After taking the time to freshen up, unpack… and launch a devastating complaint about the hidden cameras all over the room, Octavia and Stella were now almost ready to go downstairs for drinks, albeit reluctantly in Octavia's case. It was almost poetic in a way. The so-called "vacation" had only lasted an hour and the Goetia Princess was already eager to head home… must have been some kind of record. Thankfully Mick and Linda were there to make it SOMEWHAT tolerable.
"So… your mom didn't say ANYTHING about what this activity is supposed to be?" Linda asked as she helped Octavia reapply her eyeshadow in the bathroom.
"Not a dicky bird," Octavia replied with a sigh. "Apparently, Gaap is keeping it very hush-hush."
"Well… m-maybe it'll be something fun?" Linda offered with an awkward smile. "Like a scavenger hunt or arts and crafts?"
It was at that moment that the two girls heard a forced laugh from the doorway, turning their heads they saw Mick standing there with a shake of his head.
"I highly doubt THAT," he stated bluntly. "No offence, but if STELLA agreed to use me for it, then it must be something horrible like using me as a living bullseye or a literal manhunt."
Octavia, of course, couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh at that.
"Sadly I can't disagree with you on that one," she said.
"W-well we don't know for sure though…" Linda tried to say reassuringly, only to immediately get shut down.
"Oh, come on, Liddy," Mick spoke up. "You of all people should know what Demon royalty would do to the lower class for entertainment… present company excluded."
His words may have been a little harsh, Mick wasn't too stupid to deny that, but nonetheless, they did seem to get his point across. Obviously, he will need to apologize to Linda for bringing up such bad memories later on.
"I… wanna try to think positive?" Linda argued, albeit a little meekly.
Seeing Linda's sheepish smile, both Mick and Octavia found the Imp's attempt to be confident absolutely adorable.
"Aww, look at our little Liddy," Mick stated playfully. "Trying to see the lighter side."
"They grow up so fast!" Octavia added, snickering as she patted the blushing Imp on the head like a child.
Needless to say, Linda instantly flushed with embarrassment at that.
"Oh come on, guys!" she exclaimed with a pout. "Stop teasing me!"
Neither of the elder Demons meant anything malicious, of course, Linda had been with them long enough to know that their jokes were all in good fun, like how elder siblings would tease a little sister. Of course, once the moment of fun was over, Mick quickly turned serious once more.
"Well, we better get down to the gardens before Lady Stella loses her patience," he said, earning himself a nod from the two girls. "I don't know about you but I do NOT want to be on her bad side right now."
"Agreed!" Linda squeaked, quickly rushing to the door as soon as she was done with Octavia's makeup.
Before long, all three Demons exited the bathroom and grimaced upon seeing Stella impatiently tapping her foot while waiting for them by the room's main door.
"You know, I'm starting to think that my dad and Snowflake had the better end of the deal for this weekend," Octavia muttered under her breath, keeping her voice low so her mother didn't hear from where she was standing.
"You and me both," Mick agreed, using the same hushed tone.
Oh, sweet little Snowflake… Lucifer knows how bored she must be right now.
If only Mick knew how off the mark he was when he thought of his beloved pet and her current activities. In the Cat Demon's mind, he pictured the Kitsune pup snoozing away in her basket with nothing to do but doodle away in her diary about things that were hardly happening around her… However, he would have NEVER expected her to be sitting on a sofa, wearing fake reading glasses and talking to Stolas via digital pad as he lay down on the nearby sofa like he were a patient seeing his therapist!
"… I mean, she has always been so unreasonable!" the Goetia Prince rambled on as he had done for the last 20 minutes. "I've tried so many years to make things work, but nothing ever seemed to be good enough for her. And more to the point, even after she found out about what happened with Blitzy and me, she STILL refuses to leave!"
Snowflake, of course, could only shake her little head as she typed away in her pad.
"anD thIs haS lASteD hoW lonG?"
"18 years," Stolas replied with a heavy sigh. "18 years of misery and pain, all arranged by my father when I was only 11! Though… I don't suppose it was ALL bad… I did get my sweet Via out of it."
"MhM, ViA is BeST girl!" Snowflake typed, receiving a laugh from Stolas in response.
"You're not wrong about that," he admitted before his face turned solemn. "In all honesty, the only reason I stayed with Stella for so long was that despite everything, she IS still her mother… even though the bitch could stand to actually act like one from time to time."
Then Snowflake typed the one sentence that really gave Stolas cause to think.
"BUt vIA alL grOWn Up nOW,"
As soon as he heard those words coming from the pad, Stolas was instantly taken aback. Obviously, it didn't escape his notice that his little girl had already become a beautiful young lady, and she was definitely old enough and smart enough to understand what was going on, after all the pair of them had briefly discussed the matter back in Loo Loo Land… Perhaps it was time to reinforce the idea of a few changes to the living arrangements around this house.
BEEP! BEEP!
Before Stolas could think on the matter any further, Snowflake's pad suddenly emanated the end of a pre-set timer, causing the Goetia Prince to look at the Kitsune pup with curiosity as she proceeded to turn the alarm off.
"TiME uP!" she typed. "pAy noW ANd bOOk NExt SESsioN!"
"You're CHARGING me for this!?" Stolas exclaimed, his jaw dropping in shock as he stared at Snowflake's smug little face.
"I AccEPt tREats anD TUMmy RuBS!"
"Well, you are far more reasonable than most therapists I've heard of."
Before they knew it, Mick, Linda and Octavia had followed Stella to the ground floor of the hotel, where she soon led them through a few more corridors until they reached a small lounge with a connected terrace. Stepping through the crystal doors, they all soon entered an open area built into the back of the hotel, a luxurious garden with a tiled marble floor, filled to the brim with exotic plants, all of which were decorated with numerous lights and other ornaments. What's more, there were also a pair of mile-long buffet tables, displaying all kinds of fancy food while Demons of all shapes and sizes mingled around them, indulging in mindless chatter as they enjoyed what was on their plates.
"Someone certainly knows how to make people welcome, don't they?" Mick muttered, earning a small nod from Linda in response.
At that moment, an Imp in a waiter's uniform cautiously stepped over to the new arrivals and offered a tray of sparkling drinks to the eldest Demon in the group.
"Ch-champagne, madam?" he asked nervously, trying desperately not to drop the tray from all his shaking.
Without so much as a thank you, Stella instantly took two glasses, downed one of them in one gulp and proceeded to throw said glass against the wall.
SMASH!
Seeing such blatant disregard for other people's property and lack of manners towards the Imp, Octavia and her attendants couldn't help but grimace.
"Glad to know the stereotype of drunk rich trophy wives isn't restricted to just the Living World," Mick commented with a hushed whisper.
"Just remember to duck whenever you can," Octavia whispered back. "Looks like she's not stopping at two."
True to Octavia's word, when Mick and Linda looked back at Stella, the elder Goetia had already finished the second glass and was currently downing a third. Letting out a small sigh, all Octavia could do at that point was accept one of the champagne glasses herself and indulge in the beverage… secretly wishing the contents were a little stronger, especially considering what came next.
"Oh, look, Octavia," Stella suddenly spoke up, pointing towards an area across the garden. "Isn't that Flauros's son, over there?"
Unable to ignore her mother's words, Octavia reluctantly looked to where she was pointing. Sure enough, mingling amongst a bunch of his peers, she spotted a large Leopard Demon with dull grey fur, pupilless green eyes, and two sabre teeth sticking out each corner of his upper mouth. The moment she saw him, Octavia immediately grimaced.
"Why don't you go off and say hello," Stella suggested, much to Octavia's displeasure.
"Must I?" she asked in an almost pleading tone, only to receive one of her mother's signature glares for her trouble.
"Yes," Stella retorted sternly, her tone feeling like it had been sharpened like a knife.
Unable to refuse her mother's wishes, all Octavia could do was let out another sigh.
"Fine," she uttered, begrudgingly, making her way over to the Leopard Demon, with Mick and Linda following suit.
Seeing the look on Octavia's face, her attendants instantly knew how much she hated being put in this scenario. And who could blame her? The last thing she wanted to do on this vacation was mingle with a bunch of stuck-up A-holes. Alas, one needed to pay the piper for being in such a high-class family.
"Hey... you," Octavia spoke up, struggling to make conversation without sounding like she was being coerced. "Cool party?"
Her attendants, of course, could only give her deadpan stares at that.
"Smooth," Mick commented sarcastically.
As soon as her voice was heard, the Leopard Demon finally turned to face her, giving the Goetia a welcoming grin as he acknowledged her presence.
"Oh hey, Via!" he greeted. "Glad to see you join us. You remember Alice?"
"Howdy, girl," greeted one of the Demons behind the Leopard, a pale-faced Feline Demon with flaming blue hair and long claws.
"How's it going?" Octavia greeted, not wanting to be rude.
"So how are things, Octavia?" the Leopard Demon asked, taking a sip of his champagne. "Everything is good at home, I hope."
As much as it killed Octavia to even be in the same vicinity as this guy, she nonetheless kept her smile and tried her best to find a way out of the conversation. She may have complied with her mother's demand to mingle, but she never said she'd do so for long. At that moment, a thought popped into Mick's head before he whispered something into Linda's ear. Nodding her head in understanding, the small Imp quickly left Mick and Octavia and disappeared into the crowd.
"Well, you know how it is," Octavia replied to the Leopard's question. "We all have our good days and bad days. What about you?"
"Splendid, splendid," the Leopard chuckled, sounding almost as if he were floating. "Been whooping everyone's asses down at the golf club. And, of course, my father is constantly on my case. Then again we ALL have daddy issues don't we?"
Subtlety tightening her fist at the other Demon's comment, it took every ounce of effort on Octavia's part not to punch him in the face for saying such a thing. Obviously, the Leopard was making a jab at Stolas, his daughter wasn't naive enough to believe otherwise. After all, despite Stella's attempts to keep her husband's affair quiet, rumours can still spread among the Hellish Nobility.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Octavia retorted, feigning ignorance as her urge to commit homicide steadily increased. "Always figured my mother was the one with the most issues… temperament-wise anyway."
"Really?" the Leopard replied, seeming genuinely surprised. "That's not what we heard through the grapevine."
"You know how gossip spreads like wildfire," Alice added, much to Octavia's further frustration.
"Well maybe I'll get some-." she began only to suddenly be cut off when Mick cleared his throat.
To her surprise, when Octavia turned around, she saw Linda carrying a small tray of food in her arms. Before she realized what was going on, she and Mick got between her and the Leopard Demon, the pair of them hoping to avoid a fight or even possibly an open murder with what they had planned.
"F-forgive the interruption, M'lady," Linda squeaked, her whole body shaking under the pressure as she tried to hold the tray steady. "B-but I'm afraid that I was only able to procure three of the treats you requested. W-would you like to try some while we go see the itinerary for the evening?"
At first, Octavia clearly had no idea what the Imp was talking about… however, as soon as she suddenly saw Mick give her a quick wink from behind his mask, she soon caught on with what her two attendants were doing.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about that," she said, feigning realization as she turned back towards the Leopard. "If you would excuse me, please?"
Before the Leopard even had a chance to respond, Octavia quickly grabbed one of the delectables from the tray and led Mick and Linda away from the group. As soon as she was sure they were out of earshot, the Goetia Princess let out a small sigh of relief.
"Thanks for the save, you two," she whispered.
"Trust me, it was no problem, Octi," Mick replied in the same hushed tone.
"There was no way we were gonna leave you stuck with that upper-crust furball," Linda added, causing Octavia to stifle a laugh.
"I know right!?" Mick stated. "That guy practically reeked of the word 'prick'."
That statement, of course, earned yet another sigh from the Goetia Princess.
"Tell me about it," she uttered. "Just another one of my mother's 'royal connections'. I don't even KNOW him that well. True, he has come by the house now and then but it's been years since the last visit... Hell, I can't even remember his fucking name!"
Mick couldn't help but wince at that.
"Ouch," he commented.
"I-I think his name was Cray," Linda pointed out, setting the tray down as soon as all the food was cleared away. "I overheard someone mentioning it on my way to you."
Octavia, of course, only responded with an indifferent shrug.
"Well, it doesn't matter to me either way," she said bluntly. "By the end of the weekend, he'll just be another blurred memory."
"Thank fuck for that," Mick muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Octavia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing!" Mick quickly snapped, blushing deeply under his mask.
Seeing this, Linda had to stifle a nervous laugh at her friends' interactions. No matter how many times she sees it, she couldn't help but feel all warm inside whenever she saw her friends flirting with each other without even realizing it. If she were looking at a romance novel, she would be downright shipping them together like a hopeless romantic. The only thing missing would be a shipping name for the pair of them. Micktavia perhaps? Or would that be too obvious?
"Well, aside from Mr sweater-vest over there, is there anyone else we should be wary of?" Mick asked, scanning the area for any and all potential targets looking to ruin Octavia's day.
And then… as if fate once again decided to be a cruel, ironic bitch… SHE made her presence known.
"YOOHOO! Your queens have arrived!" A loud party girl's voice suddenly rang through the garden.
The moment he heard that familiar voice, a shiver immediately went down Mick's spine. Turning around, the trio looked and saw none other than Googoo walking into the garden with another Demon at her side. While Googoo's appearance made all three friends feel sick to their stomachs, the sight of her friend instantly made Mick and Linda's jaws drop.
She was a gorgeous-looking figure with long dark hair framing a pair of long pointy ears, an hourglass body that was barely covered in a crop top and short shorts and eyes that shone like diamonds. Needless to say, this ravishing beauty was instantly the object of many lustful stares as soon as she entered the vicinity. However, it wasn't just her beauty that caught the attention of Octavia's attendants.
"Holy fuck! Is that Kanya Snowdrop!?" Mick exclaimed.
"The famous Swimsuit model!?" Linda added with a heavy blush.
The moment the pair said that, Octavia instantly gave the two of them an odd look.
"What? So I read Playdude from time to time, sue me." Mick uttered, bashfully scratching at his left cheek.
"I… may have lent him my copy of the magazine," Linda added with a sheepish giggle.
Hearing that, Octavia couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her beak. Of course, these two would be charmed by this girl and her modelling career. Even STRAIGHT women fancied Kanya Snowdrop with her looks!
"Yep, that's her," the Goetia Princess sighed. "And for the record, she ALSO happens to be Prince Gaap's daughter,"
Instantly taken aback by this information, Mick had to take a second glance at the model. Now that Octavia mentioned it, those ears DO look familiar. Hell, give her a pair of wings and horns and she'd be a better-looking version of her father! As soon as the information managed to sink in, Mick found himself in awe.
"Ooooooh, so THAT'S who we lost the original suite to," he said, snapping his fingers with realization as he recalled what was said at the check-in desk.
Linda, on the other hand, was left completely dumbstruck.
"Oh, Satan! Oh, Satan! Oh, Satan!" she babbled, panting like a puppy in heat as she blushed hard over the sight of the gorgeous woman.
"Liddy, calm down, you're starting to drool!" Mick warned, quickly noticing the sliver of saliva oozing from the corner of the Imp's mouth.
Quickly snapping back to reality, Linda swiftly tried to wipe her mouth with little success.
"Oop! Sorry!" she squealed in embarrassment. "I couldn't help myself."
Once again, Octavia felt the urge to sigh.
"Look, I know she's easy on the eyes, but try to keep your distance from her," she warned her two attendants. "Out of all the girls in Gaap's life, she's the one he has the most care for. You so much as touch her, you're a dead man."
Needless to say, the pair gulped upon hearing that.
"Duly noted," Mick replied.
"W-what about Miss Googoo?" Linda asked curiously. "She seems friendly enough with her."
But that question was only met with a shake of the Goetia Princess's head.
"Don't buy into it," she stated bluntly. "That fake-blonde bitch is the very definition of spoiled. Always gets her daddy to give her what she wants, and always hangs out with the biggest names in Hell just to increase her own popularity... it's kinda like looking at a younger version of my mother."
"PLEASE, don't even joke," Mick spoke up shuddering at the very thought of such a thing.
"My advice… keep your distance away from her too if you can help it," Octavia continued, once again giving her two friends a much-needed warning. "I don't know if you've noticed but she tends to get a little... obsessive when she wants something."
"Oh trust me, I've noticed," Mick commented, recalling back to the front door when the winged rodent had the audacity to try to BUY him.
Giving the two Demon girls another nervous glance, all the trio wanted to do now was walk away and vacate the garden before they were noticed by Googoo or some other rich snob who wanted to mingle.
"Okay, here's what we'll do," Octavia whispered to her two attendants, making sure they weren't overheard. "We'll stay for another drink or two, then after that I'll fake a stomach ache and-"
SMASH!
Before Octavia had the chance to finish her sentence, however, the sudden sound of broken glass caused all three friends to snap their heads towards Googoo and Kanya once more. There, they saw Googoo with a furious snarl on her face and the feathers on her wings ruffling up as she towered over one of the Imp waiters, who had fallen back first to the floor.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME, YOU WORTHLESS PEASANT!?" Googoo snapped, almost foaming at the mouth.
"Oh no…" Octavia gulped, her face turning paler than usual.
"What?" Mick asked with worry.
"Mick, Liddy, for the sake of your own safety, back away really slowly." Octavia suddenly whispered, cautiously taking a few steps back herself.
Neither of them may have known what was going on, but nonetheless, they followed the Owl Demon's example and slowly backed away along with her
"Octi…" Mick uttered, his tone hushed and confused. "What is happening here?"
"Is… is somebody gonna die?" Linda added, her whole body starting to tremble.
"Only if that guy makes things worse," Octavia replied.
Returning their attention to the scene with Googoo and the waiter, the three friends watched with a mix of anxiety and anticipation, with Octavia seemingly being the only one to have any clue of what was about to happen.
"I-I'm sorry Miss, I didn't mean to say you were a brat, it was-" the Imp Waiter stuttered in fear, only to instantly be cut off mid-sentence.
"I AM NOT A RAT!" Googoo snapped, clearly having misheard the Imp's words due to either ignorance or blind rage.
"I think he made it worse," Mick commented with a flinch.
True enough, Googoo looked even angrier than before thanks to that one sentence. As they continued backing away, Mick, Linda and Octavia kept their eyes on the scene, all of them feeling like they were witnessing a train crash in slow motion. Soon enough, they all found a large exotic fern to hide behind. Quickly diving behind it, Octavia and her two attendants only poked their heads out just enough to continue watching the scene unfold.
"Okay, Octi… in terms of trouble, what exactly are we expecting from a scale of 1 to 10 on the 'bad-o-meter'?" Mick asked with a gulp.
"About… 1000," Octavia replied with a wince before she lowered her head back into the foliage of the fern.
As much as Mick didn't want to believe it could be THAT bad, everyone else's reaction suggested otherwise. Much like what Octavia and her friends attempted, both staff and guests, Kanya included, were all fearfully backing away from Googoo and the Waiter as quietly as their legs could move. The only one in the garden who seemed to be brave enough to attempt to quell the chaos was Margaret, the Manager of the hotel.
"Now, young lady, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it," she said, trying to mediate the situation as she took a few cautious steps forward. "A mere slip of the tongue, I imagine."
Alas, Googoo was too stubborn and full of unbridled rage to listen to reason.
"Did you not HEAR him!?" she snapped. "Of all things to say, how DARE he call me a rat!?"
"B-but I-" the poor imp tried to defend himself, only to be silenced by the Manager.
"Of course, you're not a rat, ma'am!" she agreed with the seething Goetia. "You're a mouse!"
"R-right!" the Waiter added in an attempt to save his skin, seemingly understanding what the Manager was trying to do "A big, ADORABLE mouse!"
Sadly, his efforts were once again in vain.
"SILENCE!" Googoo roared, her voice sounding like a lioness after a thorn had gotten jabbed in her paw.
Suddenly the whole garden fell into an uncomfortable silence and the tension quickly rose. At first, Googoo continued to snarl… until she suddenly appeared to calm down and put on a sweet smile, which somehow made the situation even more unsettling.
"Oh, you poor, poor little peasant," the Mouse Demon uttered in a sickeningly sweet tone that sounded completely false. "It would seem that you've gone and upset me now…" her smile then took on a more sinister look to it, "... Allow me to show you what happens when someone upsets me."
Then, to Mick and Linda's confusion and Octavia's absolute horror, a reaction shared by every other witness, Googoo reached into her purse and pulled out a tiny, pink bell.
DINGALING!
"Oh, Bruuuuuuuuce~!"
The moment Googoo rang that bell, all subtlety was thrown out the window and every guest and member of staff practically ran for the hills, hiding behind anything large enough to shield them from what was coming.
"Uh… O-Octi?" Linda stuttered, her whole body shaking in fear. "Wh-wh-who's Bruce?!"
Before Octavia could even say a word, all of a sudden, everyone felt the very ground beneath their feet tremble, so much so that the drinks on the table began to ripple. At that moment, something huge suddenly BURST out of the wall behind Googoo… The largest Hellhound anyone had EVER seen!
Standing taller than even Stolas was, he was a hulking, hairless Great Dane hound with a dark grey body made up of large, bulging muscles, all of it concealed by the fancy Butler's uniform that he wore. The moment this monster came into view, almost everyone either trembled in fear or tried to keep their balance due to the shaking caused by the Hellhound's own heavy footsteps. Soon enough, the Hellhound, Bruce, ceased walking and stood over the Imp Waiter, who could only tremble under his shadow.
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, Miss Googoo?" Bruce asked with a deep, thunderous voice, his large teeth seemingly frozen in a permanent snarl even as his lips moved to his words.
Needless to say, Bruce's arrival brought as much fear to Mick and Linda as it did to everyone else.
"Oh… sweet…. Mother of satan!" Mick muttered, his eyes going wide with fear and awe.
As for Linda, she could only whimper behind Mick's back as she saw her whole life flashing before her eyes at the sight of this monster of a Hellhound. Not that Octavia could blame her, of course. Hell, she was simply impressed that the poor Imp hadn't already wet herself, fainted, or ran away by now… much like how many of the hotel staff seemed to be doing right now.
"Brucey, honey, could you be a dear and clean up the trash?" Googoo pointed to the 'guilty' Imp. "There's a good boy."
Upon seeing the much larger Hellhound crack his giant knuckles, even Margaret was terrified. So much so that she had to do the most logical thing one can do in a situation like this.
"Well… it's been nice knowing you, Billy!" she quickly whimpered before suddenly running off, leaving the poor Imp to his fate as she dove behind one of the buffet tables for protection.
Following her example, every other staff member who managed to remain conscious vacated the immediate area as fast as possible, none of whom wanted to get caught in the crossfire of what was about to happen next. The only Imps that managed to stay in place were those serving as personal attendants for the current guests, and only because they somehow feared their employers more than Bruce. As such, they were all forced to watch the outcome of the scenario in horror while the higher-class Demons seemed to be either intrigued or even entertained by it. Unable to bear seeing such a display, Mick's protective instincts once again kicked in.
"Don't… move… a muscle!" Octavia quickly whispered, grabbing Mick by the arm and warning him before he did anything stupid.
"I can't just-" Mick tried to argue, only for Octavia to cut him off.
"I know you want to help, Mick, but he's too dangerous!" she retorted before letting out a heavy sigh. "Besides… it's already too late."
Hearing that, Mick quickly snapped his head back and returned his focus to Bruce, gasping in terror as he bore witness to what occurred next. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, Bruce suddenly grabbed Billy the Imp Waiter in one hand, lifted him off the ground and brought him up to his muzzle, forcing him to stare deeply into the Hellhound's dead eyes.
"Who is the cutest little Moooooooooouse?" Bruce suddenly asked, his stoic expression unchanged as he spoke.
With little else to say, all Billy could do was gulp and give him the answer Bruce's employer wanted.
"M-miss G-Googoo?" he whimpered, gasping due to fear and lack of air as Bruce slowly began to squeeze.
"Very Goooooooooooooooood."
Those were the last words Billy would ever hear Bruce say before the giant Hellhound slowly squeezed him even harder, crushing him with an agonizing scream. Suddenly, a sickening snap was heard and Bruce ceased crushing the poor Imp. Mere seconds later he then opened up his palm, raised it high and FLICKED Billy away like an insect. The last time anyone in that garden saw Billy the Waiter, he was zooming high into the sky before he disappeared into the distance.
"Will that be all, Miss Googoo?" Bruce inquired, turning to his employer.
"For the moment," Googoo replied with a smile, giving her Hellhound a small pat on the hand as it hung limply at his side. "Thank you, Bruce."
Then, with no other words to say in the matter, the monstrous Hellhound slowly began walking back towards the him-shaped hole in the wall, his footsteps once again thundering in his wake. Before anyone could even say or do anything, Bruce seemingly sealed the hole with his gigantic body before suddenly disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye, leaving everyone in a stunned silence.
…
"Now then…" Googoo spoke up, "Would anyone else like to fill my champagne glass?"
Upon the Mouse Demon's words, the tension among the guests quickly cooled and soon enough, they were once again chatting amongst themselves as if nothing had happened. As for the staff, all they could do was tremble and try to follow the guests' example by carrying on with their work. Of course, no one in their right mind would get over such an event so easily… least of all the two attendants of a certain Goetia Princess who were still frozen in horror with their mouths open.
Seeing them in such a state, Octavia, her mind and heart full of concern, ultimately decided to guide her two friends over to another part of the garden, one that was hopefully a bit more private compared to the rest. Before long, she found an assortment of large hedges made up of rose bushes that lined the garden like a maze, most likely yet another attraction for the resort. Once she was sure no one could see them, Octavia gave her two attendants a nervous poke.
"Uh… guys?" she uttered, only to instantly cover her ears when the screaming started.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Needless to say, Octavia couldn't blame her two attendants for having such a reaction.
"Oh, shit, that was so scary!" Linda squealed, shaking like a leaf and suddenly curling up into the fetal position. "That was so scary!"
"Holy fuck! That was so FUCKING terrifying!" Mick added, losing his footing and collapsing onto the edge of a nearby statue base in exasperation and anxiety.
"Guys…" Octavia uttered sympathetically, only for Linda's blubbering to cut her off from saying more.
"I wanna GO HOME!" she squealed, her face flooded with tears of terror.
As much as she wanted to tell her two friends to get a grip, Octavia chose to give them another minute to calm themselves down. After all, one can't get over suddenly witnessing Bruce's first appearance so easily. Before long, Mick was the first to pull himself together, rising back to his feet with a determined, yet frantic look in his eyes.
"Sweet Jesus fuck, you were right, Octi!" he said "That flying rodent is BAD with a capital B!"
"I told you so," Octavia retorted while she gently rubbed Linda's back, who still needed a moment to stop herself from shaking.
"And you said she gets OBSESSIVE when she wants something!?" Mick asked, receiving a confirming nod from the Goetia Princess. "Oh, fuck me, I'm screwed! If she doesn't take no for an answer… then… then… what if she sics that MONSTER on me!?"
Sensing that Mick was about to go into another fit of panic, Octavia quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a little shake.
"Mick, calm down!" she snapped. "Don't lose your head! If those sharks out there get even a whiff of your fear, you'll be considered prey, regardless!"
Taking Octavia's words in stride, Mick took another moment to calm himself down with a deep, cleansing breath.
"Yes… yes, you're right," he sighed. "Sorry, my head ran away from me for a moment."
"Don't worry about it," Octavia replied with a smile. "Even the bravest of Demons tremble before Googoo's Hellhound. You could fight against an entire legion and still wet your pants."
"Wh-what are we going to do now?" Linda spoke up, still trembling and wrapping her arms around herself even though she had managed to get back on her feet.
"Well, the most obvious thing would be to follow Octi's advice and not go anywhere NEAR Googoo," Mick insisted somewhat desperately. "If we can't avoid it, then above all else, do NOT mention that R-word!
Obviously, it didn't take a genius to figure out what Mick meant by his choice of words. After all, all three of them had just witnessed the result of using that specific word around the aforementioned Mouse Demon. What's more, Octavia had known not to use the word "Rat" since she had known for years how sensitive Googoo was to being referred to as such. In any case, all three of them were in complete agreement.
"Alright," she sighed. "In that case, we'd better get back out there before my mother notices we're missing."
Linda, of course, whimpered at such an idea.
"D-do we have to?" she asked. "Couldn't we just go with that stomach ache idea you had earlier?"
To Linda's dismay, Octavia shook her head at that.
"At this point, I don't think my mother would believe it," she said grimly. "Any excuse we'll have to leave now will look like exactly that. And knowing my mum, she'll want me to socialize even if that poor Imp's body was still smeared on the floor."
"Hell, I'm surprised she didn't just crack out the popcorn right there and then," Mick commented, earning himself yet another exasperated sigh from the Goetia.
Hearing that, Linda actually threw up in her mouth a little. Quickly realizing that there was no getting out of this, all she could do now was take a couple of long, calming breaths and try to collect herself. After another minute or two, she eventually managed to pull herself together just enough to put on a brave face.
"Okay…" she forced out. "I… I think I'm good now."
"You're sure?" Octavia asked, placing a comforting hand on the little Imp's shoulder. "We can give you another minute if you need it."
"N-no, I'll be fine," Linda insisted. "After all, what good is an attendant if she's slacking off on her first week?"
At those words, both Mick and Octavia gave the Imp a proud smile. Despite her trauma, she was still willing to push herself for the sake of her friend… she really has come far since they first met.
"Well said, Liddy," Mick chuckled. "Now, come on. Let's get back out there before Stella throws another one of her bitch-fits… fuck knows we don't need any more drama today."
Whether it was fate or bad luck, somehow there was always a cruel irony at work whenever Mick said such things. Around the same time Octavia and her two attendants were reappearing in the garden, a large van pulled up in front of the Triton Resort, one that belonged to Mick's friend and former co-worker, Johnny Blues… But it wasn't Johnny who burst out of the side door with an insane grin on his tiny Imp face.
"The fun has Arriiiiiiiiiiiiiived!"