Lounging on the central fountain of the front yard with the three Goetias and two inner demons, May felt like a flower hidden in the dark too long as she basked in the day.
She needed freedom. They all did, she saw. The assemblage was broken into small groups of comfort; the royals privately talked amongst themselves, as did the two troublemakers. Whether they were making plans for the future or hatching new schemes, at least all had room to emotionally breathe, so May took her ease in her people-watching.
Treat gave Dark Mark a mild punch in his arm, looking up at him with a concerned scowl. "You silly beast! Why didn't you tell me what was going on? I thought we were a team. I could have helped you. Why did you keep this to yourself?"
The wolf double's head, ears, and tail swung low. "I don't know. I didn't think. For so long, I used Marchosias' guilt like a hammer to batter his convictions to dust. I wanted to win, but I suppose I drowned in his loneliness and became the instrument to end his pain. I'm sorry."
Arms crossed, Treat gave a performance of hurt consideration. "You're forgiven, but if you break my heart again with that stunt, I'll turn you into my bitch...literally. Now, come here."
He leaned in, and she softly reached up to scratch behind his ear until his foot tapped the ground. Their foreheads touched gently, and she let out a quiet howl, and he picked up the affectionate chorus.
Raising his head again, Dark Mark gave an anticipatory grin. "On that note. I want you to have this." With a slight hand gesture, he conjured a lidded box.
Opening it, a blushing Treat almost dropped the container, holding her mouth in happy shock. Inside was a leather dog collar with the words "Doggy Treat" stenciled in gold.
"Oh, Darky!" she gasped. "I'll treasure it, always!"
"Hold on to it until you come back to me. You and I can help break it in." He gave a lusty growl that she echoed.
"I won't say goodbye," Treat said, holding his hands. "And next time, we'll conquer our hosts. Together."
Seeing the trio of royals approach, Mayberry figured that whatever they were discussing had import, and they wanted her to be on the ground floor in some capacity.
"What's happening?" she asked conversationally.
"Many things," said Marchosias. "We decided to take a break from our cause right now. I neglected my needs for too long. I will see where therapy takes me, and you have your life to live."
"But, the year's not up."
He raised a hand to allay her worries. "I know and do not fear. Seir and I will continue training you, but it will take a more natural pace. My doctor will say that doing so will focus my mind and be more therapeutic for me in the long run."
"That and dating," Seir chimed in. "C'mon, big dog! The hunnies are out there, and you gotta get back out on the prowl!"
Marchosias gave a whuff of embarrassment, cleared his throat, and continued regally. "Regardless, if you still want to train under us, you have my permission to return here to do so."
May gave a touched smirk, seeing through the bombast. He needed to be in control again, but that didn't stop her from giving him an undignified hug which brought up his whuff again.
"I don't have to come back just to train, Marco," she said into his fur. "If I can't be a club member, at least let me be a friend."
"Who said that you aren't both?" Amy asked her, smiling.
Surprised, she released the wolf. "Huh?"
"After all you've been through?" Seir pointed out.
"I did say we were taking a break from our cause, did I not?" Marchosias reminded May. "Yours and ours. Your compassion was why we wanted you; that compassion saved me, who so wrongfully mocked it. You have rightly earned your place at our table and your name, Mrs. Mayberry, the Guardian Demon."
May couldn't help beaming under the private applause the royals gave her.
Then, a thought struck her. Royals were applauding her. Who was she to them? A mere schoolteacher? A commoner? A Sinner? That she could not only impress and win their favor but be looked on as a close friend set the seal that this good unity could spread throughout Hell and open the door to that wonderous future.
She also considered telling Blitz about her Goetias at their cafe over their hot and iced coffees. But then, thought better of it. The trio trusted her with their secrets, and she would safeguard them. If she wanted to compare and contrast Goetias with Blitz, she would have to be content with Dantalion.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Amy said. "I said I would give this to you when you graduated at the end of the year, but I think you deserve this now."
He held out a hand, and in its palm was a tiny wisp of colored mist.
"This is an agathion, a powerful familiar, similar to the one I used. It can protect you or anyone you want, and its strength is fed by your will. The more protection you need, the more it will supply it. But, it needs to be placed in something close to you, a locket or a-"
"Broach?" May suggested. "I have one at home, but I'll put it in another one. Thank you, Amy."
"Your welcome," he said, placing the spirit into her hand, where it hid within her until its new home was brought to it. "And welcome to the cause."
Every time she heard the word cause, a thought pricked at May. It sounded too generic. Too vague. It needed to be symbolic. Iconic. Remembered.
Taking out her pen, she went to Seir and opened his hand. Then, she drew on the palm a halo with a pair of devilish horns coming up from it.
"What's that?" he asked amusedly.
"That," she said. "Is our symbol. We can work on a name for it later, but it's a start now."
"Bitchin'," he nodded thoughtfully, then brightened with an idea. "Oh, and let me give you something for the road. Can't have Aim outdoin' me."
He touched the shoulder of her jacket, weaving red sigils of the arcane into the entire outfit.
"It's a befuddlement spell," he explained with a shrug as the magic faded into the fabric. "You look old school hot in that gear, but it wouldn't be hard to sus you out, eventually. With the spell, that won't happen, but you have to be wearing the whole thing, even the mask."
Impressed at the spell's powerful utility, she gave the youth a grateful hug. "Wow, thank you. Thank you very much!"
Stepping back to look at the three royals gather to curiously study the drawn icon, she couldn't help but feel pride in her contributions to this group. Where once she thought her struggle was a solitary and, possibly futile, enterprise, now she and they were bound by secret purpose, hard work, and a whispered dream.
"You all gave me so much," she said to them in parting. "You saved me and surprised me. Strengthened me, inspired me, and taught me. No matter what the future brings us, I'll always be honored to be in your company. Thank you, so much."
Marchosias bowed his head. "And you have, likewise. Whether history applauds or condemns our actions, you prove we will succeed."
May took a cleansing breath of fresh air, happy that she was living under normal time again. Time to think and plan, to prepare, and to save.
With a light step, she followed the cobblestone path to the opened front gates, calling out to her double. Treat trotted over soon after.
"So, what were you two talking about?" May asked her.
"Oh, the usual. Romance. Understanding, Your eventual psychological defeat. Oh, look what Darky gave me!"
May saw the dog collar and gave her head a skeptical shake. "A love for the ages, obviously."
Treat sniffed. "You're just jealous because your little Blitzie-witzie didn't give you one."
"Yet," said May defensively.
Her inner demon sang with laughter as they approached the stately portal, and the car parked a few yards away. Normalcy had beckoned.
"Y'know, you are the biggest pain in my ass I have ever had," Mayberry told her simply.
"Why, thank you."
"No, thank you."
Treat was shocked out of her pride. "What?"
"Seeing what happened to Marco and his double taught me something about you and me. You're there to get in my way, make me doubt myself, and force me to look in the mirror, but I need that resistance from you. I need to prove to myself...that I made the right decisions. So, thank you."
May leaned over and hugged her demon while they walked past the gate.
"Oh, get away from me, you dumbass!" Treat pouted on the sidewalk. "Spin it any way you like, but I am the enemy within! I will take over your life, one day!"
The troublesome Ms. Treat then vanished into the late morning light without another word.
"Maybe," Mayberry said, smiling on the way to her convertible. "But, not today."
The eternally full moon of Hell overlooked the loving, the loathsome, the lucky, and the lost circulating constantly through the streets of Pentagram City.
That night, its ominous, star-etched eye watched the panicked flight of two young brothers, runaways who had the misfortune of talking to a newly arrived Sinner.
The siblings scampered deeper into the nearest alley, trying to keep their distance from him. But, he tracked their noisy retreat with practiced pace through the gloom, his black heart beating as hard as theirs but with anticipation.
"Y'know, I never thought I'd get this rush again after that police shootout," the male demon chuckled eagerly, cornering the whimpering children in the shadows of a dead-end. "But, I guess I'm just lucky."
"You really shouldn't run away from home, boys," he chastised in jest after sizing them up to see how much fight either of them had. "Haven't you ever heard of Stranger Danger?"
He reached for the youngest of the pair, who screamed in helpless terror, but his hand deflected off of a mystical shield that sprang into existence and bulwarked the brothers.
In pained confusion, he looked at the eldest, thinking that he dared protect his sibling somehow, and raised a fist.
Something wrenched his collar and quickly flung him backward into a cluster of trash cans.
After the din of disturbed metal died, he righted himself on the cold concrete, his face an alert fusion of embarrassment and anger.
His attention turned to the sound of a hoof stepping confidently into a small puddle off to the side of him. His eyes trailed up the lean leg of the fedora and broach-wearing demoness who accosted him.
"Are you crazy, bitch?" he challenged, getting ungracefully to his feet, clawed hands flexing for a fight.
The Guardian Demon gave him a malevolent grin, the kind of grin that came from someone who enjoyed their job. Fully.
"They say there's a special place in Hell for people like you," she said pleasantly, her aura igniting and her silvery mane flaring for the sake of intimidation. "Hi, there. I'm your tour guide for today."
In the depths of the alley, under the moon and the grateful, contrite eyes of two little demons, an unrepentant child-killer baptized the streets of Hell with his screams.