Is a sinner not entitled to the labor of his work? No, said God, you have sinned and must suffer for it. No, said Lucifer, I own all the means of production and will distribute to whomever pleases me. Shut the fuck up and get to shining my new stilettos, said Blitzo. Despite having a roof over my head and occasionally having food, I'm still not getting paid! Damn capitalism. Still haunting me even beyond the grave. Fuck man. I really want to buy this cool cloak I saw the other day and I can't save shit! Ugh. Is this my divine punishment? I don't even know what I did to deserve this!
I'm currently walking on the streets. About five minutes away from Mox and Mills place. I've been invited for a small get together. I wish I could've made my culture's cuisine. But alas, I have no kitchen or money to get the ingredients. Maybe they can let me borrow their stuff to cook? Nah. That seems inappropriate. I pass by the same tailor store that has what I want. I stare at the cloak that is on display in front. That sleek design of black on one side and red on the other. I would look soooo cool.
"Danny?" I turn to see Millie. "Whatcha doing?"
*Blue * "Oh. Hey Mills. I'm just here. Despairing at the fact that I can never attain what I desire." I'm not even in the mood to hide my sadness. She looks at what I mean.
"You want that goofy looking thing?"
*Orange* "Goofy!? On its own, it may be 'goofy'. But if it were to be around my scales, I would look absolutely stellar for my performances." I pose dramatically. Love being and looking extra as fuck.
Millie raises her eyebrow at me. "You're a queer fellow. You know that?" She says with a smile.
"Back at you." I sigh, still gazing at it.
"If you really want it, I can buy it for you." I quickly press my face against her with intensity.
*Violet* "Careful what you say. Because I am in a state of mind that I would even sell my soul to the Devil himself." Millie slowly pushes me off. I don't blame her, but I become irrational when I'm this stressed!
"You've been a great help for us. Think of this as your paycheck."
I kneel and bow before her. *Gray* "I am forever in your debt. Shall I bear the weights off you?"
"My w-WOAH!" I guess she didn't expect for me to make her sit on my shoulder.
"Comfortable?"
"I am, actually. I can see our apartment from here!"
"Anything for the happiness of my queen." She's a little heavy. Could be her THIC-nono. Get that out of your mind. "Now then, onward!" We go inside.
The shop is like your stereotypical clothing shop. Racks filled with all kinds of outfits of every identity. Handbags, necklaces and other jewelry are hung against the wall for display. I don't see any employees around.
"Ooooh! That one looks pretty." Millie says, pointing at one of the satchels. "It would look perfect on Moxxie."
There's a sound of something getting hit by the counter. A golden furred dog furry appears from underneath, rubbing his head. He perks his floppy ears upon noticing us.
"Wowzers! Customers!" He says excitedly and approaches us. He's wearing a loose blue flannel jacket with a black shirt underneath that's neatly tucked under his well-fitted Levi's jeans. He's not wearing shoes due to the dog feet incapable of such a feat. I can totally relate. There's a black choker around his neck. "Welcome! My name is Kennedy. But you can call me Kain! Everything you see here has been handmade by yours truly."
"You did all this?" I whistle, impressed by his passion for fashion. A trait one must have to become an artist. "Anyways, I'm interested in the cloak over there. How much does it cost?"
"Oh. That's twenty." Really? That cheap? What a ste- "Grand."
*Yellow* "T-T-TWO THOUSAND BUCKS!? Ugh. I'm doomed." I slam my head against the desk.
"Hmmm. Actually, I can hook you up with a free outfit, if you're interested."
*Red* I grab his collar and press my face against his. "I'll do it. Need me to suck your dick or something?"
"T-That won't be necessary. Um...can you let go of me?" Whoops! There I go again. I release him. He pulls out a paper. "Just need your signature before we begin." Ah. A waiver. Usually, this is a red flag, but I'm desperate to care. I sign and he checks it. "...Awetious! Everything is in order. Let us begin." He snaps his fingers. The sound from outside becomes silent.
"Daniel! Have some dignity, boy!" Hm? What is Mills going on about? Also, did it become colder? I rub my arms for warmth. Then I notice my little guy hanging free. I'm naked!
*Pink* "What happened to my clothes!?" I cover myself by wrapping my tail around my waist.
"That's my ability doing the work. I call it Larger Than Life. It creates an invisible dome where I can privately make special attires. I can also do this." Woah! A cabinet appears behind him. "As long as I physically own them, I can materialize any tools I need."
"That's so cool!" Millie jumps with excitement. I won't lie, this ability is looking a lot better than my Theater Mode.
Kain scratches his head. "Ehehe. Thank you! Now. You must hold still for this process. Any miscalculation may cause some serious bogusness." He pulls out the measuring tape and gets my measurements. I will try to think of my happy place and not get a weird boner in the process. "Done. You can relax." I must've been holding my breath as I exhaled loudly. "You should be proud of yourself. Demons usually get the wrong idea with my methods and...well, I don't have to go to specifics."
*Blue* "Don't worry. I just recently learned I'm good at speculating." More like bluffing, but what's the difference? His expression lightens up with the way his tail is wagging. A common trait of canines. This is why they're not good liars.
Kain materialized his desk to get on with his work, while me and Mills are wandering around. He could've at least provided me with a blanket or something.
"Hey Dan?" Millie pipes up.
"What's up?"
"Is it true you're a virgin?"
I slowly turn to face her. "Yeah. What about it?"
"I'm just asking, cause you were quick to doing sexual favors with that handsome fellow." She nudges me.
*Marron* "I've done fellatios and cunninlingus before. People only care about themselves, but never return the favor. I'm fine with it. I guess the idea of me being a virgin as the only human thing left comforts my psyche." She gives me a weird look. I guess that's expected. We come from two different worlds.
"You artsy folks are very queer." She says.
"I would think you would know better than most, since you're married to one." I smirk. She looks out the window. "Is something on your mind?" She looks at me, then at the floor. Seems she's conflicted about telling me about it.
"What I'm about to tell you is only between us. Ya hear me?"
*Orange* "Don't worry. I promise." People seem to like to open up with me, for some reason.
"The thing is...is it wrong that I may like someone else?" I'm taken aback by her comment. She must've seen my reaction and quickly composes herself. "Not that I don't love Moxxie. That will never change, but.." I see. So she might be a polygamous person without knowing. But who could she be attracted to? I think back on her interactions with others. Can't be Loona and obviously not me. But there is one other person she's more happy to be around.
"It's Blitz, isn't it?" She looks at me wide-eyed. Bingo. If that's the case, Mox wouldn't probably put up with him. She fiddles with her wedding ring. She must be conflicted with the love of her husband and her new feelings towards the boss...interesting. "Do you love Moxxie?"
"Of course I do!"
"But does he share the same sentiment?" She pauses for a moment, then glares at me.
"What are you getting at?" How cute of her trying to intimidate me. It's too late. I already saw the crack behind your armor.
*Blue* "Now now. I'm only pointing out how he would feel. Think about it. I'm sure he suspects that you might have feelings for Blitz. Afraid he might take you away."
"T-That will never happen." She tries to act tough, but knows my words ring true with the way her fists are shaking.
*Gray* "Are you sure? We may act confident on hypotheticals, until it actually happens. The fact that there is doubt, makes it very clear that even you don't know what will occur when you are brought up in that scene." She is disturbed by the thought. However, I'm not done yet. *Black* "Are you afraid of losing everything you love over something you can't control? It's hard, I know. Your other option is to bottle up those emotions until you break. All in all, you will be unhappy for the rest of your existence." The sight of witnessing someone who is strong squirm and cry under me is…!
*Yellow* Shit! Millie is crying! Why did I do that? I just noticed the small details and emotionally exploited her. Now that I think about it, I'm being less empathetic the more I'm down here. There's also this abnormal perceptive trait. I know for a fact that I wasn't this good before. Then it hits me. I didn't have Theater Mode when I first fell down here. It only happened when I was trying to steal food from a demon and...it just activated. All these developments I figured were only because I was getting better. But what if that's not true? What if that means I'm becoming more corrupted with each passing day!? Oh no! I'll be no different than the degenerates I fight against!
"Yo guys! I'm do-!" Dammit Kain. Bad timing seeing us like total wrecks. "I'll um...I'll wait until you're both done." He leaves us alone to our own despair. After calming ourselves, we silently went to Kain. The awkward silence can seriously cut someone in half. "Soooo. That's the outfit right there." He points at the mannequin wearing said outfit. I take a closer look.
A black top hat adorned with a white feather, my black clothes are adorned with hearts of different shades of red. The handmade cloak is onyx color and is smooth to the touch. In any other circumstances, I would be deepthroating his red rocket on the spot for creating such an amazing work of art. But alas, that's not the timeline we're currently living in.
Hm? I could've sworn I saw it's arm twitching right now. Could be my imagination. Then it starts moving! It poses dramatically. *Yellow* "What the hell!?"
"This is what I'm working on. See, we are what we wear. Therefore, I believe one has to be in sync with your clothes." I have no clue what he means. I guess that's a fashionista thing. "Now prove your worth!"
"How?" Do I fight this thing? As if reading my thoughts, the mannequin punches my face! "Ow! Woah hey!" I dodge its punches and kick it away.
"It's reacting to your inner emotions. I should've probably mentioned that." Well thanks a lot! Fuck this.
Lights out
Spotlights shine on all four of them. Daniel and the mannequin are on stage.
Daniel: *Cracks knuckles* All right, asshole. I'm in the mood to kick your plastic ass.
Whether it's the effects of Theater Mode or Larger Than Life, the mannequin takes the form of Daniel.
Quemaleon: I am the Neon Blooded Thespian Quemaleon. The true self. I will dominate my enemies through my performance. *Points at Daniel* Starting with you!
He cuts himself and flings his red blood at Daniel, before removing the lights. The room is shrouded in darkness, save for the glowing blood.
Daniel: Huh!?
Tries as he might, he can't produce spotlights. Trying to outwit himself, he tries to punch his backside.
Quemaleon: Hehe. Predictable.
Quemaleon plunges his hand to Daniel's chest. A spotlight shines on them.
Quemaleon: Remember what mami and papi used to tell me? About how our hearts become blacker the more we sin? Shall we take a look at yours?
He pulls his still beating heart out. Daniel collapses. Coating the floor with blood.
Quemaleon: Black as the ocean abyss. And you thought there was still some humanity from within. Hm? A speck of light? That won't do. What was it that you said? That your virginity is the only human thing you have left? Seems I have to defile the light. *Smirk* Then you'll have nothing and be no different than the degenerates you have fought against! Chaaaahaha!
He towers over Daniel. Suddenly, he backs away from Millie's axe attack.
Quemaleon: Ara ara~! This is an unexpected turn of events. You will defend the one who hurt you? Seems you're more of a masochist than I gave credit for. Hehehe.
Millie:...I'm only paying what I promised.
She swings at him. Quemaleon turns off the lights. Leaving only darkness. Millie concentrates on her surroundings, trying to listen to his footsteps. She swipes on her right, hitting her mark. A spotlight shines on them. Quemaleon is on the floor split in half.
Quemaleon:...Well that was anticlimactic. Pray tell how you figured out my positioning?
Millie: The little light coming out of his heart gave you away.
Quemaleon: Hmph. I should've thrown it away when I had the chance. E pew people dZ
Millie crushes his head. She grabs the heart and puts it back to Daniel's chest before leaving the store.
Show's over
Hngh! Fuck. My chest hurts. Why does it hurt this much? Last thing I remember was...OH SHIT! I open my eyes to see Kain on top of me.
"You okay?" Kain gives me a hand. Ugh. I'm covered in blood.
"What happened?" I look around. "And where's Millie?" He fills me in on what happened. *Blue* "I see." She must be on her apartment with Moxxie right now.
"Hey. Sorry about all this. I didn't expect for things to get so totally out of hand. I'll make the outfit for no extra charge. Come by tomorrow. You need the rest. There'sa shower on the back to clean yourself." He hands my clothes.
After a quick shower, I put on my clothes and make my way to their place. I know I shouldn't and maybe my presence would make things worse, but I made a letter for my apology and...resignation from I.M.P. I'll just slide it under their door. I approach their room, when I hear someone sobbing on the other side
"What's wrong?" That's Moxxie's voice.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm a terrible wife! You don't deserve me!" I can imagine how destroyed she must be.
"Honey, why would you say that?"
"B-B-Because I've fallen for someone else! I don't know why I feel this way a-a-and I'm afraid of losing you!" Has my hearing got better? Cause I can clearly listen to the subtle noises, like Moxxie sighing.
"It's the boss, right?" Damn. He figured it out too. "Look at me. You're not exactly the subtle kind of person. I had my suspicions for awhile now. But that doesn't matter to me. If you I have to sometimes walk in while he has sex with you, then so be it. Because I love you and I only care about your happiness. I only hope you feel the same way ab-" Hm? He gets cut off. I hear wet noises. Are they making out?
"I love you so much! Waaaaaaagh!" I can imagine she's giving him a bear hug, cause he's having a hard time breathing. I'm glad it worked, as Mox is a fucking chad...but I know if I stay any longer, I'll hurt someone else and it won't turn out as well. I slip the letter under the opening and leave for good. Goodbye everyone. It may have been short, but I'll never forget the moments we shared.
Outside, I walk on the streets. Seeing the same scenario as always. My destination is the park, my old home. Arriving there, I sit on one of the old benches nobody uses, my old bed. I look up. Another good thing about this spot is that it's directly above Heaven. I put my hands together and close my eyes. How long has it been since I last prayed? Last time was back when I was alive. Even though it's meaningless, I only hope that once I'm fully corrupted, I pray that I don't hurt those close to me.