Chapter 5: Allure and Intrigue
It had been about a month of Stolas moping around and occasionally trying to date, when Stolas saw Blitz's face come up on Lustinder as a 'single in his area'. He had dropped the bowl of cereal he had been holding right on the carpet. D**nit, Blitz kept making him spill his cursed cereal. He scrolled through. There were a bunch of seductive pictures from different angles in bad lighting, with the description only saying 'You up? P.S. the O is silent'. He couldn't help but chuckle a little over this silly display of his physicality. The pictures that showed some skin, which were most of them, showed that he didn't yet have the scar on his right shoulder. He wondered when they were taken, and how long ago this account had been made? He wondered if he had gotten many messages from it. He was sure he had; Blitz was quite handsome after all. Adrenaline began rushing in his veins. He wondered how many of them he replied to, how many he met up with, and how recently? He wondered if he'd seen many people while they're arrangement was still active. He wondered if he ever thought of him while he was with other people. He wondered if he thought of him at all.
Red eyes brimming with tears, Stolas shook the thoughts from his mind as they were not helpful. The alluring face smiled at him from his phone. He swiped right and waited. But no response ever came.
It was dark out and Stolas let out a sigh that came out as some type of hoot. It had only been 2 weeks or so, but everyone was only looking for hookups or were looking for him. Not him, as in Stolas the father, gardener, and genuine person; the Goetia prince with money and status. He couldn't blame them; not really. Trying to get by in hell was difficult, and though he had never lived it, and probably would never understand just how hard it could get, he knew at least to some extent how necessary it must be for some to lie and manipulate for survival. That's what Blitzy had done to him after all, and he still loved him.
Love was a strong word; it was the right word, but it held power. it was holding Stolas back from truly searching for someone else to love. He was being tied down; tethered to someone who was forced to drag him as a lead weight, and he didn't want to do that to him anymore. Octavia had encouraged him to fight for Blitz, but he felt he had been fighting for a long time, and now that he was officially rejected, yes he felt unfathomable sorrow, but it was also freeing. He didn't have to beg for affection from someone who would never return it.
Stolas knew there might be troubles with a rebound. Especially with trying to find someone else who also wanted a genuine connection, but he would be open with them, and tell them where he was at emotionally and see if they were willing to give a relationship a try.
So far he had been on 3 dates, all in a disguise, and all equally unsuccessful for different reasons. The first, with a succubus named Chadwick, who on the first date suggested a three-way and would not stop talking about his six pack. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with a six pack, or three-ways for that matter. But for that to be all you can talk about is . . . less than ideal.
The second and third dates were with an imp woman named SallyMay. She was a sweetheart, but despite being older than him, he could only bring himself to see her as a daughter or perhaps the sister he never knew. He also chatted with other women, but he found himself feeling similarly to them as well. With the arranged marriage and all, he had never really had a chance to explore his sexuality, but now he came to realize that he was gay all along. SallyMay and him got along famously, and she was such a wild, free spirit. It was a sad day when he told her that he couldn't see her that way, but she was understanding. Sad, but understanding. She told him they could talk any time as friends, gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked away. He didn't have a single butterfly.
That's when he found a new app called Faceless Love. It's like it was made for him. And maybe it was, or at least made for the people hoping to find him, and he had to respect the business savvy. He made an account using a name he liked and some pictures he thought represented him. He also discovered emojis which were these cute little faces and pictures the kids were sending each other and added them into his profile description to make him seem approachable. At least he thought it did.
"Why are you scowling at your phone?" Octavia leaned in the doorway, taking her earphones out.
Stolas was startled which led to him playing a little hot potato, but managed to catch his phone and compose himself again, "Oh! Uh! V-Via! It's good to see you, darling. Was I scowling? I'm just trying to make this online profile and I'm having some difficulties with finding the right wording."
Before he could do anything, she was looking over his shoulder, "That . . . Is a dating profile."
Stolas sweated audibly, "I-Is it? How silly of me. I thought it was one of those social media apps you youngsters are using."
"You're a terrible liar. What happened to going after the red looser? And what about your other dating profile? I looked it over, and it was fine." She had taken the phone out of his hands now and was scrolling through the profile.
"Blitz and I aren't going to work out and I still have that one but this is a new app specifically for not showing your true identity so I thought I'd give it a try." He was trying to grab his phone back from her, but she always held it just out of his reach.
"Well, you clearly need help. This profile is ridiculous and super obvious. Are you trying to hide your identity?" She laughed and showed him one of his pictures, "What is this?"
"What? It's my bookshelves. I'm very proud of my collection."
"Yeah, no one can afford that many books, even if they are a huge nerd like you."
"Oh, well. That's an easy fix."
"Is this a picture of some food from a five star restaurant?"
"Lots of people take pictures of their food." He was back to trying to take the phone from her again.
"And what is this name? Vergilius? It even sounds royal." She was now climbing on top of furniture to get out of his very tall reach.
"It's long for Virgil! It was the name of a great poet as well as a character in a story who was known for his wisdom that guided a lost soul through hell!" He was using a scolding tone, but he couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since they had a moment like this.
"Now, come here you!" He scooped her up and spun her around the way she used to love when she was little. And just as he'd hoped, she laughed so hard she started chirping between giggles. Good, she hadn't entirely grown up just yet. He hoped she never would.
They collapsed on the floor together, and after they had laughed for a little while and caught their breath, Via spoke, "I want you and Mom to both be happy, Dad. But Mum will always be mum, and you will always be my Dad. And if some guy you meet on some dating app will make you happy, then go ahead, but we're starting over with this profile."
"That is fair." Stolas said, "What would I do without my little Starfire to come save the day?"
"Not get any dates, that's what." She giggled, "And end up in the tabloids way more often."
They got to work.
— — —
Stolas's cellphone chirped at him from his bedroom as he was in the bathtub. It was difficult to use his telekinesis spell on an object he couldn't see, but he knew exactly where he had left it, and managed to squeeze it under the crack in the door. It levitated gently into his hand and he looked to see a new message from someone on that Faceless Love app he had set up with Octavia not a few hours earlier.
Hay ther sweety
hello, it's very nice to meet you.
I'm afraid there wasn't very much
information in your biography. I'd love
to hear more about you. What do you
do for fun?
Nuthing much. Go oud 4 drinks,
sharpin my nives, colect horse figurins.
Very intriguing! How long have
you been collecting such an
uncommon choice of object?
Fer langer than ive had muney
2 by them weth
Did you receive the first one as a gift?
Na i stull it
Oh ho ho! Am I talking
to a criminal mastermind?
U bet ur azz
L.O.L. So, when was your last heist?
It wuz awhyl ago. Stull drugs
from a room8 in thr colledge i droped
oud of. Now ive got a reel jaub.
It gits mezy, but it paes the billz
Oh, bud if u cownt shuplivting, then a howr ugo.
Oh? What did you take?
Someone's shoping kart. I h8
groshery shoping, so I usualy find
someone else's who seams to
hav sum good stuf alredy,
and then just grb sum of the
nessecities if they didnt alredy
grb themselfs, beer, vodcka, cigarets.
Yaknow. And then i by it all wile
sum suker haz 2 do mor work.
That seems both clever and
temptingly devious. Though it also
might be considered a tad churlish
Whadya cal me?
It might be considered a tad rude.
Well i gess I didnt stiel anything
teknically because they hadnt
bouten any of it yet
and id's betr than wen
I used 2 steel theyre karts after
they perchasd ther items, bud
it's hard 2 no wats in the
bags frum a distans so I
ended up with sum weird sh*t.
Well, time is very valuable,
you know. And they did have
to go back and find those
things again.
Ha gess im a time theef then.
I suppose so.
By thu wey, doez thu leef
emogi in ur profil meen wat i think
it meens?
I don't understand. Do you
mean this one that I used in
reference to gardening? 🍃
Ya, that wen peeple uze that
leef emogi in there dating
profil it usualy meens they
smok a lot of weed
My goodness! Thank you for
telling me. I will have to amend
that immediately.
HAHAHA i figurd u werent
the tipe
Well, I can't say I haven't
thought about trying it before . . .
well, ive nevr bin on a ferst
date were both of us r stond
if this works out, it mite be fun
Oh, well, I suppose I'll consider it.
I must be off to bed now. I
have an appointment I must
attend early in the morning.
allrite, gnite
⭐Sweet dreams⭐
As the water drained from the tub, Stolas put on his robe and began walking towards Octavia's room.
"Via, Darling! Are you awake?" He tried to be loud enough so that if she was awake, she would hear him through the door, but not so loud to arouse her from slumber if she was already in bed.
"It's 11 pm Dad, why would I be asleep?" She called back to him.
"Well, it's a school night and it's important that you get your rest for-" He began.
Via opened the door, "For my studies?"
Stolas smiled, "I suppose I must sound like a broken record to you."
"Well, you might say it less if I didn't stay up so late. But last night I got to bed at 2 am, so that's an improvement." She said as she walked back into her room.
Stolas followed her in, "Aw, yes . . . how you manage to function is beyond me. But you are my little Owlette, afterall. The typical sleep schedule won't come naturally to you."
"And teenagers are scientifically meant to stay up later and sleep in." She sat on the edge of her bed, "So, did you need something?"
"Aw! Yes! I had a question. Does everyone misspell this much online?" Stolas scratched his head.
"Let me see." Stolas handed her the phone and waited, "Yeah . . . a few misspelled words is pretty typical, but this is a bit excessive." She handed back the phone without resistance this time.
"Huh. Then it must be a thing with college dropouts, then. Well good night, my dear." He said as he left the room.
"Um . . . I'm pretty sure they teach you how to spell 4 letter words in public elementary schools, but okay." Via mumbled and got back to scrolling on her phone.
It is cannonical that Blitz can't spell words correctly to save his life (I mean, not Blitz, but this stranger Stolas is talking to for the first time on the app that Blitz also happens to have an account on.) I made sure to include that in their text messaging. However, if you would like or need a translation of what he was actually trying to say, here it is:
Hey there, sweetie
hello, it's very nice to meet you.
I'm afraid there wasn't very much
information in your biography. I'd love
to hear more about you. What do you
do for fun?
Nothing much. I go out for drinks, sharpen my knives,
and collect horse figurines.
Very intriguing! How long have you been collecting such
an uncommon choice of object?
For longer than I've had money to buy them with
Did you receive the first one as a gift?
Nah, I stole it
Oh ho ho! Am I talking to a criminal mastermind?
You bet your *ss
L.O.L. So, when was your last heist?
It was a while ago. Stole drugs from a roommate in
the college I dropped out of. Now I've got a real job.
It gets messy, but it pays the bills
Oh, but if you count shoplifting, then an hour ago.
Oh? What did you take?
Someone's shopping cart. I hate grocery shopping,
so I usually find someone else who seems to have some
good stuff already, and then just grab some of the
necessities if they didn't already grab them, beer, vodka,
cigarettes, you know. Then I buy it all while some sucker
has to do more work.
That seems both clever and
temptingly devious. Though
it also might be considered a
tad churlish
What did you call me?
It might be considered a tad rude.
Well, it's better than when I used to steal their carts
after they purchased their items, but it's hard to know
what's in the bags from a distance so I ended up with
some weird sh*t.
Though, I guess I didn't steal anything technically
because they hadn't purchased any of it yet
Well, time is very valuable, you know. And they did have
to go back and find those things again.
Ha! I guess I'm a time thief then.
I suppose so.
By the way, does the leaf emoji mean what I think it means?
I don't understand. Do you mean this one
that I used in reference to gardening? 🍃
Yeah, that. when people use that leaf emoji in
their dating profile it usually means they smoke a lot of weed
My goodness! Thank you for telling me. I will have to amend
that immediately.
HAHAHA I figured you weren't the type
Well, I can't say I haven't thought about trying it before . . .
well, i've never been on a first date where both of us are stoned
If this works out, it might be fun
Oh, well, I suppose I'll consider it.
I must be off to bed now. I have an appointment I must attend early in the morning.
alright, good night
⭐Sweet dreams⭐
— — —
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