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Chapter 8: Etiquette n' History

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Stolas knew this day would have come but... this didn't mean he had done the right thing and prepared for it.

Then again, his wife's recent mood swings had made his hopes of avoiding this duty survive up to this point- when she just approached him with a simple request of 'taking responsibility' and handle Alan's etiquette lessons. It's been close to a year now since the boy tagged along their lives, so it was a bit of a surprise that it came to happen now rather than earlier.

The fact that Stolas' Brother-in-Law had been getting quite insistent on visiting despite Stella's adamant opposition meant that it was best to be ready for everything at this point. Plus, it wasn't like the Prince had anything against the boy but... the notion of helping with that chore was both a pleasant and an unpleasant aspect of his past.

Since he had been heir to a powerful demon such as Paimon, it only had been reasonable for the Goetic Prince to be given the 'best in hell'. Which wasn't really a good thought of the past and... that worried Stolas immensely. Alan had been quite the sweet darling to have around and, to an extent reminded him so much of him. And Blitzy. Both of them at once.

What happens if I go too little or too far about this?

That worry characterized the uneasy silence that came right as the boy reached his office. Stella hadn't given him much time to get ready for this and what Stolas could do was to let the boy sit by the chair in front of him while he finished signing a few documents. The boy was quiet, yet quick to draw distracted by the many shiny and precious things in the room. He didn't act to see any of those closely or to touch them, but the wonder and the temptation were there nonetheless.

Holding back a smile, Stolas slowly felt his worry disappear as he realized who he was dealing with. Alan was not Via, and while that may not sound much when it came to caring for either, it was relevant regarding the attitude to take about them. He was not too soft, and he was understanding that, sometimes, he had to do things to learn and prepare for the living world.

"Alan, I am sure Stella told you why you were brought here."

Stolas' introduction was met with a nod. "She said that I was in need of lessons about how to behave around others but... I don't think I have been bad at it."

"You have not, no. However, what Stella was talking about is... tied to noble figures. Those that have rights to be deserving of a higher formality compared to others."

"...So, there's another way to treat them because... norrmal-talking may be bad?"

"In a way, yes," Stolas replied happily, glad that he didn't have to simplify his speech any further. "There are a few elements that are quite neutral or even pleased by the use of informality when it comes to unusual circumstances, such as speaking with a child."

Leaning back, the prince took a moment to ponder how small that list was really.

"Which is why from time to time, I will have you sit by my office so we can expand on this knowledge of yours. Starting with a bit of history of how Hell came to be and how the 72 Pillar Families were instituted."

The owl demon had to hold back a chuckle at seeing the boy nodding, clearly more into the history lesson than any chance of understanding etiquette just yet. It was like Stolas himself had been during the first lessons of tutorship he had on the subject, always picking what appeared to be the lesser of the two evils.

Yet, that history lesson was not fun either. Not because of the content, but how much time it needed to fully unwind- Hell's history was long and stretched between the known through the Bible to some aspects into the unknown through what no agent of the Church of Heaven were capable of learning.

Rebellions, replacements, attacks on Earth- there was so much to entertain, but the focus for this first lesson was the 'main cast' of these events. The 72 Original Families of Hell were all related one way or another. Incest was not exactly a thing as severe as it was for normal mortals or sinner, not when your blood was already twisted and sinfully geared to handle that sort of repercussion. Magic added a saving grace to it but, at the same time, it didn't completely shield for some issues.

Many of the original branches were removed, at times by Lucifer's own advice, at times by rebellion. Those revolts that really succeeded were those that were quick enough to swear fealtry to the King of Hell himself. At the same time, many of the old practices took times to remove and, speaking of Incest, while it wasn't inherently practiced by many families, some holdouts existed in lesser fashion.

Yes, Stella was somewhat related to him by blood, but the relation was so diluted that the proper familiar title she held for him would go for two or three lengthy lines of words. As it was, many Lords and Ladies had resorted to just abolish the practice of considering illegitimate spawns as bastards.

One of them was Paimon as his many sexcapades were not unknown to Stolas or... really, anyone that knew of him.

Stolas was just not interested in knowing the details, but it spared him from having to worry with issues in any spawn of his. Octavia was born healthy and further check-ups confirmed their baby girl was devoid of any recessive gene to be concerned about in future heirs to the line.

Still, Stolas couldn't exactly go in depth on this- not when the boy was too innocent to learn of what incest meant. What Alan got told was that some of the older lines 'played too dangerously with risky magic and got burned by it'. The boy just nodded at it and saw it as the truth- and the more they chatted, the more at ease Stolas was as Alan was just how he expected him to be- A good kid.

It was further highlighted when he asked for paper and a pen to write down notes on what he was being taught baout, with Stolas nodding at the end result as there were barely any doodles and a few interesting summarized concepts for some of the older dynasties. By the end of the lesson, he decided to reward the boy for his proper behavior.

"So, how do you feel about a nice ice cream while the girls are busy?"

The boy jumped at the chance, this time Stolas chuckle at the lovely reaction as, for the first time, he realized how different it was to handle a 'son' rather than a daughter. That's not to say he didn't enjoy spending time with his daughter, but it was different. And he could relate a bit more than Alan due to them both being guys.

He loved Via to the core, but it was quite difficult getting to please her at times, and while he knew part of that blame was back to him for being so conceding towards her, it was also a matter of 'deciphering' what a sweet girl like her would want. Even Loona was a mystery at times, but she was easier to appease since anything felt like a gift to her. A very important gift at that.

Yet, Alan was not perfect as he held two factors that made him as flawed but lovely as the others: The first was that he was quite unpredictable at times and while he sought to do the right thing, he tended to do it in a way that worried others; The second one being his peculiar luck. That last bit felt out of the child's grasp and more confusing than explainable. As they were browsing the families, Stolas remembered that one 'family' in particular lacked heirs- Furfur was childless.

At least, that's how the official notes would suggest. Stolas hadn't been around at the time when Furfur had staged an attempted coup on hell, but Paimon had been involved in the process to isolate the demon when his plot was foiled by 'external help'. Some suggested that human exorcists took part to that situation, but no proof was found by anyone studying any entries in the city where Furfur had formed his cult at the time.

So, what were the chances that Alan may be connected to all of this? So and so. Stolas had noticed an unusually-high level of magic in Alan's young body- way more than a child his age and his species should have. It wasn't uncommon for humans to be born with abnormal powers from time to time, but the specialization in luck and... this comment about Furfur had stirred in Stolas some curiosity.

So, while Alan was busy with his Ice cream, he carefully retrieved a blood sample for proper confirmation. He wasn't sure how that would work if it was indeed true that Alan was somehow connected to Furfur but... it was best to still take steps to protect his family from the outcome.

And by family, he also meant his surrogate son.

AN

Next time, Alan meets Andrealphus. Expect some funny scenes in that regard as a very innocent Alan may end up causing issues to a sexually-repressed Andrealphus- nothing sexual or lewd tho.

Also, I recently posted a new story concept in the Pxtreon. Balor Over Hell is a DxD Fanfic with a SI!Gasper. It unfolds before the DxD plot and around Gasper's childhood. The MC goes Dio expy, but as a vampiric trap wanting a harem and having fun in the process.

REVIEW Q&A!

Coldblue2015:
1) He will have moments;
2) There's a chance one of my ongoing story in QQ may have that connection happening;
3) Quite soon actually. She is just too young to handle weapons at the moment;
4) She would tease the ever-living crap out of her. Siblings can be like that at times;

LurkerReader007:
1) It will happen from time to time, but it's not too frequent when it comes to visiting;
2) Not truly 'caring', but sees his disappearance as reason for concerns for someone else;

Night Shadow76: I thought I had answered this in FFN, but that was actually the case in QQ. To make it rather simple so no one is confused, Alan's disappearance triggers major changes for Lara's life and parents. While her parents can be quite shit, the news that Alan goes missing does drive her mother to be protective and play it safe. I wouldn't say her life is perfect, but that event doesn't happen altogether because Lara's mother is more hawkish against this sort of issues and more protective towards her piggybank- I mean, Daughter.