Chapter 13: Complementarity

The air shimmered and a portal opened a small distance above a busy sidewalk in Imp City. Two demons fell out of the portal, deftly landing on their feet amid a throng of imps, the portal snapping shut an instant later.

"Ey!" An imp cried. "Watchit! Fekkin' demons and their fekkin' fancy magic…"

"Sorry, I'm not as good at that as Dad," said Octavia, dusting herself off.

"What the Hell, Via?!" Moonchild said, pointing to where the portal was. "Take me back, right now!"

"No! Moonie, that place is bad for you, don't you see?" She walked up to him and took his hand. "I don't know what she has planned for you, but it can't be good!"

"You don't know that! Charlie's been nothing but kind to me ever since we met! She took me in, fed me, she's tried to help me at every turn!" Moonchild snatched his hand away from hers. "Take me back there, right now!"

"I can't do that, Moonie," Octavia said. "It's dangerous, I can't let you–"

"Let me?" Moonchild said, his face darkening with fury. "Let me! You can't let me?!"

Octavia shrank back from him, shocked at the edge in his voice, the rage souring his perfect features. "Moonie?"

"God, you're just like them! I should have known!" Moonchild growled, throwing up his hands.

"What do you mean?"

"Your parents!" He said, jabbing a finger at her. "Telling me what to do, making decisions for me! You just took me from the only people who ever cared about me without even asking how I felt! What I wanted! Did it even occur to you that I was where I wanted to be?! Did it?!"

"I-I didn't mean to–" She stammered.

"I'm not your pet, Via! You can't just whisk me away because you think you should! I'm tired of you fucking royals always controlling my life!" Moonchild stepped forward, looming over her, his eyes flashing green as he grew, his clothes popping at the seams. "That's it! I'm done! I'm done with your father, your mother, with you! Your whole fucking family could do me a favor and stay out of my life!"

Octavia said nothing, eyes cast down to the sidewalk.

"Send me back, now," Moonchild growled. "Send me back to the hotel and go home to your mother."

A long pause hung in the air, her silence audible even over the crowd parting around them, when she finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. "…I can't."

"Fine." He turned away from her. "I'll walk."

Her hand shot out and grabbed his. He turned to excoriate her some more, the words dying in his throat as he saw the tears spill down her cheeks. "I can't go home. I confronted Mum the other night. About you, about what she's been doing. She kicked me out. That's why I spent the night, I had nowhere else to go."

"Via…" Moonchild said, taken aback.

"And with Dad in trouble… that's why he sent us away, because we're in danger around him!" She cried. "I was alone, and scared, and I wanted to see you, my only friend. B-but then this happened, you'd changed so much and-and you're so different and I got scared. Scared that maybe it was possible! Scared that you'd get redeemed, that you'd leave and I'd never see you again! And all that casino stuff, and-and the stupid hobby bullshit and-and… Look, I know i-it was selfish, and-and stupid and but I–"

She was silenced when he pulled her into a warm embrace, pressing his cheek against hers. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

"You were doing so well, and I was happy for you. I am happy for you…" she whispered, her arms closing around his midsection. "I didn't want to worry you with all my bullshit. I'll send you back, and I'll stay away if that's what you want. I only want you to be happy, I just–"

"Shhh…" Moonchild soothed, stroking her head soothingly. "I'm sorry, Via. I didn't mean what I said. You're my best friend, too. If you need a place to stay, you can stay with me."

She sniffled and smiled at him. "You think Charlie would let me, after that stunt I pulled?"

"Charlie's the nicest, kindest person I've ever met," Moonchild said, smiling gently. "If you need help, she's there for you."

He reached up and wiped her tears away, running a hand down her cheek. "Let's head back, okay?"

"Uhm, actually," she said, a bashful smile on her face. "I was meaning to mention, we need to get you some new clothes. Ones that fit."

"Hmm?" Moonchild looked down at himself, large swathes of his skin visible through the popped seams of his pants and sweater; a passing imp loosed a wolf whistle as he walked by.

"Heh heh… yeah, that's probably a good idea."

"C'mon, I have some money stashed away at Dad's. Let's grab it and head out."

The palace was abandoned, just like it had been before, but Moonchild took notice that a few more things seemed to be askew. The rugs were rutted and a few tables had been swept clear, the candles and decorations and such strewn about on the floor. And there was a curious, musky smell in the air.

"What happened here?" Octavia said, looking around.

"Your dad was pretty drunk the last time I was over," said Moonchild, stepping over a pewter chalice. "Maybe that has something to do with it?"

"Drunk? That doesn't sound like Dad." Octavia walked down the hallway, suddenly stopping, her eyes narrowing. "Someone's here."

Moonchild pulled up next to her, his voice low. "Stolas?"

"No. Someone else. Down the hall, in the kitchen."

They quietly made their way down the hallway, the sound of clattering plates and cutlery now more distinct, the hum of the fridge as it was left open. The pair turned the corner and saw the red and white body of Blitzo, naked save for the towel around his shoulders, as he leaned into their fridge, a sandwich on a plate in one hand, a beer in the other.

He looked at them, his orange eyes wide, looking to all the world like a cat in a goldfish bowl. "Hey."

"What the fuck!" Octavia exclaimed. "What are you doing here?! Where's Dad? Why're you naked–OH MY GOD YOU'RE NAKED!"

"Answering in no particular order: Yes, I am, in his room, fucking your Dad, and, well, I'm fucking your Dad." Octavia clasped her hands over her eyes and turned away, disgusted. Blitzo leisurely walked over to the table and set the sandwich and beer down, wrapping the towel around his waist. "Question is, what are you doing here? Heard you were off with your mom or something. Some bullshit about 'needing space'? So he called me over for a hooty-booty call!"

"Never say 'hooty-booty call' in my presence ever again!" Octavia moaned, pulling her hat over her eyes.

"Like you can talk, Owlet! Who's the fetch slice of ahi behind you?" Blitzo said, eyeing Moonchild up and down. "Heh! Looks like Moonie, but hunkier. What? You like the look but not the package? You're missing out, I hear the kid has a real nice cock!"

Moonchild sighed and set his hand to his face as Octavia silently glared at the grinning imp. Blitzo looked him up and down some more before turning back to Octavia. "So… you gonna introduce us? What are his rates? I ask because your Dad was all kinds of horny for a threeway with fishboy and I'm not closed off to the idea! You do threesomes, big fella?"

"Do you want to tell him?" Moonchild said.

"I want to kill myself," said Octavia, utterly horrified.

"Sounds like him, too," Blitzo said, sipping his beer.

"Via?"

"Give him a sec."

Blitzo's eyes snapped open as the realization hit, beer spraying from his mouth in a frothy torrent. "TIT-SHITTING DICK WAFFLES! MOONIE?!"

Moonchild grunted and nodded at the stunned imp. "Hello, Blitzo."

"What-but-you-how–" Blitzo streaked over, looking the muscular fish-demon over. "When did this happen?"

"Is Stolas here, Blitzo?" Moonchild said, an irritated curl in his lip. "I want to speak with him."

"Good luck with that!" Blitzo chuckled, walking around Moonchild, drinking in the goods. "Between cock and cognac, the bird's out like a light!"

"I'm going to throw up," Octavia said, storming out of the room. "I'm going to go grab my things, we're not staying here a second longer than we have to!"

"Prude!" Blitzo called out as she left, before turning back to Moonchild. "Gets that from her mother. Heh! I have to say, Moonie, you're rockin' that look! Got this 'Fabio fucked Davy Jones' thing going! You're lucky I busted just a few minutes ago, otherwise this towel would be a tent, yannowhatimsayin! Ha ha ha!"

Moonchild said nothing, leaning against the doorframe and turning away from the leering imp.

Blitzo chuckled and jabbed his thumb at the door. "You and the princess, huh?"

Moonchild said nothing.

"No? Huh," Blitzo reached over with his tail, tracing up Moonchild's muscular legs and up to his belly. "I just figured, the way she looks at you…"

"Blitzo," growled Moonchild, his shoulders tensing. "Shut up."

Blitzo's smile widened; a sore spot. He shrugged and walked up to the sulking hunk, tracing up his exposed abs with his fingers. "Hey, now! No need for that! Alls I'm saying is that she's a damn fine-looking gal! A little weird and kind of a spook, but damn fine. And rich, too! Her dad already knows you and likes you (a lot), and her mom, well… Hey! Play your cards right and you can fuck the whole family! I bet you no-one's ever notched that one on their bedpost! FYI, owls can swallow just about anything whole and have no gag reflex."

Moonchild glared at the imp, crossing his arms across his barrel chest before turning away, saying nothing.

"She's into you, kid, and you could do a helluva lot worse," Blitzo said, getting close and whispering in his ear. "And if you don't, someone else might."

Moonchild's lip fleered back from his razor-sharp shark-teeth, his hands clenching into fists.

Blitzo leapt back, chuckling good-naturedly. "Whoa there, Shamu! Don't take it like that! I'm trying to help you!"

"I don't need your help!" Moonchild spat. "Leave me alone!"

"Okay, I'm detecting some hostility," Blitzo said, spreading his arms wide. "Hit me."

Moonchild blinked, surprised. "What?"

"Look, we obviously have a little unresolved tension between us, and not the sexy kind either! So, in the interest of future naked funtimes, I invite you to hit me anywhere you like, as hard as you can!"

"You're insane."

"No no no… well, probably. But that's besides the point! See, we've had this fun little back and forth for a few years now and somewhere along the way, you went and took it personally!"

"You once gave me a wet willy," Moonchild growled, his eyes narrowing. "Without using your hands."

Blitzo laughed and looked at the picture of the event on his phone, the look of horror and disgust on Moonchild's face had lightened his mood more than once. "Wacky fun! But see, there you go, taking offense at my harmless antics!"

"…Where were you keeping that phone?"

"Youdon'twannaknow. Anyway! I want to bury the hatchet, make amends (maybe negotiate an owl spitroast) so we can be pals going forward! So, in the name of peace: You. Me. As hard as you can!"

Moonchild's eyes went wide as Blitzo spread his arms, his eyes closed.

"Lay one on me, champ!"

His knuckles turned white, his fist squeezing so hard it trembled.

"Don't hold back on my account! I can take a punch!"

Moonchild's eyes flashed green, his muscles tensed and bunched.

"Just, uh, lay off the face, it's my meal ticket."

Moonchild wound up and roared, the air split with a thunderous crack as his fist broke the sound barrier, wreathed in a vapor cone. The fist burst from Blitzo's back with a wet, crunching sound, spraying a mist of fine black blood over the wall behind him. Blitzo opened his eyes and locked gazes with an equally stunned Moonchild. They both looked down to see the larger demon's arm buried in his midsection up to the elbow before looking back up at one another.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Blitzo shrieked.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOHMYGOD!" Moonchild screamed.

Octavia shoved the grimoire into her purse, along with a few of her emergency credit cards. The sooner they got out of this whorehouse the better. She walked by her father's room, listening for the soft snoring emanating from within.

'This is all your fault…' She thought, bitterly. 'Mum, Moonie, this investigation, it's all because you couldn't keep it in your pants. Now here you are, passed out drunk after fucking that same imp in your marriage bed while Mum and I hide like hunted dogs! Is that why you sent us away? So you could get dicked without getting caught?!'

She felt like screaming.

She just wanted to be anywhere else.

She'd left Moonie alone with that pervy red dickhead for too long, who knows what they were getting up to.

There was a sound, loud and sharp, like a gunshot. Octavia rolled her eyes and set off down the hallway. "You two better not be fighting!"

As she approached the kitchen, she heard their voices overlapping, a bunch of indistinct, equally panicked garble that got clearer as she drew closer.

"What the FUCK, Moonie?!"

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" Came his reply. "It just sort of happened!"

"Stop fisting me!" Blitzo moaned. "Pull it out!"

"I'm trying! You're clenching up!"

A loud, slurping squelch sounded, followed by a pained grunt and a sigh of relief.

"What the fuck is going on in here?!" Octavia said as she stepped into the kitchen.

Standing next to one another was Blitzo and Moonchild, the former with a massive hole clean through his torso, the latter with his arm stained with oily black imp-blood up to the elbow, clutched in his hand was what appeared to be a dog-treat.

"Blitzo, why is there a hole in you?!" She exclaimed. "Moonie, why are you covered in blood… and holding a dog-treat?"

Moonchild looked down at the bloody Milkbone clutched in his hand. "Uhhh…"

Blitzo's tongue shot out and scooped the treat up from Moonchild's hand and swallowed it. It promptly popped out of the hole in his stomach. "Male bonding. Guy stuff. You wouldn't understand, tits."

"Are you… okay?" Octavia said, pointing at the gaping, bloody hole in his guts. "I can see your insides…"

"Aw, I'm fine, thanks kid!" He said, reaching down. "Hold on a sec. Ha! Here we are!"

The gored imp produced a small plastic container, holding it up to his ear and rattling it. Blitzo popped one of the small orange glowing capsules into his mouth and chewed, grimacing at the flavor.

"What are those?" Moonchild said, curious.

"And where were you keeping them?" Octavia said, disgusted.

"Dunno, but if you pop one you heal up fast from just about anything, see?" He pointed to his midsection and the hole there was already shrinking shut. "They cost a shit-ton, though. A grand a pop!"

"Souls-2-Go: Argent You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?" Moonchild said, reading the container.

"Orange is their best flavor, but it still tastes like ass!"

"Blitzy~" Came a groggy voice from down the hall. "I heard a noise. And voices. Is someone here?"

The three turned to see Stolas shamble into view, his eyes heavily bagged, his feathers ruffled from sleep and other activities, wearing nothing but a bridle and a saddle.

"Oh my shit…" Octavia groaned in revulsion.

"Octavia!" Stolas exclaimed, hurriedly doffing the bridle and grabbing a tapestry off the wall, covering himself. "W-what are you doing here? You should be with your mother in the other estate!"

"Well, I'm not," Octavia said, reaching out and taking Moonchild's hand. "C'mon, Moonie. Let's leave Dad to his 'important business'."

"Moonie? What–" Stolas looked over to the now-very familiar fish-demon his daughter was clinging to, his eyes snapped open wide. "Moonie?!"

Moonchild smiled and waved. "Hello, Stolas."

"I-whuh-you… hoot…"

"Are people ever going to stop reacting like that, or should I just get used to it?"

Octavia dragged the blood-splattered demon out of the kitchen. "Come on. We're leaving."

Stolas snapped out of his stupor and followed after them. "Via, wait! You have to return home, it's not safe for you to be–"

"And whose fault is that?!" Octavia hissed, jabbing her finger at her father, eyes blazing. "This is all your fault! All of it! Mum, Moonie, Uncle Sally, it's all because you couldn't keep it in your pants!"

Stolas recoiled, stunned. "Via?"

"That's right, I know all about it!" Octavia said, pointing at Blitzo. "This shithead helped some guys steal the Saint's Corpse with your grimoire! Now Uncle Sally's lurking about, trying to make sure our own family doesn't kill Mum and I to get back at you!"

"Starfire, please, let me explain." Stolas said, reaching out for her.

"Don't touch me!" Octavia snapped, slapping his hand away. "All this time, I thought you loved us! Loved me! Cheating on Mum was bad enough, ruining my home-life, but you didn't stop there! Did you know what she was doing to Moonie because of you? How she was hurting him?! Raping him?!"

"What? No, that's not–She was–I thought–" Stolas turned to Moonchild, his eyes pleading. "Moonie, explain this to her!"

Moonchild shrank back, turning away. Stolas blinked, a look of horror slowly spreading across her face. "…Moonie, why didn't you say anything?"

"Oh, stop it!" Octavia snarled, stepping between the two of them. "Don't even pretend like you didn't know! She vented on him because of what you were doing to her, and you knew! You knew and you let it happen anyway because it let you go on fucking your favorite imp!"

"That's not–"

"JUST SHUT UP!" She roared, tears streaming down her cheeks. "FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE STOP PRETENDING LIKE YOU CARE ABOUT ANYONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF!"

"Octavia, please…"

"…I hate you."

Stolas gasped and staggered back as though struck.

"I never want to see you again," she said, her voice low. "All you do, all you've ever done, is hurt the people around you. Your family, your job, my life… you ruin everything you touch. Goodbye."

With that Octavia summoned a portal. She took Moonchild by the wrist and pulled him through.

The fish demon looked over his shoulder, his expression crestfallen. "Goodbye, Stolas."

The portal shut, leaving the room silent as a crypt.

"You have a brother named Sally?" Blitzo snorted. "Stupid name."

Stolas leaned against the wall, his expression blank, eyes wide. His long, willowy legs gave out as he slid down to the floor. "She's right. I've ruined everything…"

"You, uh, you alright, Stolas?"

"No. I'm rather not alright." Stolas leaned forward, his head in his hands. "I need to be alone, Blitzy. I deserve to be alone… Thank you for putting up with me all this time, it can't have been easy."

"Stolas?" Blitzo's brow furrowed, genuine concern crept in around the edges. "Heh! Hey, man, come on. She didn't mean all that, she's just a teenager! They say horrible stuff all the time! Shit, I'm lucky words don't kill, because my Loony–"

"Your obligation has been fulfilled, Blitzo," Stolas said, his tone cold and stern. "The grimoire is yours for the foreseeable future. Goodbye."

With a wave of his hand, a portal opened up behind the imp and he pushed him through out onto the street.

Stolas curled into a ball on the floor and sobbed quietly.

Blitzo stumbled back onto the street outside the estate, clad in nothing but a bloodstained towel. "What? Hey! C'mon, I still haven't shown you the Rusty Venture!"

A mother imp with a baby stroller stormed by, a disgusted look on her face.

"Fuck, Karen! Do you follow me around all day for your outrage fix?!" Blitzo said, flipping off the offended mother before turning back to the estate. "At least give me back my shit! I don't need another 'indecent exposure' court summons to ignore!"

A smaller portal opened up and his shirt and pants fell in a heap on the sidewalk.

"Thanks! And don't think I'm not gonna keep bugging you about this!" Blitzo called out to the palace. "My therapist always says 'solitude is only okay in small doses, but can quickly become a dependency! Now, please get out of my bathroom closet!' So, yeah, I'll be back!"

Blitzo's phone screamed as he gathered he clothes, Loona was calling.

"Heya Loony! How's–Loony? Are you crying? What's–hold on, hold on, slow down! Who? Who said what? Me? Who? Loony, please I can't under–It's okay, sweetheart, daddy's here, I'll come get you! You just stay put, baby! I'll see you five!"

Blitzo was deathly quiet as the line went dead.

"Someone… some fucking corpse made my baby cry!" Blitzo's eyes narrowed and glowed, his aura flaring deep scarlet and purple as he crushed the phone in his grasp. He reached into his pocket, producing his keys. With a tap of the fob, his customized red and black Mustang Mach 1 roared around the corner, tired screaming as it ground to a stop in front of him. "I'm gonna track that fucker down, nail him to the wall, and peel his dick like a fucking banana!"

Karen loosed an affronted gasp as she strolled by, sticking her nose in the air.

"Oh, get fucked, Karen!" Blitzo sneered as he roared off in his demonic muscle car.

Octavia dragged Moonchild through the portal and out onto the street. Moonchild followed after her as she dragged him down the street.

"Via?"

She kept on walking, her grip around his wrist tightening, almost painful.

"Octavia!"

Octavia turned around and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing quietly. Moonchild returned the hug and held her tightly as she calmed down.

"Via, it's okay," he whispered. "Your father–"

"Don't," she said in his ear, her voice hitching. "I don't want to hear another thing about my fucked up family. I just want to go."

"Okay."

The crowd parted around the young demons as they held the embrace. After a few minutes Octavia push away from him, smiling as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thanks Moonie."

He returned the smile. "I'm here for you, Via."

"I know. It means a lot." She laughed and held his face in her hands before running her fingers through his hair, pulling him into another quick hug. "Now, let's get you a new wardrobe."

Octavia thumbed through the magazine in the fitting area of Stylish Occult. That particular issue of Toff Goff was a few years out of date, but she still found the articles regarding the importance of non-color coordination to be informative, and the piece on the potential of small swatches of color for the sake of tasteful contrast was provocative. Also, the models weren't hard to look at either.

Her father would have thought so, too.

'No. None of that, Via. You're already dangerously close to being a full-blown stereotype!' She thought to herself, sighing. 'What do you mean, "close"? Rich, spoiled goth girl with daddy issues who goes therapy-shopping. It's too late, may as well embrace it and date someone Dad hates… and can't have horribly murdered.'

"Via, are you sure about this?" Came Moonchild's voice from the other side of the door. "This honestly doesn't feel like these fits me any better than my old clothes."

"You'd be surprised how much leather pants stretch. Come on out, let's see," Octavia replied.

"Alright…"

Octavia turned back to the magazine when a that little voice inside her spoke up again. 'Hey, Via.'

'Yes, Via?'

'Ever think that maybe taking the guy we're conflicted about being hot for and dressing him up like a sexy goth boy might be a bad idea?'

Her eyes snapped up to the door. "Oh, no…"

The door swung open and Moonchild stepped out. He was wearing a pair of snug-fitting leather-front black denim jeans from which two suspenders hung slack, the sliver zippers running up and down the legs and groin were unzipped, looking like tiny slivery teeth lining the maws of the let-outs. On top he was nominally clothed in an equally snug fish-net tanktop, his arms bare save for the studded leather bands about his outrageously defined biceps and wrists. Even his hair had changed from the formerly wavy thicket of pink tentacles to an oily-black wave-like side-sweep across his forehead, his bangs reaching his mid-cheek on one side. He'd even changed the color of his lips to a deep, glistening black.

"How do I look?"

Octavia stared, her eyes wide. "Hoot."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, uh," she blinked, eyes darting about. "I, uh, I said 'hot'. …Wait…"

"I guess I just have to get used to it."

"Good! You look good!" She said, laughing sheepishly before pointing at her hair. "I like this. I didn't know you could change its color."

"Yeah, it's handy." The mass shifted switching through a half dozen different styles, from long, to short-cut, to messy, to trim, all the while flashing through dozens of different colors and patterns. "I can do all kinds of things with it!"

'Mmph–I bet you can,' Octavia thought to herself, blushing. "That's, uh, really cool."

"Well, if you think it looks good–"

"I do."

"I'll take it! But I'd like a few ensembles that are a little more, uh, casual." Moonchild gestured at his torso, the fishnet top actually accentuating his muscle definition. "Something I can go eat lunch in."

"Yum…" Octavia muttered.

"Excuse me?"

Octavia started, willing her eyes away from him. "Oh! Uh, thoughts on lunch?"

"I could eat," he said his eyes lighting up upon seeing a studded black leather jacket. "Via! Here! How do I look?"

'This was an awful idea…' Octavia thought to herself, watching him don the jacket. 'A wonderful, awful idea.'

"Hoot~"

"Great! I'll take it!"

The pair made their way through Imp City, Moonchild's initial get-up replaced with a more toned-down version of his old outfit, a well-fitted black sweater with a low-cut v-neck and a pair of black skinny-jeans.

"So, there's more than one grimoire?" Moonchild said, gesturing at the heavy book in her purse.

"Oh yeah, this is an old edition," she said, levitating it out and opening it. "It's in, like, super old Babylonian, so while it can travel Hell and the stars well enough, it's really shit at getting anywhere on Earth. Like, say you wanted to go to a specific city in America, you'd have to know the coordinates in longitude and latitude, then translate that into ancient Babylonian, for which you have to then divide by four for minutes and seconds to make usable coordinates, by the way, and just kind of wing it from there. It's really clunky and super inaccurate, but it makes traveling Hell easier."

"Let me guess," Moonchild said, tapping his chin. "That's because it was written back when there were maybe fifty cities worth visiting on Earth?"

"More or less," said Octavia, putting the book back. "Dad gave Blitzo the newest edition grimoire because, well…"

"Blitzo."

"Right. He'd probably drop his dumb ass into the sun with this thing."

They walked in silence for a few seconds, it was Moonchild who spoke up. "Via…"

"Don't. I don't want to talk about it. Not today," said Octavia, smiling at Moonchild. "We both need a break from my batshit family life. Today's about you, Moonie."

Moonchild smiled, slowly and gently reaching out, taking her hand in his. Octavia blushed and returned the action, giving him a soft squeeze. The two almost imperceptibly moved closer together, a warm glow almost visible in the air around them.

Moonchild's smile faded as something flashed behind his eyes. He abruptly pulled Octavia into an adjoining alley, stopping once they were well within the filth-strewn alleyway.

"Moonie?" Octavia said, still smiling. "What're we doing in here?"

Moonchild's features were set, hard and focused. "We're waiting."

"For what?"

"Well, well!" Came a familiar voice. "Wouldja look at that!"

Moonchild and Octavia turned around to see a trio of demons standing in the mouth of the alley, a reptilian, a caprine, and a towering ogre-like creature.

"The one that got away!" The Caprine sneered. "And his bird."

"Fishie's been hittin' the gym!" The Reptilian said, flexing mockingly.

"Sweet gains," the Big One said, nodding. "More meat."

"What's Lent got to say on bird?" The Reptilian gurgled.

"No-go," said the Big One. "She's all yours."

"Ooooh goodie~"

"So, we finally caught up witcha," said the Caprine, starting forward. "Ain't you gonna run?"

Moonchild strode towards him. "I'm done running."

"Oh ho?" The Caprine chuckled, turning to his friends and jabbing a thumb at Moonchild. "You approach me?"

"You afraid?" Moonchild sneered, gesturing at the other two. "Need your back-up dancers to catch a fish?"

"Moonie…" Octavia said, quietly.

"Via." Moonchild turned to her, smiling. "It's okay."

While his attention was drawn, the Caprine lunged forward, aiming a devastating headbutt to Moonchild's ribs. With the flair of a bullfighter, Moonchild pirouetted out of the way, landing a light slap to the back of his head. The Caprine skidded to a stop, planting his hands on the ground before unleashing a blisteringly swift backwards axe-kick. Moonchild took a leisurely step back, the alligator skinned boot a blur as it missed him by bare millimeters.

"Hey, you're pretty quick!" The Caprine said, smiling despite the clear confusion in his eyes. "But you ain't getting you or your bird outta here by dodgin'."

Moonchild rolled his eyes. "Blah blah blah."

The Caprine growled and streaked forward, right hook, left hook, chop, straight punch, jab, Moonchild had his hands in his pockets, ducking and weaving around the fast, expertly thrown punches, his expression flat, bored even.

"Stay still or fight back, you pussy!" The Caprine aimed a snap-kick at Moonchild's head, which he ducked, seamlessly morphing it into a bonecrushing axe-kick. Moonchild stepped off to the side as the demon's heel smashed into the 100kg steel manhole cover, crumpling it like tinfoil.

"Okay."

Moonchild lightly kicked at his assailant's outstretched leg, sending his heel skidding across the debris strewn ground, pulling the Caprine into a sudden, wrenching split, a sharp ripping sound echoed off the walls.

"I hope that was your pants."

The Caprine roared in fury and whirled his legs about, sweeping out at Moonchild's legs. The fish-demon calmly hopped up, the kick missing his legs by bare centimeters. The Caprine spun as he launched to his feet, aiming a spinning back-fast at Moonchild's head.

He smiled as his fist bore down on him. 'Can't dodge me in mid-air, fish!'

The Caprine's head snapped back as something impossibly fast smashed into his face, stars exploding behind his eyes. When his vision cleared an instant later, Moonchild was tilted backwards, his own punch streaking through the air, just barely missing his chin. The Caprine spun about, stumbling as he tried to regain his footing. Once he was sure on his feet, he turned around, gasping when he saw Moonchild standing scant inches away.

"You going to call for back-up?" Moonchild asked, his tone frigid. "Or are you going to stand there and bleed?"

A thin rivulet of blood dripped from his split lip, streaking down his chin. The Caprine snarled, but was smiling internally. While they were dancing, Big One had been creeping up behind them while Reptilian slithered up on the bird-girl and clasped a hand over her beak, a seraphic blade to her throat.

"You don't scare me, fish!" Caprine spat. "Yer fast, but ya ain't got what it takes to win. Never did! And you know why?"

"Why?"

The Caprine smirked."Yous a bitch."

A fist the size of a watermelon whistled as it bore down on its target, the tennis ball-sized knuckles fixed to cave the fish-demon's skull in like a rotten pumpkin.

"What does that make you?"

Moonchild's head wove out of the way and the Big One's fist smashed into the Caprine's face, his snout collapsing with a sound like a crumpling beer can. The Caprine was sent sprawling backwards, tumbling end-over-end until coming to a stop some ways down the alleyway, his legs sticking straight up before limply falling to the ground with a thud.

"Hey, nice punch." Moonchild said, looking over his shoulder at the shocked ogre-demon. "I think you got him."

The Big One bellowed and unleashed a flurry of punches and swipes, Moonchild smirked, his arms crossed as he ducked and weaved. "So, Lutheran, right? Tell me, did you become a cannibal before or after coming to Hell?"

"Die!"

"Unlikely." Moonchild ducked and kicked out, hooking the giant about the ankle and yanking as he overextended. "Strange that you're a murderous cannibal that adheres to a faith so devoted to scripture."

The Big One stumbled forward and smashed into a small hill of garbage, disappearing under an avalanche of filth.

"I mean, wasn't that the whole point of Martin Luther's protest? The selective use of scripture? I just find it odd that a practicing protestant in Hell would pick and choose the aspects of his faith that suit him to justify or excuse his shortcomings."

The Big One burst from the garbage, his eyes glowing red with hate. "What are you, a papist?!"

"Yes, actually."

"Well, then, why don't you go fuck some of the kids at Belladonna's Orphanage, you God-damned mackerel snapper?!"

Moonchild's eyes went wide. "What did you say?"

The Big One's hands shot out, clasping Moonchild's head, his blunt, meaty fingers digging into his scalp. "I'm gonna crush your head like an egg and eat you raw like sushi, Pope-fucker!"

Moonchild's eyes glowed green, the tentacles on his head extruding through the ogre's fingers, wrapping about them. "What did you say?!"

The tentacles went taut, squeezing and crushing, sinking into flesh and bone like putty, the ogre's hands rendered mangled tatters of flesh and bone in an instant. The huge demon howled in agony and stumbled backward, the bloody ribbon-like remains of his paws dangling limply from his wrists.

"You sonuva–"

–He was on his back, his legs, now terminating in bloody stumps at the knee, waved about in the air. "Bitch? Dear God…"

Moonchild loomed over him, growing with each passing second. Eight feet of red, sea-stinking rage, his eyes glowing like a demented lighthouse from a wild patch of tentacles, his clothing stretched tight over his expanding muscular body.

"TELL ME," Moonchild roared, his voice a flanging, feral rasp. "WHAT DID YOU SAY? THAT NAME! WHAT WAS THAT NAME?!"

"B-Belladonna? S-she's a demoness who runs a Hell-born orphanage in East-Central!" The Big One whimpered, trying to shimmy away on his elbows before Moonchild effortlessly picked up off the ground. "P-please! I-I-I–"

–His skull burst as his head was dashed against the asphalt, his body now a contorted mass barely recognizable as the demon from before, subjected to boundless fury between the erased sections time.

"Holy shit."

The partially feral sea-demon spun about to see a shocked Reptilian still holding an equally shocked Octavia. The Reptilian started, his eyes wide, and pressed the blade against Octavia's neck. "Check yerself, Fish! I-I spent a thousand souls on this blade! Pure Seraphim Steel! U-unless ya want yer bird here to get a new cock-hole, y-you'll-you'll–"

"Octavia…" Moonchild said, regressing to his default form. "I-I'm sorry you had to see that. I lost control for a second there."

"It's cool," she said, her tone flat and conversational. "We all lose it once in a while. What was that about, though?"

"Whuh…"

"It's… complicated."

"Hey!"

"I'm all ears if you ever want to talk about it."

"Hey!" The Reptilian growled, pressing the blade to her throat. "Gotta hostage here! I'll kill her!"

"Oh, right," Moonchild grunted, grimacing at his now stretched-out clothes. "Octavia, take care of that, will you?"

"What? And rob you of your chance to look all heroic?" She said, smiling wryly. "Oh Moonie! My knight in shining armor!"

He smiled at this. "Stop playing with your food, Via."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Octavia reached up and took his wrist in her talons, effortlessly twisting his hand away from her in a string of brittle, meaty snaps. As the Reptilian howled in pain and shock, the demonic princess braced her forearm at his elbow and, with about as much effort as a weaver might bend a reed, folded his arm backwards in a small fusillade of snaps and crunches, guiding the useless limb over her shoulder, plunging the shining blade into the Reptilian's throat. She stepped away from him as his screams turned into gurgles, pulling the knife out and examining it as the demon collapsed under the weight of his agony.

"You spent a thousand souls on this?" Octavia said, brandishing the bloody knife as she stood over the tormented but very-alive Reptilian. "I think you should ask for a refund."

She ran her talon along the blade, bending it like rubber until it curled in on itself, before tossing it into the trash.

"Say, Via," Moonchild said, strolling up behind her. "Does he look like one of those flying lizards to you?"

She looked over at him, seeing the playful smirk on his face. "You mean like those ones that glide with the little flap under their arms?"

"The same."

Octavia produced the ancient grimoire, her hand glowing. "Only one way to find out."

A portal opened up under the Reptilian, on the other side was a bird's eye view of the city from several kilometers above. The hapless demon gurgled a squawk that might have been a scream as he fell down into the sky high above.

"That was fun," Octavia said, turning to Moonchild. "But what was that all about? What does 'Belladonna' mean to you?"

"It's…" Moonchild sighed, running his hand through his hair. "It's a long story."

"I got time," Octavia said, taking his arm in hers and pulling herself close. "Talk about it over lunch?"

"If it's all the same to you, can we head back to the Hotel?" Moonchild said, somberly. "I have some things I really need to discuss with Charlie."

"Yeah…" Octavia's head swiveled around at a sound. "Oh, hey. Goat-guy's up."

Moonchild turned to see Caprine shakily getting to his feet, his eyes blinking through mass of blood and pulp that was the remains of his face. The demon's eyes shot down to the remains of his oversized companion and his nerve broke. He spun on his heels and scrambled away down the alley.

"He's getting away."

A rapidly encroaching scream drew their eyes upward as the Reptilian streaked downwards, landing on top of the fleeing Caprine in a mass of limbs and blood.

"Actually," Moonchild said, turning Octavia back down the alley, towards the street. "Can we grab some take-out? I've worked up an appetite."

"I hear you," she replied, patting belly. "The smell of all this blood is making me hungry."

"…Is it bad that I find that hot?"

The view from the top of the Hotel was surprisingly pretty. The endless skyline of the city stretched out of miles, a never-ending sea of lights occasionally breaking out into glowing copses of skyscrapers ranging from mundane to eldritch in design.

Moonchild looked down at the 'authentick Italian' take-out they'd decided to try. He'd gotten what was he guessed passed for fettuccini in West-Central.

The noodles were moving.

One of them just winked at him.

Whatever.

He stabbed his fork into the squealing mass and rolled up a ball, hungrily slurping it down.

"How is it?" Octavia said, blowing on a steaming dumpling.

"Whatever it is, it's not fettuccini Alfredo," Moonchild mumbled through a mouthful. "Tasty, though!"

"Yeah, I told you ordering the cream sauce in Hell was asking for trouble."

"Like the meat sauce would be any safer?"

"Touché."

Octavia plopped a culurgiones into her mouth and swallowed it whole, Moonchild cocked his head and smirked. "Do you, like, taste what you eat?"

Octavia chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Moonie, owls enjoy food. Big shocker."

"But, I mean, you don't chew," he said, pointedly chewing his 'noodles'.

"So?"

"So, you can't fully enjoy the flavors of what you eat. Chewing mixes all the flavors of all the ingredients together, allowing them to compliment each other. If you swallow something whole, you're just tasting the outside, right?"

"Kind of," said Octavia, gesturing at the dumpling on her fork. "See, after we swallow, it goes into the gizzard, where it kind of gets mixed up, the indigestible stuff is separated, and then it gets digested. We can kind of taste when it's in the gizzard, though it's more like a smell, I think."

"Oh, cool." Moonchild examined his forkful. "Separates the indigestibles, huh? That would imply any of this is digestible."

Octavia laughed and leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Moonchild blushed slightly, clearing his throat. "What for?"

"Taking you from here, this place," she said, setting her hand on his leg. "What you did back there, with those thugs… I mean, except for that last bit, the Moonchild I knew never could have stuck up for himself like that. This place is… weird, but I think it's good for you. I just let my bullshit get all mixed with your life and–"

"It's okay, Via. Really, I forgive you. I had fun today, and if there's any way I can help you with your problems, you just let me know, okay?"

"That's just it, though," she said, pulling herself close. "You've always been there, to listen, to talk, all that stuff. But… I realized today, I don't know anything about you. Like, earlier, when you almost lost control. Or last night, at the casino? What does 'Belladonna' mean to you?"

"Well, it means 'beautiful woman' in Italian."

"Moonie."

"It's also another name for nightshade."

"Moonie."

"Right, right…" He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's… a long story."

"My schedule's clear," she said, looking him in the eye. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I'm here for you."

Moonchild smiled and nodded. "Okay. Where to begin? Uh, well, I was born in 1967, on an island off of Sardinia…"

Octavia sat and listened as Moonchild retold the tale of his bizarre, tragic life. The atrocities his other half committed, the cause of their fracture, all of it. That such a horrible thing happened to so kind a soul galled her, roused in her that familiar temper that she'd likely inherited from her mother. He'd endured so much pain, between birth and life and death and damnation, it was a small miracle he was lucid at all! What kind of God damns a man for the sins of his trauma-induced mental illness?!

"Oh, Moonie…" she said, pulling him into a warm hug. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"Hey," he said, shrugging. "Until last night, neither did I. Not consciously, at least. Last night, though, I let him out to save myself and regained control! I've never been able to do that. And just like that, all the memories I'd been suppressing came rushing back. I finally know what I did to get down here!"

"What? Moonie, you can't blame yourself for what that other guy did!" Octavia exclaimed. "That wasn't you, that was–"

Moonchild shook his head, smiling gently. "No, Via. We're connected, him and I. My soul committed those sins, killed so many people… I deserve to be down here. But that's the point! I have to own up to what I did, I need to… I dunno, reconcile with him, merge with him, heal this split in my identity before I can even think about redemption. Only when we're together, when we're healed, can we work towards being a better person."

"I guess… ach, this so weird!"

Moonchild nodded and rolled his eyes. "Welcome to my world."

"So…" Octavia began, unsure of how to broach the question. "Who's Belladonna?"

He flinched at the name, his smile vanishing. "That was my Nanny's name."

"Oh…" Her eyes snapped open wide. "Oh. Moonie…"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go on some rampage… probably," Moonchild said, smile returning, albeit a little more sardonic. "Charlie would want me to forgive her or something."

"Well, I think that the best thing for your redemption would be to confront your abuser…" Octavia said, her eyes glowing red. "…And skin that bitch alive."

"The other guy would probably agree with you." Moonchild laughed and draped his arm across her shoulders. "That's probably not great for the whole damnation thing, but I appreciate the sentiment."

"This other guy," said Octavia, swallowing another dumpling. "Does he have a name?"

"Yeah, it's…" Moonchild sighed and offered a bashful smile. "Diavolo."

"Diavolo," Octavia said, her expression flat. "He named himself 'Diavolo'?"

"Yeah…"

"Psh!" She scoffed, leaning back and rolling her head back. "Twat."

"I know! Bad enough he's a violent paranoid psychopath, he's also an edgy douche," said Moonchild said, laying back on the room, taking in the sky. "It's weird. I know I have to get well before I can seek redemption, but… I dunno. Will I still be me when I do? What if I'm not strong enough to maintain my identity when we merge? Would I still be Moonchild? Am I still Moonchild? I've changed so much so quickly, how can I even think of myself as the same–"

Octavia leaned over him, her hand on the tarmac beside his head. She stared down at him, a serene smile on her exquisite face, her eyes glowing warmly.

"Via?"

The owl princess craned her neck down and kissed him lightly on his soft, full lips. The warmth, the connection, at her touch something surged within him, causing his heart to race and his cheeks to flush deep pink. When she broke the kiss she leaned back, drinking in his stunned, flustered expression as he sat back up, blinking and trying to formulate a response, any response.

"You're still Moonie," she said, chuckling softly.

"I-I, uh, well, I s-suppose that's, uh, one way to, uh…" His voice broke in an adorable squeak as he centered himself, trying to pass it off a throat clearing. "Ahem! Uh, what was, I mean, why did you…?"

"I was curious, I wanted to see what would happen," she said, aloof and self-satisfied, internally tickled at the hunky demon's flustered stumbling. "And I wanted to. I like you."

Moonchild smiled and blushed even brighter, the air around him seemed to glow and sparkle. "I, uh, I like you too, Octavia."

"Hmm."

The pair sat in silence for a while, both of them positively glowing, backdropped by the infernal city.

"So, uh," Octavia said. "This is the part where you kiss me back."

"Oh! Uh, right!"

Moonchild awkwardly leaned over, pushing his face over to hers. Their eyes met for a moment and, simultaneously, they both burst out laughing. Moonchild and Octavia leaned on one another as they succumb to gales of helpless laughter.

"You're such a dork!" Octavia said, play-punching his shoulder.

"Says something about your taste in men," he retorted.

"Yeah…" She locked eyes with him. "I like dorks."

"Uh, did you know that 'dork' means–" Moonchild said, slowly leaning in.

She raised her hand to his face, drawing closer. "Shush."

Their mouths met and the air glowed. Like a circuit being completed, this rush, this energy, it was intoxicating. The young lovers deepened the kiss, embracing one another, they had to touch more, to feel more, to get as close as possible.

Moonchild broke the kiss and held her tight, his chin rest on her head as she pressed her face into his muscular chest. "I love you, Via."

"I love you, Moonie."

He looked away from her, catching movement out the corner of his eye. Across the roof, peering out from behind the door to the access stairway, was Charlie, Angel Dust, Husk, and Niffty. Charlie looked close to tears, her hands failing to cover the huge smile on her pale, blushing face. Angel Dust grinned a gold-toothed grin, giving Moonchild six thumbs up. Husk smiled proudly, nodding his head slowly, shooting Moonchild a wink. Niffty reached up and snapped her fingers in his face, rubbing her thumb and forefingers together. Husk and Angel rolled their eyes and each handed her a crisp fifty soul bill.

'Go away!' Moonchild mouthed to them, shooing them away with his free hand.

Charlie nodded, silently ordering the others to leave. Husk and Angel shot him parting looks of support before vanishing behind the door. Niffty continued to watch, a lascivious grin on her impish one-eyed face. Six sets of hands reached out from behind the door and yanked her back. The door closed with a muted click.

Moonchild sighed in relief and looked out at the city, reveling in the warm body pressed against his as he stroked her hair.

"They were watching us, weren't they?" Octavia said, muffled by his shirt.

"…Yeah."