After the intervention of sorts regarding Verosika's mental health, the succubus was slowly cheered up as she hung out with her closest friends over the course of the next two hours.
She had an inkling of a feeling they were trying to distract her, keep her happy, but she wouldn't question it.
Over the course of the next two hours, the group of demons had simply chosen to swap different stories, though it was mostly John doing the story telling.
Seeing the jovial smile on his face once more, the laughs he let loose whenever someone said something funny, kept Verosika's darker thoughts at bay, hidden away so that she could be Rose Mayday once more.
His presence, his personality, him in general… it was what she'd dreamed of seeing for so long. Not once in the past two years would she have ever thought she'd have the man she loved sitting next to her, trading stories about previous adventures with her friends.
And they were her friends.
While a lot of people would often call them her posse, the truth was, each and every one of them cared for her, and they had shown it. They weren't just work buddies, they were her friends.
It was admittedly a surreal, but happy experience, seeing all of them laughing and talking together, befriending each other.
"So, wait, you only had to make her blush, and she failed miserably?" Josh snickered as he looked at John with amusement written clear on his face.
"Yeah." John said with one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen on his face. "I swear, you've never seen a face blush redder than she did."
Verosika had her own smile on her face as John recounted the story of why he and Charlie had even been in Grundy's Plaza in the first place the day before, and admittedly, it was a funny story.
Vortex let out a chuckle of his own as he eyed both John and Verosika in amusement. "I don't know, man." He said as he laid back in his chair with his arms crossed. "I think you and Rose both might have had her beat when you told Aria you had started dating."
Both Verosika and John's eyes went wide at the words, before Verosika blushed red while John looked nervous as he looked at Vortex.
"You wouldn't."
"Oh my gosh!" Vortex suddenly said, making exaggerated motions like place a hand on his head and another on his chest as he mimicked his aunt's mannerisms. "My baby and my spiky boy are finally together!" He teased, causing the couple to blush in embarrassment as John let out a groan and brought a hand to his forehead while Verosika hid her own in her hands.
"Why, man?" John asked as he looked at Vortex, though there was a smile that poked through the embarrassed blush on his face as he looked at his brother. "I will not forget this betrayal."
"Hey, you've been telling us a lot of stories about how you were some kind of hero, but not once did we ever hear an embarrassing story at your expense." Apple said as she looked at John with a smile on her face. "It's how we bond."
John looked at Apple with a smile on his face as he chuckled. "Thanks, Apple."
"Hey, if we're sharing embarrassing stories," Verosika suddenly piped up, catching everyone's attention as she looked at Vortex with a cheshire grin on her face. "How about one about you, Tex?"
Vortex raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his face as he looked at her. "Oh really? What kind of story do you have about me?"
"So, we're going on a family trip, right?" Verosika says as she turns to look at her friends to begin her story. "This was about two years before John came along. We'd kept our grades up, so Mom, Dad, and Uncle all thought we deserved to have a vacation of sorts."
Vortex's eyes widened as Verosika began her story. He knew exactly which story she was about to tell. "Uh, come on, that's not that interesting."
"Oh, Vortex is nervous?" Kiki noticed the hellhound's nervousness almost immediately, and she grinned as she turned to look back at Verosika. "Tell me more."
"So, we get to the parking lot of Lu Lu World, right? Now, before I go further, this is still Hell, so public nudity isn't exactly something that's illegal in most places, right?"
"Oh, Tex, what did you do?" Coco asked with a raised eyebrow as she glanced towards the Hellhound.
"So, we get out of the car we rented, and almost immediately, Tex books it for the bathroom because he forgot to go before we left."
"Rose…" Vortex groaned in embarrassment, his blush able to be seen through his fur, somehow.
"Oh, this is a story I haven't heard before." John said with a grin as he leaned back on the couch, propping an arm up on the back of it.
"So, he's gone for fifteen minutes, right? And we're wondering what's taking him so long to piss." Verosika continued, her grin growing wider and wider as she recounted the story. "Then, all the sudden, there's a woman walking towards us with an angry look on her face, absolutely naked, not a single inch of clothing on this girl's body, and she was a hellhound to boot, and she's got Vortex by the scruff of his neck."
"How'd she know he was with you?" Ace couldn't help but to ask curiously.
"Uncle Andre is a large man, larger than Vortex, and the eye is a genetic trait, not a scar." Verosika clarified to the incubus, before grinning. "Now, everyone's first thought is that he was peeping, right?"
A chorus of affirmations rang through the room when Verosika paused for a moment, before Verosika grinned.
"Well, it wasn't that. This big goofball booked it to the wrong bathroom, and tried to wait until he thought it was safe!" Verosika started rolling with laughter, joined in by everyone else as Vortex groaned in embarrassment, his ears flat against his head as he covered his face. "He walked out on this woman doing her make-up, and she made sure he felt like a scolded puppy all over again, not to mention the ass chewing he got from everyone."
"Oh my god!" John was holding his stomach as he laughed himself silly, his feet rising up off the ground a little as he leaned back a little further on the couch.
"Tex, you didn't!" Kat managed to get out through his own fits of laughter, coming close to falling off the floor he was sitting on.
"Oh god, this is just too good!" Apple was on the floor as she rolled in laughter, holding her sides as her lungs began to hurt from laughing so much.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Vortex grumbled before he turned to glare at John and Verosika. "Is that the game we're playing?"
"Oh yeah." John said with a nod as he came down from his fits of laughter. "At least Loona wasn't here to hear that one, Tex. She'd have had a cow."
"You started it." Verosika retorted with a smirk on her own face. "I finished it."
"Oh yeah?" Suddenly, a smirk of his own overtook Vortex's face as he leaned forward. "Well, if we're going that direction, then how about I tell them about the Christmas incident?"
"Wait, you guys celebrate Christmas?" Coco couldn't help but to ask in confusion, but the question went ignored as Verosika's face turned pure white at Vortex's words.
"You wouldn't." Verosika challenged, before immediately turning to look at John. "You wouldn't let him tell that story, would you?"
John simply chuckled at his girlfriend's expense. "Hey, it was a good gift, but you brought that one yourself." It was clear that both brothers were together in this particular story.
"Oh, this I have to hear." Josh said with a grin as he turned to look towards Vortex. "Spill."
"Okay, so it's Christmas Eve, right?" Vortex starts, causing Verosika to whimper in embarrassment and cover her face at what was about to follow. "Everyone else was supposed to be out till the day after Christmas because we were spending Christmas with Uncle Madro's family. And Rose here gets one hell of an idea."
"Vortex, please…" Verosika begged. She really did not want to be embarrassed in front of her friends.
"What was the idea?" Apple asked with a grin.
"Apple!"
"What?! I'm curious!"
Verosika simply whimpered.
"Now, we had to leave early, cause Uncle Madrox's other nephew, Mako, has allergies if you can believe it, and the poor little guy ended up snacking on a chocolate cake made with peanuts on Christmas morning." Vortex explained. "Now, he was fine in the end, but at the time, they had to rush him to the Hell Hole hospital, so we took off back home right after, with Madrox and Aria calling to make sure he would be okay."
"Then what happened?" Ace asked, anticipation on his face as he leaned closer.
"They found Rose under the tree, wrapped up like a present of sorts." It wasn't Vortex who continued the story, but John, causing Verosika to look at John in horror.
"JOHN!"
"Hey, like I said, you brought it on yourself!"
Vortex chuckled at the couple's antics as he turned back towards everyone else. "My aunt and Uncle went to their apartment, and we'd left John and Rose to housesit our place, you could say." Vortex continued the story with a grin on his face. "So imagine mine and Dad's surprise, when we walk through the door, and sitting under the Christmas tree is Rose, wearing a full bondage setup, with a blindfold and a ball gag, with her outfit covering everything but the important parts!"
Verosika simply covered her head and moaned in embarrassment, absolutely mortified as one of her most embarrassing stories was told to her friends.
Everyone else was having a ball at the succubus' expense, laughing to their heart's content at the story.
"Damn, girl! Didn't think that one through, did you?" Coco teased through her laughter.
"Shut up, Coco." Verosika muttered in response.
"Wow, that must've been really embarrassing." Apple giggled.
Josh let out a snort of amusement as he turned towards the blonde succubus. "Who are you to speak?" He retorted with a grin. "Just three nights ago you and Kiki were fucking each other's brains out hard enough for everyone in the damn building to hear!" He jabbed, causing both girls to cease their laughter as their faces blushed red in embarrassment of their own.
"Josh!" Apple whined, giving the incubus a look of betrayal.
"Dude!"
"Hey, that's your fault, not his!" Vortex chuckled at their expense. "Me and Loona heard you two out in the parking lot! Next time, close the window!"
"At least I try to keep my sex life private." Verosika teased, smiling now that the attention wasn't on her.
Only for John to grin at her words.
"Yes," John spoke, giving Verosika a teasing grin. "Because you and me fucking on that balcony during our one month anniversary was soo private."
"Hey!" Verosika snapped on John, giving him a playful glare that was taken away by the smile on her face. "Nobody saw us!"
"They didn't see us, but they damn sure heard you!" John retorted with a grin, causing Verosika to smack away at his arm playfully.
"I mean, being fair, I think we've all caught or overheard each other in some capacity." Ace suddenly piped up, a grin on his face as he turned to look at Vortex. "Or should I mention when I stopped by your place to drop off your car, last week?"
It was Vortex's turn to blush once more at the reminder, and he gave the incubus a glare. "Do not bring Lynn into this." He demanded, though the others simply shrugged it off.
"Lynn?" John asked in confusion, turning to look at Vortex. "That your girlfriend?"
"Yep." Vortex nodded, a smile on his face as he turned to look at his brother. "We met when I moved here. She was my neighbor, and we got together about three months ago." He explained, causing John to smile.
"Glad you found you a good girl, man." John said sincerely.
"Thanks."
The conversation was interrupted, however, by the sound of John's phone ringing. The giant fished it out of his pocket before looking to see who was calling.
"Husk?" John couldn't help but to mutter, before clicking the answer button and bringing it up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey kid." Husk's voice came through the phone as everyone went quiet so that John could speak with the cat demon. "I hate to interrupt you at whatever you're doing, but what time do you think you'll be back?"
"Uh, I don't know." John answered as he turned to look at the others. "Any of you know what time it is?"
"Quarter past three." Josh answered after checking the time on his own phone.
"Thanks." John thanked the incubus, before going back to his phone. "Um, we could probably be back at about five. Why, something wrong?"
John could hear Husk let out a sigh over the phone. "I hate to say it, but maybe. Some green guy was just here asking about Charlie."
"Green guy?" John asked with a raised eyebrow. "What'd he want?"
"He's asking questions like where is she, or if she was free. Told the guy I wasn't at liberty to answer that, cause I had a bad feeling all around, and he started being a dick." Husk explained to John over the phone. "He was ranting and raving before his sister or someone barged in and dragged his ass back outside, but I got a bad feeling in my gut."
"If he comes back before we get back, give me a call." John told the cat demon. "I'm not trying to shrug you off, but I don't want to come back and then nothing comes of it, especially since it sounds like he's in for some kind of ass chewing."
"No problem John." Husk reassured the giant over the phone that there were no hard feelings. "I say I've taken up enough of your time as it is, but I figured I'd call you before anyone else."
"Alright, man. I'll see you later."
"See you later."
Verosika looked at John as put his phone back in his pocket once the call ended. "What did Husk want?"
"Some weirdo went in asking about Charlie before his sister dragged him out or something." John explained as he turned to look back at Verosika. "Told him to call me back if he shows up again."
"Everything over there?" Vortex asked in concern.
John nodded in response. "Should be. Husk'll probably let Charlie know by the time we get back anyway, and if he wants to start something, I'll take of it." He assured them, before he smiled. "Anyway, back to embarrassing stories?"
"How about some other kind of stories?" Apple proposed, shooting down the idea. "I've had my fill of embarrassment for the day."
"How do you think I feel?" Verosika asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
It was official.
Vanessa was a god at From Soft games.
Vaggie couldn't help but to watch as the succubus easily made it through different areas of the game with ease. Next to her, Alastor was actually pouting at the fact that Vanessa was doing so much better than he did.
"You make it look so easy." Alastor remarked as he watched Vanessa play the game. Alastor had died within ten minutes of getting into the game, and the Radio Demon was a little sore at how quickly he was being outdone.
"For me, it is easy." Vanessa bragged with a hint of confidence, before giving Alastor a genuine smile. "From Soft games have sharp learning curves, but they're made to be difficult." She explained to him, as if talking to a child. Ironic considering Alastor was almost 90 years older than she was. "It's the satisfaction we get from completing them that makes them fun. And each one has similar controls, but each one has their differences. For example, this game," Vanessa paused in her words as her on screen character took a hit from a villager with a pitchfork, screaming in a rather comedic manner, before effortlessly killing said enemy and gaining health back. "Focuses on aggression."
Alastor couldn't help but to look wide eyed at Vanessa, her words admittedly impressing him. "Are all video games like this?" He couldn't help but to ask as he turned towards Vaggie.
The moth demon shook her head. "No, not really. They're made to be fun, but different people find different things fun." She answered as she turned to look at the Radio Demon. "There's this one game John plays a lot, Prototype, which is much easier than this. The goal of that one is to make you feel like a living god, you could say. An unstoppable power fantasy."
Alastor couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "But John is already a significantly powerful person anyway. Why would he need a game to feel in such a way?"
"Because video games let you do things willy-nilly." Vanessa answered Alastor's question without even looking away from the screen. "John's actually a pretty good example. In reality, he has to take very fragile care of anything and everything. With his strength, instinctive but complete muscle control is almost required, and he can't just go out and do whatever he wants, at least in his eyes." She explained in further detail.
"Exactly." Vaggie nodded as she gestured to the succubus. "She's right on point. But in a video game, like Prototype, for example, John has freedom to do whatever the game lets him. And while reality is one thing, there's nothing wrong with getting a little bit… evil, in a video game. Besides, like I said, they are made to be fun, sometimes in different ways. Even though it was just because she sucked, can you really say that you didn't enjoy playing Mortal Kombat with Ness?"
"Hey!" Vanessa cried out in indignation when Vaggie commented on her Mortal Kombat skills, but she was ignored.
"I suppose you have a point." Alastor couldn't help but to nod after thinking it over for a moment. "Though games, or even genres of such type aren't really my cup of tea, I do have to admit that it was fun."
"And that's what video games are about." Vaggie said with a smile, before a thought occurred to her, remembering Alastor's motivations for even being at the Hotel in the first place. "Not all entertainment needs to come from reality."
"Exactly!" Vanessa said, finally breaking her gaze from the screen so that she could smile at Alastor.
Alastor's brow furrowed for a moment, before he turned to look at Vanessa. "Do you care if… I give this one another shot?"
"Sure?" Vanessa nodded as she handed the controller back to Alastor. "Feel free to start a new game if you want, I'll even give some tips!"
It was as if their bet was completely forgotten, and Vaggie couldn't help the amazement that filled her as she sat and watched everything unfold as Vanessa guided Alastor through the game with tips and tricks, while leaving everything else completely up to him. And though he was nowhere near Vanessa's level, he was doing remarkably better compared to his first attempt.
"Now that you have it, I'd recommend switching to the Saw Spear." Vanessa advised Alastor in regards to the game.
Alastor actually swallowed his pride, willing to be the student to someone else's master for once. "Might I ask why?"
"Different people are good with different weapons in these games." Vanessa explained as she turned to smile at Alastor. "Me personally, I use the Saw Spear on almost all of my playthroughs, though I do sometimes switch off to something else later down the line. Occasionally, I'll use the Rakuyo or Gerhman's Scythe, but this is usually what I stick to."
Vaggie simply sat and watched events play out. It was odd, the entire interaction was, really.
She and Vanessa didn't talk as much with each other as they did with the others, but she'd gathered enough to know that Vanessa was usually reserved and shy around strangers. She'd noticed the succubus had gotten closer to John and Alastor, and she was already friends with Angel before she'd even arrived at the Hotel, but still, of all people to bond with, Alastor was the one that surprised her the most.
Vanessa was a soft and gentle soul, whereas Alastor was a cannibalistic serial killer. The two should've gone together like oil and water.
And yet, here they were, talking amongst each other as if they'd been friends for years.
"Now you're coming up on Father Gascoigne." Vanessa remarked as Alastor's character ran up a set of steps on the screen. "I will warn you in advance, he's meant to be difficult the first few times. It's to show you the whole process behind the game." She explained.
"So how hard should I expect him to be?"
"Expect to die anywhere between three to five times before you beat him."
At that, Alastor's eyes widened as he turned to look at Vanessa in disbelief.
"Expect to die that much?" He couldn't help but to ask.
Vanessa nodded without missing a beat. "What you could do is go to the Hunter's Dream. You have some Insight from the Madman's Knowledge, so the Doll should be awake for you to level up."
"Okay…" Rather than continuing his way up the steps, Alastor diverted his character in the opposite direction, listening to Vanessa's directions as he guided his character back to the second lamp via shortcut.
It was a site to see, that was for sure, watching Vanessa and Alastor bond over video games of all things.
But… Vaggie couldn't help but to enjoy watching anyway.
One thing Husk would always thank John for was his punctuality. Though he was occasionally one or two minutes late to a promised arrival, it was a more than regular occurrence for the behemoth to turn up right on time.
At five o'clock, on the dot, the doors to the Happy Hotel opened up as John strolled inside, holding the door open for Verosika to enter first as he followed her inside.
"Hey Husk!" John greeted with a smile on his face.
"Hi, Husk." Verosika greeted as well with a small wave.
Husk nodded his head at the two in return. "John, Rose." He greeted the two of them from his position as the barman. "You two have fun?"
It didn't escape Husk's attention the way Verosika seemed to close in on herself, prompting John to give her a reassuring rub on the back.
"Yeah, we had fun." The giant assured the cat demon with a small smile on his face.
Husk had a feeling that the two of them were hiding something, but he wasn't going to push it.
"Hey, Rose, why don't you head up into our room?" John suggested softly as he turned to look at his girlfriend. "I'm gonna talk to Husk for a bit, see what I can find out about Mr. Green Man."
Verosika looked hesitent to even be away from John, but nonetheless, she nodded in agreement. "Okay." She said, giving John a small smile as she stood up on her toes while one hand reached up to snag John's neck, pulling him low enough for her to kiss his cheek. "I think I'll go hang out in the rec room once I change. I want to get to know some of the people here more."
"Alright." John said with a shrug, smiling at his girlfriend as she made her way towards the steps. "Love you."
"Love you too." The succubus replied with a smile.
John turned his attention back towards Husk as Verosika made her way up the steps, moving towards the bar and taking a seat on one of the stools. "So, give me a few more details. Does Charlie know?"
Husk shook his head. "Didn't want to go hunt her down, make a big deal out of what could've just been some asshole. Figured I'd tell her if she asked, but I ain't seen her all day."
"Probably up in her office getting some paperwork done." John assumed as he glanced towards the shelf. "I know I don't usually ask, but you think you could toss me one of those bottles?"
Husk raised an eyebrow at the request. While the cat demon knew John would indulge himself in a drink on certain occasions, like parties with friends, it wasn't often that he saw the man take so much as a sip outside of such an occasion. Occasionally, the spiky demon would smoke a cigarette or take a drink or two, but that was only when he was extremely stressed.
"Something happen?" Husk asked, and though his voice was gruff, their was a trace of concern that was only discernable to those who knew him well. Still, he snagged a bottle of Smirnoff and handed it to the giant. He knew John wanted to get buzzed, not wasted.
John didn't say anything for a moment, and Husk watched as he opened the bottle and brought it to his lips, taking a few sips, before bringing it back down onto the table and nursing it in his grip. And then he let out a sigh.
"It's Rose…" John admitted as he brought a hand up to rub his hand in worry and frustration. "She's… well, it's not exaggeration to say she's depressed."
At that, Husk's eyes widened. During both times he had been around her the day before, she seemed as if she were the lively girl he'd known before everything had gone down between her and John. Especially at dinner, where she was openly conversing with everyone, making jokes and telling funny, and usually embarrassing, stories about John.
"About what?" Husk couldn't help but to ask curiously, taking a seat on the single stool that sat on the other side of the bar, looking at John with a raised eyebrow.
"She hates herself." John replied quietly as he turned to look at Husk. "She broke down in the middle of her song, just started bawling. Me, Tex, and both of their friends all saw it, had us worried to death."
"She feels guilty." The older demon surmised.
"Yeah." John nodded, his voice soft as he spoke. "Everyone else has forgiven her for her… less than stellar habits." His wording was far different than what he would've used before, Husk noted. Almost as if he couldn't bring himself to say anything even remotely bad about the girl who had broken his heart at one point. "But she can't seem to forgive herself."
"Poor kid's broken." Husk said as he turned his gaze towards the steps that Verosika had long since disappeared past. "She probably hates herself for more than just what she told you."
"I know." John said as he took another sip of the bottle. "But… god dammit, I wish I could do something about it."
"Best thing you could do, kid, is to be there for her, show her that she doesn't have to hate herself. That she has something good about her." Husk spoke from experience as he said it, but that wasn't a story he shared with anyone. Not even Alastor.
"Thanks, Husk." John said as slowly turned his head to smile at the cat demon. "As always, the wise one speaks again."
Husk let out a chuckle as he shook his head. "If I was wise, I wouldn't be down here."
"If you say so." John said, knowing better than to try and argue the point with him. "Anyway, tell me a little more about this guy that came in earlier. We got a little sidetracked."
"He was all green. His clothes were green, his hair was green, his eyes were green… hell, even his teeth were green." Husk described the man that came in earlier, searching for Charlie. "He had a cane, though it was probably more for show. Kid looked like he couldn't be that old, but you never know in Hell."
"You just call him 'Kid' cause he looks like a kid." John joked, a small grin on his face.
Husk chuckled. "Yeah." He nodded in agreement. "Anyway, kid was dressed real fancy, kind of like Alastor does. High and mighty type."
"Probably a noble." John guessed as his brow furrowed in thought. "A lot of Hell's nobilitiy aren't known to everyone. Widely known, maybe, but not to the point you can easily guess who they are, just that they're nobility."
"I don't know… wouldn't Charlie be a noble?" Husk couldn't help but to ask with a raised eyebrow. "You'd never know by looking at her. If it weren't for the obvious signs, it be easy to mistake her for a sinner."
At least, that was Husk's opinion.
"I don't know about that." John said with a shake of his head. "But anyway, did this guy have anything that really stuck out to you?"
"There was one thing." Husk nodded, his brow furrowed as he recalled one particular article of clothing the man had worn. "He had a hat. Damn thing was either a part of him, or he's magically connected to it. Damn thing had eyes and a mouth."
John's brow furrowed in deep thought at Husk's words. Now that he had a description, a rather macabre image had filled his mind, along with a single name.
"Sounds like someone from the Eldritch family." John spoke as he turned to look at Husk. At the cat demon's confused expression, the giant elaborated. "They're a family of nobles known for their… well, eldritch magic."
"What's so special about Eldritch magic?" Husk couldn't help but to ask in curiosity.
"Well, you have angelic magic, demonic magic, hell, even black magic, all are natural forms of energy." He explained to the cat demon. "But eldritch magic… I mean, even in Hell, it's unnatural. I think the only person in Hell who has access to eldritch magic is Lucifer, and possibly Charlie. That's something that not even Lilith has access to."
"Damn…" Husk couldn't help the but to let out a whistle as John explained what eldritch magic was, but then his face scrunched in confusion and concern as a thought occured to him. "Wait… what would one of these Eldritch assholes want with Charlie?"
"She's the Princess of Hell." John answered simply. "Say what you will about her reputation, but Lucifer loves his daughter more than anything, even if he doesn't always support her. Even I know that and I hate the fucker." The giant chuckled at his own words before looking at Husk with a serious expression. "Regardless of whether they actually like her, getting Charlie's hand is the quickest way into Lucifer's good books."
"I don't like the sound of that." Husk admitted bluntly, a little unnerved at anyone using Charlie for such a purpose. The Princess was one of the nicest and most gentle souls the cat demon had ever encountered, even among those in his living life. She was kind, sweet, caring… she was like John in a lot of ways.
With the one notable difference being that John was twice her size and had a temper problem when something finally set him off.
"This guy shows up again, let me know first thing." John instructed the cat demon. "Either we're gonna find out what he wants with Charlie, or we can send him packing."
"You really think you'd be able to take on one of Hell's nobility, Kid?" Husk couldn't help but to ask. He had faith in John, but even to Husk, facing one of Hell's nobility sounded like a task not even John could accomplish.
But John shrugged. "Don't matter how powerful they are, Husk. Anything they can do had to be strong enough to hurt me. Besides, I'm the security guard." The behemoth smiled as he smoke, raising the bottle in his grip to his lips, pausing for a moment. "I gotta do my job eventually."
Husk simply chuckled as John to a sip of the Smirnoff. "You're something else, John."
"Welcome to Hell, Husk." was John's reply, chuckling as he turned to look at the cat demon while setting the bottle back down. "Welcome to Hell."
A/N: And that's the chapter. I'm sorry this one is so short as well, but honestly, I wanted to end this arc on a bit of a lighter note while setting up the next arc. And honestly, it didn't need to be the typical 8,000 - 10,000 word chapter I've been posting lately.
With this chapter done, I can begin to properly work on the next arc, while introducing the first real antagonist of the story; at least, my take on him.
Also, Vanessa being good at Bloodborne when she sucked at Mortal Kombat isn't completely unrealistic. Everyone has their games that they're good at, different genres and types of games can be easy for some, hard for others.
Anyway, with that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one.