the knife, but cuddling back with Loona as a sign of trust.
"Talk about multitasking... Not five hours and he's already trying to be King Dickhead..." Loona said, holding the switchblade out in front of Blitzo and waving it out of his grasp before eventually giving it to him.
Blitzo walked off to a nearby tree, looking back at the pair and sticking his tongue out at them.
Stolas stretched lithely in the grass, rising and seeing Loona and Octavia napping against a nearby tree, Loona keeping a protective grasp around Octavia as she enjoyed Loona's natural pillowy fluff.
Stolas walked over to Blitzo leaning slightly over, his hands bleeding slightly from the splinters and small cuts where he'd slipped up, Loona's knife was ill-suited to carving wood.
"Oh, Stolas!" Blitzo said, backing up against the tree, covering what he was carving. "I honestly thought I had more time..."
Stolas looked at Blitzo's hands and gave him a worried look. Blitzo just shrugged, which indicated little, anything short of the pain from a severed limb probably wouldn't break his tough persona.
"Well, here it is..." Blitzo flourished his jacket in a manner of a curtain, revealing a carved heart.
"Homestead: Property of King Stolas + Prince Blitzo" scratched below that in smaller letters was "Also Loona + Octavia..." The lettering was crooked, but clearly took a great amount of effort. There was a space between their names, just long enough to write out "lady" between each.
Stolas simply smiled and leaned Blitzo forcefully against the tree, kissing him deeply as he ran his hand over the heart, dyeing it a brilliant red.
