Chapter 26: Wings of Hell (Octavia's Solo)
Stolas had never seen Octavia smile so much in such a long time.
He still didn't understand what his father's objective was, restraining Indigo Caligo with the Ars Goetia until Charlotte's garden party, but besides the dominance of ranks, he didn't object. The butterfly had an odd, but positive influence on his daughter. He could tell. Octavia clearly prioritized her get-togethers with Indigo to the point of extending a circle of friends. She preferred the sinner's companionship over that of her fellow Ars Goetia (although it seemed that her bitter self had some old acknowledgement for Naberius following their broken arrangement). Indigo didn't bat a single eyelid over the nature of their friendship.
As the days went on and approached Octavia's 18th birthday, the atmosphere in the palace changed a bit. Stolas' happiness increased at the sight of Octavia's positive relationship… and his sadness worsened.
It kickstarted on Tuesday. As per routine, he checked Octavia's bedroom before heading to the kitchen. Her bed was empty. Stolas was surprised by the delicious smell of food… and his staff lining up to the kitchen. The imps and Hellhounds were eagerly holding out their plates, giving Indigo a chance to place hot steaming soup bowls and doughy confections on the plates.
"I feel so valued…" One of the Hellhound security guards sniffed emotionally when Indigo gave him a bowl.
"Well, you can't start a full-time job without a strong breakfast!" Indigo held her thumb out. She served the second Hellhound his bowl. "Don't rush it. Caldo de costilla is to be enjoyed."
"Can't speed-eat beef, ma'am. My doctor told me against it." He patted his belly.
"And your doctor is totally right."
Octavia was relaxingly reading a book while drinking hot chocolate and eating the very same food Indigo was giving out. The staff didn't notice Stolas feeding his carnivorous plant with a steak. They made sure to bow before him before exiting, but they left in an excited hurry. It was an unfamiliar sight to Stolas, but a pleasant one. Stella always beat the staff and usually stayed clear of the nobles unless directly serving them. The presence of Indigo and her kindness in cooking breakfast for all of them had eased them.
"I wasn't sure when you'd wake up, Mr. Stolas, but I made a bowl just in case. I hope you like arepas," Indigo pointed at the breakfast set next to Octavia.
"Nothing beats your arepas!" Octavia waved an arepa in her hands.
"Eat it, don't play with it!" Indigo pointed a ladle at her. "This is my abuela's breakfast arepa recipe! You want her to fly down from Heaven to scold you?"
"Oh, no, forgive me, I have sinned…" Octavia used her worst bad acting voice before eating the arepa.
It was a sort of new thing, seeing Octavia waking up earlier than usual to have breakfast while Indigo also made some for the staff. Stolas couldn't even remember the last time Octavia ate at the table without her headphones on. He even saw his daughter helping the butterfly cook up cuchuco for dinner once.
In-between his princely tasks, he checked on the girls once in a while. His father's monstrous camels still circled around the palace, ensuring that the guest didn't flee until Monday. Paimon wouldn't let Indigo leave unless she was going at another Ars Goetia event. Octavia spent more time with Indigo around the clinic or her room. They'd be seen talking about books in the library, stuffing up a raccoon Octavia had found (Stolas was surprised by how Indigo digested his daughter's hobby well), helping the staff around with chores, and spending time outdoors either strolling the garden or viewing the sky through the telescope. At one point, to Stolas' surprise, Octavia asked his permission for her to invite some friends over. Non-Ars Goetia demons she'd interacted with. Some plant demon she knew through Indigo, Kyle Ketamine, and, to his chagrin, Blitz's Hellhound daughter, Loona. Oddly enough, she'd even begrudgingly invited Naberius to tag along and he got fairly along with the other non-Ars Goetia.
Especially after the other teens discovered Naberius' greatest sin besides his attitude: gambling. Even though they were betting against some candy, nails, butterflies, and Loona's secret stash of cigarettes, Naberius won it all.
"It's cheating," Indigo flatly said when the teens were playing Sins' Hold 'Em, a common card game among Hell's adolescent communities on Tuesday night. Stolas was a bit amused, thinking of his own bachelor party back when he was 17.
"It isn't cheating, it's thwarting off instincts," Naberius had insisted. "Look, it's logic. In this game, all demons throw off their cards with the lowest value to keep their highest cards and thus gain higher chances of winning, collect the losers' worth of points and the bets. Play it right, a demon could have you think he threw away all his high-value cards until the king's only thing that's left and wins everything. I just happen to be able to summon a ghostly black dog familiar that lurks behind players, sends them shivers, and causes them to question their instincts. Instincts get jumbled, they fuck up, and I win."
"But it's still cheating!"
"Guys, just let it go, I want to fucking enjoy this." Kyle Ketamine shuffled the cards. "I barely ever get to sit near some guy that doesn't mind my fucking ketamine breath."
Naberius sniffed. "Yeah… I don't have a sense of smell. Having primate sinner servants, all the noble ladies coated in smelly, expensive Sloth-ring imported perfumes, and the smell of shitty poultry the Ars Goetia are… Aristocracy clogs your nose."
"Aw, a guy who can't get knocked out by my breath! I'd feel great, but you're a dick."
Stolas didn't really understand teens. For some reason, Naberius kept popping by. And despite calling him a dick, Kyle Ketamine tolerated his presence. Naberius kept talking with him. It was like watching Stella badmouthing Stolas… except it was funnier when indifferent male teenagers talked shit about everything.
There were downsides as well. Stolas noticed that if Octavia was getting better at home, she was worsening around the rest of the Goetia family. After Monday night's banquet at Gusion's palace, the others were coming up with more last-minute parties before Octavia's upcoming birthday party. It was evident that their interest in Indigo was rising and Stolas' 'family' was being dragged along just so they could bring her. Stolas saw Octavia doing her best keeping the butterfly away from the others. They still pestered Indigo with questions. They wanted to know if she was just Octavia's 'sinner passing fling' or really a Hellborn aristocrat posing as a sinner. Why they thought she'd really be a Hellborn escaped Stolas.
It got worse when they started to approach her for things other than questions. During another party thrown by Gusion, but this time with the contribution from Duke Barbatos hosting a dinner party at his castle on Wednesday night, some lower ranking Goetia nobles actually wanted to dance with Indigo. A whole scene was caused when, after seeing one of President Valac Goetia's sons addressing Indigo, asking her for a dance, and aiming to kiss her hand, Octavia had opened a door right under the nobleman's feet. Stolas had to order his daughter to bring back the demon from the black hole she had sent him into. Valac didn't even blink when he saw his son more withered than a prune.
Stolas wasn't sure what was going on. Indigo brought a positive impact on Octavia. The friendship was beautiful. But as much as Octavia could deny it, Stolas saw negative pinches in her. Octavia had no problem having other friends to share with Indigo, but she DIDN'T want to share her with the other Ars Goetia. Especially when they asked for things as small as a dance.
It wasn't materialistic. Octavia valued Indigo's friendship and didn't treat her as a lesser being. But something about that kind of value could make anyone… possessive. Octavia… didn't want Indigo to lose her among the Ars Goetia. Perhaps it was like her fear of Stolas leaving her. Maybe, in Stolas' eyes, Octavia had grown so attached to Indigo, she was scared about potentially losing her.
Like how he…
Stolas dismissed the thought. He was just happy for Octavia.
Wednesday night
The library flooded in caterpillar eggs. The imp butler nearly drowned when he made the mistake of opening the door.
"Octavia! Is everything alright?" Stolas rushed in. He found the girls sitting on armchairs. Octavia nonchalantly passed a tissue box to Indigo. The latter was bawling her eyes out at a book.
"I can't believe it!" She cried.
"Told you so," Octavia shrugged.
"So unreal!" Indigo blew her nose with a tissue. "I… never thought that the love story of a Gorgon sinner and a blind imp would such a moving story! It wasn't even full of clichés!" She sniffed and exhaled. "I'm fine…"
"Told you you'd like it, Ms. All Love Novels In Hell Are Porn Scripts Because That's What Angel Dust Told Me." Octavia noticed her father stepping through the caterpillar eggs. "Hi, Dad. Sorry about that. Indigo's been crying out caterpillar eggs after two hours of reading BLIND, BUT FELT."
"Oh… I see…" Stolas tried to smile. To think that book was part of his coping stash after he stopped seeing…
"Oh, you must kidding…" Indigo's exasperated groan cut his train of thought.
"What? I told you!" Octavia protested.
"No! Alastor wrote the main review that got the book five stars out of seven!" Indigo pointed at the back cover. Sure enough, a close-up shot of the Radio Demon's smug grin was printed next to his review. "'Quite the break from the usual carnal nonsense Nifty reads. The story provides quite a picture on the idea of equal emotions and fictional passion that makes a couple capable of petrifying Hell. Modern demons should learn to feel mentally rather than physically. I'm referring to you specifically, Vox! Leave me be and stop talking to me with your low-rated, barbaric technological trash face easily broken by a bug!'" Indigo read the review in shock. "Eesh…"
"Oh! Well…" Stolas cleared his throat. "I was worried you girls were having an issue…"
"We weren't." Octavia looked around the library floor. "Uh, Indy?" She pointed at the eggs flooding the floor.
Indy? Stolas raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, right! My bad!" Indigo leaned down, her fingers flicking the first caterpillar eggs they could reach. The eggs hit one another and the rest. Like a domino effect, the eggs hatched into a flock of gaudy commodores. Octavia opened a window to let them out. Their blue wings with orange specks fluttered out rapidly into the dark red light, as if the clouds of the Lust and Wrath Sectors had collided.
"Wait until the others at the hotel see the way you hold yourself." Octavia closed the window.
Indigo inhaled. "Still working on it."
"Come on! You've been surrounded by the rest of the Goetia and you haven't caused a swarm incident. Or, you know, that time I first came to visit and you caused some explosion!" Octavia walked up to her. "You're becoming zen, you know?"
"I guess…"
The girls kept chatting. Seeing as nothing was wrong, Stolas left.
He was so happy for his daughter, but his own pain worsened. Octavia found happiness with someone of non-familial roots. Someone that wasn't arranged…
Stolas, don't act like what we have is anything else but YOU wanting ME to fuck you, alright? You make that clear all the time.
Stolas went to the kitchen, searching the cabinets for a bottle of absinthe.
I like tormenting you. I want to remind you of what you did.
His fingers found the absinthe bottle…
"Mister Stolas?"
Stolas banged his head on top of the cabinet and stumbled out. Rubbing his head, he found Indigo looking worryingly at him. "I'm fine! I'm fine!" Stolas calmed down. "Did Octavia need something?"
"Uh, no… She's taking her shower right now. I thought I'd make her tea before she goes to sleep… but…" Indigo saw the cabinet of alcohol open. "I'm guessing you're not feeling well… Maybe you should drink tea or hot chocolate before you go to bed."
Stolas silently agreed with her. For the next minutes, Indigo prepared two teacups of chamomile tea, one that she immediately brought to Octavia. When she came back, she made hot chocolate for Stolas fast enough that he couldn't reach his alcohol cabinet. He lost count of the minutes he then spent rambling about his problems: his abusive marriage, his neglected childhood, his duties, his parenting, and his relationship with Blitz. Stolas did manage to count, however, the thirteen times Indigo refilled her chamomile tea with hot water.
Interacting with many Goetia nobles had helped her check her temper. Indigo took a deep breath, letting out only one red admiral the size of a tea kettle fly out. She glared at Stolas.
"You… are… THE WORST… at communication," she groaned.
"I beg your pardon?" Stolas frowned.
"Let me make sure I get this straight, OK. I alright knew Paimon was disturbing, and you had a rough childhood with an awful, arranged marriage, you put all your misery aside for Octavia, and you had a cute love at first sight thing with this… Blitz, when you saw him as a kid at the circus." She took another deep breath that released another large red admiral. "YET, you are so bad at properly communicating, Octavia is disillusioned about her parents, AND the guy you've been cheating on your abusive wife with hasn't been talking to you because he thinks you view him as a disposable toy." She drank her tea. "I forget I'm in Hell…"
"You seem well informed."
"Angel Dust doesn't like talking during therapy sessions." Indigo drank her tea. "He mostly says everything when he gets drunk." She quickly finished her tea.
"I don't know what to do anymore…"
"Well, you can keep being a crybaby who can only drink to stop throwing a tantrum or you can actually do something like an adult." With her back turned on him, she hid her gritted teeth as she took her teacup to the sink. A third large red admiral flew out of her. "You know what aggravates me the most in your pity party? You didn't even apologize to Blitz."
Stolas lowered his head. The sinner roughly put the rinsed teacup to dry on a rack. "You're clearly a great dad to Octavia, but you could have explained to her from the beginning what you were doing… Sure, her childhood was great, but that just fed her delusions of how things really were for her family. Her grandfather and mother only think of her as a royal asset. You couldn't properly explain to her why you were cheating your abusive wife for an imp you were crushing on since childhood." When she turned, he saw her disappointed black-and-blue mismatched eyes. "And the imp? If you really loved him, you should have watched your mouth, but you made him feel like you only wanted him for pitiful sex services. If he really mattered to you, you'd have tried to talk to him after that 'first date'. Given him space after that date before actually talking. Otherwise, you just added baking soda to a volcano."
Stolas tilted his head, confused. "What?"
Indigo groaned. "My dad really could pull off better school-inspired metaphors than me… Look, just try calling him. OK? One phone call won't kill you." She checked the kitchen clock. "It's getting late. I should probably go to bed. I offered the staff to help them in decorating the palace for Octavia's birthday."
"Indigo?" Stolas said, briefly stopping her before she could reach the door. When she looked, she saw his grateful smile. "Thank you for being a caring friend to Octavia."
Indigo nodded. "And that's good communication, Mister Stolas. Good night."
Stolas chuckled. That sinner really was something. Even in brutal honesty, she was still filled with unique kindness. No wonder Octavia seemed charmed to have her as her friend.
Her words truly meant something…
After hearing a bedroom door close in the distance, he pulled out his phone. His finger hesitated…
If he really mattered to you, you'd have tried to talk to him.
Stolas took a deep breath. He hit Blitz's contact number.
He landed on his voicemail. Blitz was probably out on another mission for his company.
"H… Hi, Blitz," he spoke to the phone. No lustful or giddy tones. He made sure to wipe up his tears and took sips of his hot chocolate. "I… I know that no apology will compensate for the pain I've caused you. I could say you were right to be angry at me… but I'd just make things worse. I… failed to be there for you. I know you don't really need anything from me to benefit your company, but if… if you need to…" Stolas struggled to not cry. "Well… if you need to discuss anything… or if you need financial assistance for your company… Just let me know. Take care…"
Hanging up was the hardest part.
A few seconds later
"I know you don't really need anything from me to benefit your company, but if… if you need to…Well… if you need to discuss anything… or if you need financial assistance for your company… Just let me know. Take care…"
Curled in his horse blanket, Blitz's hand shook as it held his phone. After more than a month since the disaster at OZZIE'S, Stolas actually reached to him. Blitz couldn't make anything out of it.
Was Stolas really sorry… or was it a trick to be a toy again?
He cried himself to sleep on the sofa.
The next morning
Naberius calling Octavia while she was still in bed earned her a cranky awakening.
"Are you asking for an assassination?" She snapped, unwilling to get out of bed.
"Morning to you as well, Ms. The-Day-Before-Your-Birthday. Just curious to see if you asked your cavalière yet." Naberius sounded shameless about waking Octavia so early.
"Naberius, I… JUST woke up. I'm too tired to deal with your French…" Octavia rubbed her eyes.
"Oh, for fuck… Did you ask Indigo to be your partner for your birthday shindig tomorrow? To stick by your side during the whole event and only dance with you?"
"Why would I do that?" Octavia sat up on her bed.
It then dawned on her…
"What did my grandfather do?" She groaned.
"Fastest version of the story? Last night, after the party at my cousin Ronove's palace, my mom had a bunch of dukes over for midnight tea. Duke Barbatos showed up uninvited. They said that Paimon told them that Indigo Caligo would be at your side during the party. Barbatos said that nobody besides you could have her as an escort."
Octavia felt her cheeks burning. She jumped out of bed, her hand clutching her phone as she went to the bathroom to clean up and change in her usual clothes. "What kind of fucked up shit is this? I don't get my grandpa's moves here. First, he has my friend stay over, he breaks my unknown arrangement to you, which I don't really mind, you're an asshole, and now he thinks I'm going to bring my friend to MY birthday as a whore?"
"He meant the 'dance partner', not the lousy-quality prostitutes of Porn Studios." Octavia could imagine Naberius rolling his eyes from the other line. "You need to ask her to be your escort at the party. Like, NOW."
"Why? I don't get YOUR motive! And I told you she's not my girlfriend!"
"You're hopeless. If you ask her now as her friend, she'll be more comfortable. It would make things less awkward, or worse. You want to be like your dad and his impish paramour?"
Octavia really wanted to strangle him. Or shove his phone down his throat. Then she understood his point. Asking her as a friend would be less awkward then going with her just because the Ars Goetia now expected her to. Indigo wasn't a toy…
Naberius hung up on her. She rolled her eyes, shoved her phone in her pocket, and walked out. In the hallways, Indigo was feeding the carnivorous plants with steaks. Octavia was a bit surprised when Indigo fed one of the plants with a dead, large red admiral. Overtime, channeling her emotions and releasing them with tranquility made Indigo release lesser, but larger butterflies.
"Good morning!" Indigo called out to Octavia.
"Hey, Indy." Octavia smiled. "Didn't know you were helping my dad feed the plants."
"Well, he's chatting with your mom and grandpa about the guest list's RSVPs." Indigo gave the last plant its steak. "He's really good at unexpected changes. You know how your mom wanted to order a thousand roses, lilies, and thorn ivies to decorate the palace for your party tomorrow?"
"I keep telling her I hate white flowers…" Octavia groaned.
"Yeah, no. I agree with you. Complete omen of death… and you're not a white flowers person. I gave some suggestions to your dad… He agreed they were better. Once they get delivered, I'm going to help the staff set it up. Some bouquets, wrap up the columns…"
"What kind of flowers?" Octavia asked.
"Black dahlias, purple lilacs, blue morning glories, and SOME pinches of baby's teeth. Still can't believe Hell has its own version of baby's breath…"
"Aw, Indy!" Octavia felt her chest go bump. "Those sound like beautiful colors!"
"Well… It DOES work with your overall celestial aura… Oh, and I was thinking of having gaudy commodores fly around. You know…"
"Precis Octavia… I remember!" Octavia chuckled. "It's so thoughtful, Indigo. Thank you."
A large mangrove skipper flew out of Indigo's hair. The latter was startled by its table size. "OK… That is new!"
Octavia fidgeted her fingers.
If you ask her now as her friend… Naberius' comment echoed within her.
"Um, Indigo…" Octavia hesitated even more when Indigo looked at her. "I… don't want you to feel awkward at my party tomorrow. I know the other Ars Goetia make you feel uneasy. So… I was wondering… I'm going to feel awkward anyway at my own birthday party… Well…" Why is this so fucking hard? It's not like I'm asking for her to fish Heaven out of the sky! "Well… I was wondering if you'd partner with me at the event… Just as friends! Friends supporting each other!"
Indigo blinked at her. "Are you…"
Oh fuck…
"Are you worried about me after what happened with Valac's son?"
OK, Octavia did not see this coming.
"Sure, why not? I don't want to be bugged by the rest of your fowl peers, pun intentional, and it's your birthday. I didn't buy you anything. Keeping you company during the whole event is only fair."
"Really?" Octavia shook her head. "Thank you!"
"No prob!" Indigo patted her shoulder. "I got to support my friend on her big day! Listen, I got to go help with the decorations. Your dad has his… stuff. Why don't you try to walk outside for a bit? Alastor says that long strolls help calm the brain to prepare for an upcoming storm."
"Good idea."
Octavia felt fine outwardly when Indigo left the hallway. But when Octavia made her way down the stairs, the bones over her chest seemed to tighten. At the entrance of the palace, a delivery truck from Sloth was loading out flowers. The servants were eagerly gathering all the flowers Indigo had described. Put together, the flowers reminded Octavia of stars in outer space. Now Indigo's choice made sense… They made Octavia recall the stars her father had chosen to comfort her…
Some gaudy commodores flew above the servants, lifting singular flowers up in the air.
Octavia walked out of the palace and made her way around Runesville. The name of the community was pun-intended. With a bird's eye view, the street layouts were designed to match the rune alphabet. All the residences belonged to the Ars Goetia, aristocratic Hellborns, or wealthy sinners who surpassed Overlords for really changing humanity. The businesses were all high-quality. Really accomplished Hellborns or high-class sinner merchants could run such shops. The public parks were lavish gardens. The stroll did nothing to relax Octavia. Aside from nobles going about with their affairs or attended by their servants, Octavia saw plenty of social interactions. Friends laughing over tea at a café. Two associates leaving a theater, separating in anger. A couple kissing as ravens devoured the body of a dead pickpocket.
Some moths flying towards a lamppost…
"For fuck's sake, we're just friends!" Octavia crossed her arms.
The world seemed to slow down around her. She sighed.
Octavia: We're friends, we're just that…
I won't break that bad.
If I do something that wrong, will we have what we had?
Octavia could have turned back when she reached the end of the street, but she chose to walk quickly towards the woods. It must have drizzled last night. Some water was dripping from the leaves, shining a bit in the light.
Octavia: But when it seems that Hell's falling on me
You bring something so heavenly
That I don't know how to speak and how to breathe correctly.
But will this end badly? Oh…
Octavia could care less how far she ran off from Runesville. When she reached a clearing, she inadvertently scared the wild horse herd. As they ran off, birds hidden in the grass flew above her. She didn't care. She felt like stars flew above her and the grass had changed into nebulas.
Octavia: If you truly are an angel
How high will I reach to you?
You're the greatest thing in all of Hell
But is what I feel even true?
You just make my heart swell
I get wings of Hell!
Wings of hell can lead to farewell…
Octavia finally went to sit down on a rock. A waterfall poured down a river of blood slithering through the forest. With the light reflecting on the hellish waters, the blood waterfall showered droplets of stars. Vultures catching coughing fish seemed like distant comets. Things that Octavia could care less as she fantasized Indigo Caligo rising from the blood, dark wings spread out behind her. She could have morphed into an Exterminator… if it weren't for the hand she was reaching out to Octavia. And rather than an Exterminator's terrifying holographic mask, the fantasy had Indigo's real face.
Despite the temptation of reaching out to her, Octavia retracted her hand.
Octavia: If it's not what I think it is, will you remain?
Can you take my trust and loyalty?
Help me in vain?
Hold me despite my royalty?
Indigo, please pull me out of my shell!
Darkness filled her surroundings. When stars fluttered away like butterflies, Octavia followed them. Traced the bugs all the way back to Runesville.
Octavia: If you truly are an angel
How high will I reach to you?
You're the greatest thing in all of Hell
But is what I feel even true?
You just make my heart swell
I get wings of Hell!
Wings of hell can lead to farewell…
You just make my heart swell
I get wings of Hell!
Wings of hell can lead to farewell…
The world moved on with its usual lives. Octavia sighed and walked back home.
Unaware that just as she reached the perimeters of Stolas' property, a curious pair of eyes spotted her from the outdoor seat of a café across the street.
The eyes of an Overlord who took some me-time from her business partners… and got a dark idea.
"Well!" Velvet chuckled. "I think little princess here can help us get our cash back!"