A/N:
This one's a bit more of a silly chapter for a bit of levity. :P
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After taking a looooooooooooooong shower, brushing out his hair, and putting on a fresh set of clothes - Phillip felt…Well, not 'good', More like somewhat decent. When he dried, he put on his good-old 'Bad girl coven' t-shirt and a pair of jeans, a perfectly casual outfit. He was hoping to just have a nice dinner with his beloved, Titan damn it.
Luz went ahead and filled Amity in on the situation, before giving Hieronymus a quick call. Thankfully, neither of them had any other plans…Though Luz may have been a bit too honest in telling Bump that Phillip "...Really needs you, right now. He's had a really rough day."
"Alright, I'll meet you there soon." Bump replied, a worried pep in his step. The ended up going to a small family-owned greasy spoon diner. It wasn't a fancy evening, but a fun one.
But, in a bush right outside Blight Manor - a horrid little red demon was watching their every move. Speaking into a walkie-talkie, "He's on the move, we'll strike in an hour."
The entire walk there, Phillip would not let go of his boyfriend's hand. And as soon as the group was seated, he laid his head on Bump's shoulder. " You're awfully clingy tonight." He pointed out.
"Is that bad?" Phillip replied, with a smirk. Pulling back and placing a kiss on his boyfriend's neck.
Bump's face turned a light shade of red, as he simply stated "Not at all."
On the other side of the table, Luz had hearts in her eyes and let out a small 'squee!' She found these gay old men so god-damn adorable!
The waiter approached, and after an awkward minute cleared their throat. Phillip squeaked "Hm? Oh, my apologies. Our first date in a little while." But, he quickly looked through the menu and picking something that looked comforting. "A bowl of Toetato soup, please."
Bump, Luz, and Amity put in their orders as well, and as soon as the waiter was gone they went back to just generally shooting the shit. Talking about stuff around the Boiling Isles, and just - life. Even though Phillip made sure he didn't mention his freshly recovered memories. If just for a few minutes, he was able to let loose and relax…Until.
The waiter eventually, carrying a large tray of the table's food. When, an extremely loud bang rung through the diner - making everyone's ears ring. A large hole was blown through the wall - and from the fright the waiter lost his balance and ended up flinging a bowl of hot soup right into his face
Phillip yelped "Bloody hell!" and hopped to his feet. He didn't think it was hot enough to cause burns, but - it certainly was an unpleasant feeling. He had to try and dry himself off with table napkins.
Coming through that hole was a small squad of… Emperor's Coven soldiers. Pearl-white robes and silver masks, and at the front - Kikimora. In that damned abomination mech. She was the eternal thorn in his side.
"I can't have one bloody evening to myself, now can I?" Phillip grumbled, as his Palisman flew out of his pocket and perched on his shoulder.
"My liege! To think that there was such a time I believed you'd left us…You've finally returned, and with your wisdom you'll reform the Boiling Isles back into what the Titan intended it to be!"
'Finally?' But, they'd seen each-other before, at the restaurant… Phillip thought about it, did she somehow know he'd gotten his memory back? How? Ughhh…
"Currant, when we return home, please remember to check Blight Manor for any listening devices or wiretaps." He whispered into his Palisman's ear, to which she let out a small affirmative click.
Kiki powered down her mech and hopped out, underneath her arm was a small box. Well, small to everyone else's eyes - to her, it was massive. Walking up to the former emperor, dropping to her knee and presenting the gift.
"Hm? What's this?" Phillip asked, as he cautiously reached for the box.
"No, don't touch that!" Called Amity, as she casted the bottle of abomination goo always at her waist - slapping the box out of her claws. Expecting it to be a bomb or otherwise some sort of trap.
As the box crashed against the floor, the contents spilled onto the ground.
Emperor Belos' robe and mask.
It stirred something within Phillip. All other noise became ringing in his ears. He reached down and grabbed ahold of the garb, feeling the materials in his hands.
The mask. It was an evolution of the one Caleb carved for him. To be a Witch Hunter General was all he ever wanted, and here he was. Surrounded by Witches.
He slid the cloak over his shoulders, and the mask over his face.
"No!" Called Luz. "Phillip…You promised…" she squeaked, a disappointed tear rolling down her cheek.
All became still for a moment, as the girlfriends readied their staffs - prepared for a fight. But, Bump saw the best in his boyfriend and momentarily held them back.
Phillip kneeled, and looked Kikimora in the eyes. "Kikimora. If I remember correctly, you've been a loyal soldier to my coven for all your life…"
He sharply stood back up. Tearing the garb off and tossing it to the floor as he seemingly snapped back to reality.
"But the coven has disbanded. My rule means nothing anymore." Currant transformed into a staff, to which the blunt end was driven into the mask. It shattering like a porcelain vase under the force.
"Oh, phew!" Luz let out a sigh of relief. "Don't scare us like that."
"Sorry Luz, I…" Phillip cut himself off before he said 'Don't know what came over me.' He didn't want the group to worry about him. "I felt I had to make a point to her…"
He took a deep and breath and turned his attention back to the imp. "Kikimora, please. I understand it's difficult to move on, but you should. Continuing down this path is just going to cause pain for the both of us."
"Argh!" Kikimora shouted, as she held her head in her hands. Unable to take the rejection, she jumped back into her mech and screeched "These creatures have warped your sense of morality!" She screeched, commanding her army to attack.
The fight was over in a second, as all 4 casted a spell that essentially just punted her. Blasting through the ceiling and into the forest.
Before turning back to her army. "Now, go. All of you! Leave us be. We're going to have to clean up the mess you've caused."
"Yes, emperor!" They chanted, turning around and running off. To which, Phillip just facepalmed.
"I'm sure she'll come around…eventually." Amity said, trying to find the bright side in the situation.
Of course, the restaurant was shut down for the night after that incident - and they ended up grabbing food from a fast food place. Somehow, they were able to salvage the night and it was mostly a positive experience. Much needed levity on Phillip's weary soul.
Eventully, they returned to their homes for much needed sleep. But before Phillip succumbed in that bed's comforting embrace, he tossed his now soup-soiled clothes in the washing machine and hopped back to shower. Letting them dry on his windowsill as he towel-dried himself and finally fell asleep.
…but just as he did, the Collector entered the earth's orbit.