It was around 4:30 PM by the time Octavia stepped back through the front door of her home, and she was, for better or worse, glad about it. From the moment she stepped through the front doors that morning, she was bombarded with questions about what happened to her from her fellow students. Not that anyone actually cared, of course, many of them merely wanted to confirm whether or not certain rumours that ended up flying around were true. Some said that they heard that she had been slain by the Exorcists, others said that she was seduced by one and got knocked up because of it… and then there was that one idiot who heard she was living in the sewer and having orgies with all the Rat Demons who lived down there! Needless to say, the whole day was a bloody nightmare.
Thankfully, the day was over now, and Octavia could relax… at least as much as possible despite the current standing of her home life.
"So, how long are you supposed to be doing the driving exactly?" she asked, turning towards Reginald, who shut the door behind her.
"The agency will be sending over the family's new chauffeur tomorrow, Miss Goetia," he answered respectfully. "You need not worry."
Ever since the Extermination took the life of the family's last driver, an event which Octavia was most unfortunate enough to witness first-hand, Reginald had taken it upon himself to drive the Goetia family to their desired destination on top of his other duties. However, Stolas had made it quite clear that this was only a temporary solution until the new driver arrived. Needless to say, the agency he telephoned was all too happy to provide if it meant getting to do business with a member of Hellish Nobility. Despite hearing that piece of information, however, something else was plaguing Octavia's mind.
"Did… did Mick do okay today?" she asked, much to Reginald's hidden surprise.
"Hmm? Oh, the Cat Demon, yes," the Imp replied, pretending to be somewhat oblivious to said Demon's situation for a brief moment. "He's a hard worker, no question about that. Both Miss Jewel and the Chef had good things to say… however he still has a few rough edges to file down as it were."
Not remotely surprised upon hearing the description of the scenario, Octavia couldn't help but smile as memories of her first impression of Mick came flooding back.
"Really?" she said, playfully rolling her eyes. "That's good to hear."
Reginald, unfortunately, wasn't fooled by the young Goetia's attempt to feign disinterest. Her amused smile was too much of a dead giveaway of her true feelings in the matter. Letting out a heavy sigh, the Imp Butler had to say his piece before anything else happened.
"If I may be so bold, Miss Goetia," he said, quickly regaining her attention. "I would strongly recommend keeping your distance from the boy for the time being. Your mother's under the opinion that he might be… a bother, shall we say."
The moment those words left Reginald's mouth, Octavia's smile changed into a scowl almost instantly as if she was being given a terrible insult.
"Well, I don't exactly share my mother's opinion… do I?" she retorted, her tone sounding almost threatening as she edged her face a little closer to the Butler's.
"N-no, Miss," Reginald answered nervously, fearing he might have made a mistake in speaking his mind.
Not wanting to press the issue further, Octavia straightened herself out and scanned the foyer of her home.
"So… where is he now?"
Turns out, the answer to Octavia's question was quite a simple one. After finally finishing the last of his assigned tasks, Mick was finally allowed to retire back to the Servant's Quarters for the day. Had he been assigned to a certain department, he would still be working at this very moment, however since he was still unassigned, added by the fact that he managed to finish all the work given to him in record time, he was finally able to relax a little… which just as well because he was SHATTERED.
Collapsing face-first into his bed, not even bothering to remove his jacket, Mick let out a low, agonising groan. Within seconds he began to regret pushing himself so much on the first day. Granted he wanted to make a good first impression with his co-workers, but despite his efforts, he still felt tired like everyone else. The worst of it was more than likely after he and Stella had their little spat over Buzz's narrow avoidance of his dismissal. After that, she had the staff give him even tougher tasks than he had this morning, such as cleaning out the gutters and washing the upstairs windows from the outside. By the end of it all, Mick believed he was going to pass out in minutes from exhaustion, and he would have too… had it not been for the sudden entrance of his roommate.
"Uh… hi," Buzz greeted nervously, closing the door behind him as he walked in. "Not too beat up, I hope."
Mick, however, wasn't in the mood for jokes.
"Go away," he muttered, his voice slightly muffled by his mattress.
"Day went that well, huh?" Buzz replied, a nervous chuckle escaping his throat.
But all Buzz got in response was an irritated groan, clearly Mick wasn't in a talkative mood either. However, it was at that moment that the Cat Demon would come to realise just how stubborn this particular Imp was.
"Oh, come on, buddy, it's not ALL bad," he blurted out, hopping up onto the foot of Mick's bed like a rabbit with a small laugh. "After you stuck it to Lady Stella, the bitch locked herself in her room for the rest of the day so…"
"You know, shockingly, that doesn't make me feel any less wrecked," Mick retorted sarcastically, not even bothering to lift his head. "Don't you have work to do?"
"Not anymore," Buzz replied, a small smirk stretched across his face. "My duties don't take up that much time unless there's a big job to take care of."
Hearing this, Mick let out another groan.
"Great," he muttered. "Just when I thought my day couldn't get any better."
Instantly picking up on the sarcasm from every word that came out of Mick's mouth, Buzz let out a heavy sigh.
"Look I know we got off on the wrong foot-" he tried to say, only for Mick to cut him off when he finally lifted his head from the bed.
"You hit me in the face with a shovel and set me on FIRE!" he snapped, causing Buzz to scowl in annoyance.
"I KNOW!" he retorted. "Dang it, I know! And I'm sorry, alright!?"
Upon hearing the words "I'm sorry" escape from the Imp's mouth, only then did Mick's expression soften beneath his mask. What's more, he actually found himself growing slightly calmer the more he listened to him speak.
"I know I pull crap like that a lot, but I just… I just can't help myself sometimes," Buzz continued to explain. "I've had this… quirk ever since I was a kid. I get these… episodes where I go completely off the rails, super bonkers, ya know?"
"Yeah," Mick replied, "Rolling his eyes. "That I can believe."
"But it's not my fault, I swear!" Buzz continued. "I know I go too far sometimes but I'm mostly harmless, just a happy little loon."
Mick couldn't help but raise a hidden eyebrow at that.
"You seem okay now," he pointed out, gesturing to how calm Buzz was being.
"This is one of my brief solemn moments," Buzz retorted. "Give it an hour or two and I'm back to giggling like a hyena. I mean I've tried taking pills for it, but nothing ever worked… not without side-effects."
Seeing Buzz's eye twitching as he spoke, Mick could easily assume what side-effects the Imp was talking about. Undoubtedly this must have been the result of certain types of medication that was meant to calm him down, anxiety tablets, tranquillizers, morphine, etc. all of which he must have given up for one reason or another. Taking all of that into account, Mick's curiosity once again began to overwhelm any other emotions he may have had at that moment.
"So, how'd you get like… this?" he asked, only to regret doing so instantly upon hearing the Imp's answer.
"When you're the smallest among the lowest of the low, you don't really get much of a chance of a decent upbringing," he said, his face suddenly twisted with sorrow and tensity. "I imagine ANYONE would go loopy in my situation."
Now Mick just felt horrible. Granted the guy didn't really give off the best first impression, but now that Mick understood why, he instantly regretted not giving him a chance. He COULD have been lying, but the look on his face seemed all too genuinely sad to suggest he was. If there was one thing Mick prides himself on, it's how to read people, and Buzz without a smile just seemed too… unnatural to be false.
"I… I'm sorry to hear that," he said, finally sitting up to actually face the Imp.
"Not your fault," Buzz replied with a heavy sigh. "I'm used to people treating me like dirt by now… kinda comes with the territory. But YOU… you stood up for me, even after all that shit I put you through. You… you don't really get used to that sort of thing here in Hell. At least… I never got the chance to."
If Buzz was TRYING to make him feel worse at that point, it was definitely working! Seriously, one would have to be completely heartless to not feel anything after hearing that… which, if you think about it, makes up for about 90% of EVERYONE in this pit. However, Mick refused to be like that, despite everything he's been through, he wasn't one to just sit back if he could do something to help. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Weed Box and looked inside it. He only had three joints left now, but that was okay, he'll just have to bite down and bear with any pain that comes until he can get more on his day off.
"Hey," he said, pulling out one of the joints and offering it to the Imp. "Wanna get high?"
Needless to say, that offer took the Imp completely by surprise, so much so, he even fell off the bed in shock.
"Wha!?" he blurted out, not knowing how to respond to such a gesture.
Mick couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"Come on, it's not gonna bite you," he insisted, placing the joint in the Imp's palm before taking one out for himself. "Just light it up and let the smoke flow."
"B-but why?" he uttered, his face contorted with confusion.
"Do I really need a reason to light one up with a new friend?" Mick retorted, confusing the Gardener even more.
"A friend?" he repeated, the word feeling a small lump in his throat. "You called me a friend?"
"Got a problem with that?"
"Oh no! Not at all! It's just that… well, I've… never really had a friend before."
At those words, Mick couldn't help but once again raise an eyebrow.
"Never?" he asked. "Not even one of the other staff members?"
"I'm a miniature nutjob who sets random fires to his peers, what do you think?" Buzz retorted sarcastically with a deadpan expression across his face.
"Fair enough," Mick admitted. "Well, in any case, now you do. So why don't you just park your ass and light it up!"
Seeing the Cat Demon acknowledge his existence with such respect, Buzz couldn't make heads or tails of whether or not this was simply just a cruel joke at his expense. However, the moment he saw the genuine grin underneath the fake mouth as he took it off the mask, the Imp's own smile returned instantly.
"Alright then!" he declared, popping the joint into his mouth before igniting his thumb like a lighter, a little parlour trick that his kind was privileged to have.
For the next 20 minutes, the two Demons just laid down on their respective beds, smoking away on their joints and filling the room with a small cloud of smoke as they indulged in some friendly chatter. It wasn't anything special, but for some reason having a nice chat with each other felt… nice, not only for Buzz but for Mick as well. For Buzz, it was mostly because he actually had someone to talk to who didn't see him as a ticking time bomb, and Mick even found Buzz's company surprisingly pleasant because he always managed to lighten up the subject somehow.
"You know this is some pretty good shit," Buzz commented, taking one final drag of his joint before putting it out on his tongue and chewing it up like a wad of gum.
"Yeah, that I can agree with," Mick replied, choosing to ignore the Imp's sudden choice of a snack. "Who knows, maybe this stuff can help you with your issue."
Buzz couldn't help but feel intrigued at that. He DID feel calmer than he has ever been in a long time, and all it took was one tiny stick of this stuff. Granted he has tried weed before, but nothing ever came close to this particular blend. Maybe he should have a talk with Mick on who his dealer was?
"Hell, maybe I should give some to the old bag upstairs," Mick continued, chuckling at his own joke. "Maybe it'll burn out the massive bug up her ass!"
At those words, both Demons let out their respective chuckles, each of them picturing the scenario in their own perspective.
"Gotta say, you have a strong pair on you if you're standing up to HER on the first day," Buzz pointed out. "As much as I appreciate it, you definitely pissed her off something fierce today."
"Oh please, she's been pissed off with me since we met," Mick scoffed, shuddering at the memory of what happened in the bathtub. "I know I shouldn't push my luck, but there are just some things that need to be said whether the bitch likes it or not."
Once again, Buzz couldn't help but smile in adoration at the Cat Demon's words as he laid back into his hammock.
"Well, you're a braver man than me," he said. "Personally, I wouldn't want to mess with the one in charge of my income."
The moment those words reached his ears, Mick suddenly let out a surprised cough, letting out a few puffs of smoke as he turned his head over to the Imp.
"I thought the Prince was the one who wrote our cheques," he said, his voice riddled with concern."
"Oh, Stolas may be in charge of hiring us, but his wife has his cheque book by the balls," Buzz pointed out, much to Mick's further confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, she charges the staff for everything and deducts it from our pay before she hands it out every month; food, rent, bathroom supplies… damages."
…
"Oh shit, I'm screwed!"
It may have taken a moment to process what Buzz had told him, but the look of horror in his eyes showed exactly how much Mick was regretting certain actions these last two days. How could he have been so stupid!? He should have anticipated something like this! Now that he thought about it, this must have been what the Chef meant when he said the Goetias preferred the cheap labour of Imps!
"Hey, come on, buddy, it's not THAT bad," Buzz spoke up, trying his best to reassure him, though sadly to no avail.
"Not that bad!?" Mick repeated. "How the fuck am I gonna afford my weed now!? I NEED this stuff, I tell you! I am NOT going back to the cheap shit from vending machines again!"
Knowing full well how both batches of marijuana compared to each other, Buzz easily understood why Mick felt such anxiety over this. No doubt weed as strong and sweet tasting as this must have been quite pricey, and without a decent paycheque, there was no chance of getting more any time soon. Knowing how much money Stella was willing to deduct all too well, remembering how she reduced his own first paycheque to only 11 souls, Buzz tried to think of how he could ease Mick's anxiety. If he was willing to give him a chance, then why shouldn't he return the favour? Suddenly an idea popped into the Imp's head, one which once again made him grin like a lunatic.
"Hey," he said, quickly regaining the Cat Demon's attention. "How many buds do you got left?"
Confused as to why Buzz would even ask him that, Mick nonetheless opened up his canister and showed him the contents.
"Only one," he answered, his voice riddled with subtle panic.
"That's more than enough!" Buzz exclaimed, suddenly jumping out of his hammock and rushing over to him.
Before Mick even had the chance to blink, the Imp suddenly jumped up onto his bed, snatched up his last remaining joint from the canister before hopping back over towards the hammock.
"HEY!" Muck snapping, easily aggravated by Buzz's sudden act of thievery.
However, Mick's protests fell on deaf ears as Buzz suddenly began to rummage through all the junk he had in his hammock, tossing several items aside as he laid out certain others on the floor in a neat pile. By the time he was finished, he had collected a flower pot with a wilting plant still inside it, one slightly bent gardening trowel, a few fish bones, a hammer, an empty shot glass, and a small plastic jug that gave off a weird odour that smelled like a cross between seaweed and brimstone.
With everything collected, Buzz then proceeded to pull out the plant from its pot, leaving only the soil, after which he then used the gardening trowel to churn it up so that it was nice and powdery. When he was finished with that, he then took the hammer and started rapidly smashing up the fish bones on the floor until they were nothing more than powder, after which he then took the powder and mixed it into the soil in the pot. Finally, he took Mick's joint, unwrapped it, and dumped all the contents into the pot as well.
"What the hell are you doing?" Mick asked, scratching his head in bafflement.
"Just watch," Buzz replied, picking up the pot and placing it into an empty corner of the room.
Once the pot was set in place, the Imp then took the jug and uncapped it before carefully pouring out some of the weird-smelling liquid into the shot glass, a translucent, luminescent green substance with dark red orbs floating around in it. Seeing Buzz pour the strange substance into the pot with an insane grin on his face, trying desperately to force back a mad cackle, Mick's curiosity was once again piqued.
"What is that stuff?" he asked, scrunching his nose due to the smell.
"Some of Prince Stolas's personal gardening formulas," Buzz answered, recapping the jug and setting it aside. "Managed to snag some while I was helping re-pot that giant flytrap in his kitchen."
As much as Mick wanted to know more about why Buzz would want to hold onto such a liquid, before another word could be said, the soil in the flower pot started to glow green and the pot itself began to violently shake on the spot.
"You might want to stand back!" Buzz declared, backing away as fast as his little legs could carry him.
Following the Imp's example, Muck quickly started to back away from the pot until they were both leaning up against the opposite wall. As he continued to watch it shake and bounce in place, several cracks appearing across its surface, all Mick could think about was the liquid Buzz had poured into it. Just what kind of freaky-deeky concoction was that!? Mere moments later, the pot suddenly exploded in a bright flash of green light, forcing both Demons to shield their eyes and dive down to the floor.
When Mick was finally able to pry open his eyes a few moments later, the light had completely vanished, allowing him to stare in wonder at the miraculous display before him. Instead of a pot of soil, now stood a towering plant with large, thick roots that had driven themselves into the hard floor as if to look for soil, and vines that shot straight up until they began spreading across the ceiling like ivy… and then down to the walls below them before stretching down to the floor again. In fact, the vines were so spread out and thick with foliage, the whole room looked as though it had suddenly gained a jungle theme completely with leafy wallpaper.
"Holy fuck," Mick uttered, getting back to his feet and taking a closer look at the new foliage.
What first appeared to be ivy, was clearly sprouting huge quantities of large, healthy marijuana leaves, all fresh and ready for plucking. Better yet, when Mick dared to pull one of the leaves off to see if it was real, another one just seemed to grow back. If this plant was growing the type of hash he thought it was, then Mick knew one thing for sure… that his dealers were going to be so pissed when he calls them up to tell them he's never coming back!
"Buzz," he said, grinning like an idiot as he looked back to see the Imp's giddy face. "I think this marks the beginning of a BEAUTIFUL friendship."
It had been 6 days since Mick had started working in her home, and yet Octavia found herself completely agitated by the fact that she hasn't gotten to talk with him once! With her going to school, and Mick's work shift ending just before she gets back home, neither of them had much of a chance to interact. She had hoped that she would get the chance to speak to Mick once the weekend rolled in, however even on Saturday, Mick still had to work, and with her mother keeping an annoyingly close eye on everything going on, she couldn't find any opportunity to do so. "A Princess doesn't fraternise with the help!" she would say. At first, she thought she might be able to sneak into the Servants' Quarters again after Mick finished his shift, but Reginald was too much of a snitch to let that happen more than once. If she was caught, her mother would hear about it quicker than she could say "oops", and while she may get a scolding, there's no telling what Stella would do to Mick in response, so Octavia thought it best not to take the risk.
It was Sunday now, the one day of the week that Mick had off, and yet, unsurprisingly, he was nowhere to be found in the house. Since most of the household staff usually went off into the city or visited home on their days off, Octavia could only assume the Cat Demon must have gone off to the Peppermint Puss to hang out with his friends after she had failed to find him that morning. In fact, when she had asked Reginald about it, he confirmed that Mick was nowhere to be found in the Servants' Quarters so he too assumed that he must have left the grounds. Even Snowflake appeared to be missing, which only meant she must have left with her true owner since she wasn't in her basket when Octavia woke up today. With her original plan to speak to Mick completely shut down, the young Goetia had no choice but to fall back onto her usual pastime… reading alone in her family's library.
It was a decently sized room for a house of such tremendous size. One that was stationed on the third floor with hundreds of shelves, each bearing at least 200 books each as they lined every wall right up to the ceiling, and were stationed in neat, narrow rows that formed a small labyrinth that one could easily get lost in. However, Octavia had no such fear since she had spent a good majority of her teenage years here, meaning she could practically navigate this room blindfolded. Of course, there was one particular area of this library that she preferred to spend her time in despite the vastness of what was available to her. It was a nice, quiet corner with a few empty shelves where she could add her own books that she either bought herself or were gifted to her by Stolas. Not only that but there was also a pair of comfortable, red armchairs that rested right next to one of the front windows, which allowed her to gaze upon Pentagram City anytime she needed to take a break from reading. However, the moment she got there, instead of an empty area like she had come to expect every time she came in here, Octavia was met with unexpected company.
"Mick!?"
The moment the Cat Demon heard Octavia blurt out his name, he instantly snapped at attention as he shot up from the armchair he was sitting in, dropping both Snowflake and the sketchpad in his hands straight to the floor. After getting over the initial shock of seeing each other, Mick and Octavia continued to look at each other for a few brief moments, both of them seemingly unable to figure out what to say. Finally, after what felt like a minute, Mick broke the silence.
"Octi!" he exclaimed, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "I am so sorry I didn't mean to intrude, I'll just pack up and-"
"No! No, it's okay! It's actually good to see you," Octavia protested, not wanting Mick to leave just yet. "But… I thought today was your day off."
For some reason, hearing Octavia say that she was happy to see him gave Mick a solid reason to instantly calm down, so much so that he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Oh, it is," he said. "But when your parents gave me one day off a week, they seemingly overlooked one small fact."
"Which is?" Octavia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I have no life."
At those words, Octavia actually found herself laughing at the Cat Demon's joke. After taking a moment to breathe, she then looked over to the chair where he was sitting. By the looks of things, he must have been in this corner of the library for a while, probably all morning. From the shifted cushions on the armchair to the empty coffee mug and ashtray a quarter full of used joints resting on a nearby side table, all of them pointed to the fact that THIS was where Mick had been hiding himself. Not only that, but Mick's choice of attire indicated that he intended to stay in here for a while, given the fact he was wearing a loose T-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. Even Snowflake, who had been staring back at Octavia through the gap between Mick's legs, was looking a lot more relaxed than usual, almost as if she had only just woken up. Her curiosity piqued, Octavia couldn't help but voice her observation.
"So, this is where you've been hiding this whole time?" she asked, earning a small sigh from the Cat Demon.
"It's the only place in the house where I can avoid your mother," he replied bluntly, shuddering at the very thought of running into said Demon. "No offence, but that woman scares me."
Had any other Demon Octavia knew heard something like that, then sure enough there would be a few stern words… before a potential maiming. However, Octavia understood Mick's concerns completely and as such, didn't hold them against him.
"You wouldn't be the first to say that, believe me," she said, letting out a small sigh.
"Yes, well the others can't exactly say they were accused of being a pervert and hunted down with a crossbow by the same woman," Mick retorted, causing the Goetia to stifle a small snort.
"Touché," she replied with a small shrug.
With the tension somewhat eased, Octavia finally put on a small smile and took a seat in the nearest armchair before ushering Mick to do the same. Smiling beneath his mask, the Cat Demon felt no hesitation in indulging the Goetia Demon's silent request.
"So… this is where you spend your free time then?" he asked, hoping to start up a conversation but found himself taken aback at Octavia's sudden frown.
"Let's just say you're not the only one who'd like to avoid my parents," she replied. "The bookshelves make for some pretty decent sound mufflers if you catch my drift."
Mick nodded and let out a sigh at that.
"Yes, I heard them on the way up here," he said. "Kinda hard not to, given how loud they were screaming."
"Ugh… Don't remind me," Octavia muttered, letting out a small groan as she sank into her chair and buried her face in her beanie.
Seeing the saddened look on Octavia's face, Mick knew in an instant that this was a touchy subject for her. She may not have mentioned out loud that her parents constantly fought, but it didn't take a genius to put two and two together.
"I'm sorry you have to go through that," he said, not knowing what else to say.
Peeking an eye out from under her beanie, Octavia looked over to Mick, unable to fathom how to feel. She obviously hated talking about such a sore subject, and even if someone other than her family did offer her words of comfort, they would always feel shallow and empty since no one actually cared. But coming from Mick, the words felt… genuine, as if he was the one person she knew who gave a crap.
"Thanks," she said, feeling slightly awkward as her eyes skimmed across the room to try and find some way to change the subject. "So, um, what's that you got there?"
Peering down at his lap, Octavia quickly noticed the sketchpad the Cat Demon had picked back up off the floor and felt her gaze focusing hard on it.
"You draw?" she asked.
At those words, Mick instinctively held the pad a little closer to his chest. It wasn't that he was embarrassed or anything like that, however, given the fact that this was Hell, he couldn't be too careful about who he told of his hobbies, even among those he was close to. He didn't even consider it that much of a deal if he was being honest, in fact, the pad itself was just something Buzz gave him from the ever-growing stockpile of junk he keeps in his hammock.
"Yeah, I… I find it relaxing," he answered, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
Her interest once again piqued, Octavia smiled as she took another look at the sketchpad before stretching her hand out.
"May I?" she asked, earning herself a look of surprise from the Cat Demon.
"Oh… um, sure," Mick replied, hesitantly handing the pad over.
The moment Octavia's hand took hold of the sketchpad, she immediately opened it up to the first page and found herself amazed by what she saw on it. She may not have been as well versed in Japanese Manga as she was in written novels but there was no denying that it was the style Mick was going for when he drew the small Chibi version of Snowflake on the first page. The Cat Demon was no Da Vinci, but his attention to detail wasn't anything to scoff at either. What's more, it was clear that he put the same kind of time and effort into all of the drawings given how amazed Octavia seemed to be as she flipped over each page of the sketchpad.
"Wow, these are actually pretty good," she uttered, voicing her opinion with no hesitation.
Mick couldn't help but feel bashful upon hearing that.
"I used to draw my own comics when I was alive," he explained, once again scratching the back of his head. "Guess I never quite kicked the habit."
So, Mick was your typical nerd back in the Human World? Knowing that, Octavia couldn't help but smile a little as she took note of yet another piece of information she didn't know before about this odd Cat Demon. That aside, there was certainly no denying how well-drawn these sketches were, if Octavia had to guess, Mick must have been drawing every other day since his death to get such professional quality. After seeing an exaggerated drawing of one of her father's plants on the last page, a question suddenly formed in the Goetia Demon's mind, one that she felt needed to be spoken aloud.
"Have… you ever done any life drawings?" she asked, once again catching Mick off guard.
"Once in a while," he answered honestly, trying to think back on the last time he actually did something like that before raising an eyebrow. "Why? You interested in a portrait of yourself?"
Now it was Octavia's turn to be caught off guard. Was Mick actually making such an offer right now? Would he really draw a portrait of her if she asked? She didn't know why but the very idea seemed to make her feel a little flustered. But why? It wasn't like it would be the first time she had someone draw her likeness, after all, there were plenty of paintings of her all over the house. And yet with Mick, it felt… different somehow. Deciding to shake those thoughts out of her head for a moment, Octavia tried to think up an answer that wouldn't make her sound like an idiot. At that moment, she discovered an opportunity, an opportunity to have a little fun with the Cat Demon.
"Oh? You gonna draw me like one of your French girls, Jack?" she teased, trying desperately to stifle a small laugh.
There could have only been two scenarios such a question would have resulted in. One would be that Mick would be so taken aback and flushed he would nervously start to babble like a buffoon, OR he would simply laugh off the joke and see it was all good fun. Turns out it was the latter as Mick tried desperately not to giggle, much to Octavia's amusement. After taking a breath, Mick then countered the young Goetia's question with his own.
"Wait," he said, "You've seen Titanic?"
"Mhm," Octavia answered, giving her head a small nod. "Being Demon Royalty does have its perks, you know. Dad brings back movies from the Human World from time to time whenever he travels there for his duties… You like that movie?"
"One of my all-time favourites," Mick replied, letting out a small sigh as he leaned back into his chair. "Must have watched it a dozen times in a single year."
This was nice. It was just a simple conversation but regardless, THIS was what Octavia had been missing this last week. Much like how he spoke to her down on the boat, Mick treated Octavia as casually as he would anyone else, with none of that class-separation crap. She may have been a Princess of Hell but even Octavia needed someone to treat her like a real friend.
"What about you?" Mick continued. "You got a favourite movie?"
It was only when those particular words were spoken that Octavia found herself hesitant to speak. In hindsight, she probably should have expected Mick to ask such a question, but even so, it still caught her off guard
"I… don't want to say," she answered, much to Mick's confusion.
"Why not?" he asked.
"You'll laugh,"
However, that answer only made Mick even more curious.
"No, I won't," he said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.
"You'll laugh!" Octavia insisted, trying desperately not to falter.
Alas, the more she refused, the more Mick wanted to know. It was as if Octavia keeping the secret from him was triggering a hidden form of childishness within himself.
"Octi, I promise, I won't laugh," he said, giving the Goetia Demon's a small salute. "On my honour as your employee!"
Unable to resist letting out a small laugh at the Cat Demon's playful proclamation, it didn't take more than a few seconds longer before she finally relented.
"Okay, I'll tell you!" she laughed before taking a breath and letting out a small sigh as she said her answer. "It's… Hocus Pocus."
…
"The Bette Midler movie?"
"Yeah,"
Mick had to admit, he wasn't expecting that. Given her persona, he had assumed Octavia's favourite movie would be something like The Exorcist, or an adaptation of a mystery novel. But that? It actually took every ounce of willpower he had NOT to laugh at that! Alas, he made a promise, and by Lucifer, he intended on keeping it! After biting down on his lip from under his mask, he took a moment to breathe and spoke up again.
"Well, it's different, I will say," he admitted. "Never thought it would be your type of movie though."
Octavia gave a small shrug at that.
"It was the first film dad ever brought back for me," she explained, once again catching Mick's intrigue. "I suppose you can call it a guilty pleasure of mine."
The more he listened, the more Mick began to understand Octavia's reasoning. Of course, that would be the case. He would never make fun of her for it, of course, after all, it wasn't like he didn't have his own guilty pleasures. Furthermore, the movie itself wasn't that bad, if a little cheesy.
Feeling a little awkward after the exchange, Octavia soon tried to find a way to change the subject again. Soon enough her attention was drawn to the sound of small scratches coming from Mick's feet.
"Hey, what's Snowflake doing?" she asked, pointing down at the Kitsune pup.
Looking down at his feet, Mick couldn't help but chuckle as he saw his beloved pet sitting on the floor with a pencil in her mouth, using it to scribble into a small pink notebook that rested in front of her. Nothing fancy, just a little something else Mick got from Buzz's junk pile.
"Oh, that?" he said, giving Snowflake a small scratch behind the ears. "She's just writing in her diary."
Octavia instantly raised a confused eyebrow upon hearing that.
"She can write in a diary?" she asked, making sure she heard him correctly.
"Well, she can't really WRITE per se," Mick elaborated. "In all honesty, it's mostly just scribbles and doodles in there. But it IS kinda cute how she tries, right?"
Looking back down at the little fox, Octavia couldn't help but internally squeal with adoration as she watched her draw those indistinguishable scribbles onto the blank paper, pausing now and then to tilt her head and examine the page with what appeared to be a look of deep thought etched across her face.
"Oh, most definitely," Octavia uttered, finding the entire display to be nothing short of ADORABLE!
And so, their conversations carried on. Neither Demon knew for sure exactly how long they talked, but it must have been a good couple of hours. During their entire exchange, Snowflake barely looked up from her diary, finding it more interesting than anything either Mick or Octavia had to say. Unable to resist looking down at the lovable little pup from time to time, Octavia couldn't help but wonder what she is actually thinking when she scribbles into her little book.
Snowflake's Diary: Entry 1
Nice to meet you, diary! Glad I get the chance to write out my thoughts again. Sure, you're not as pretty as my last diary but you'll do.
So, what can I say about what's happened so far? Well, for one thing, we hit the fucking jackpot! It's really hard to imagine that just a few days ago my daddy got lost and that bitch, Mrs Deagle, tried to kill me in a spin dryer. But look at us now, diary! Thanks to my daddy's new friends, we're now living in a fucking mansion! I mean, sure it's not actually ours and daddy has to dress up every day and live in the basement while I get to share the deluxe suite with a pretty Owl Lady, but it's awesome nonetheless!
The Owl People who live here seem nice enough for the most part. The small one I share a room with, Octi, she's definitely my favourite out of the three. Not only did she let me sleep in a comfy basket bed filled with soft pillows, but she gives me free rein of the house and always gives me the best treats. Her dad seems okay but I will admit he gets a little clingy when giving me tummy rubs… kinda scares me actually.
And then there's her mom… I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think she might be even WORSE than Mrs Deagle! A miserable old bitch who treats everyone like shit! I know everyone thinks I'm just a dumb animal, but I heard about how she threatened my daddy for no fucking reason! How DARE she!? But don't worry: I got my revenge for him. All I had to do was sneak into the skank's bedroom, go under her bed and PISS on her carpet! What makes it even better is the fact that it's been three days since then, and she STILL can't figure out where the smell is coming from. Seriously, it's fucking hilarious!
That's all for now, diary. I'll try to write again soon. Snowflake out.