"Excuse me?"
As soon as the Goetia Princess asked that particular question, Mick was instantly flabbergasted. After all, once a Sinner gets sent down here to Hell, any life they may have had or what sins they may have committed are considered ancient history. The longer time passes after death, the less their old lives seem to matter. Heck, no one even talks about it, or even cares to ask anyone else anything regarding the subject. That's how little Demons cared… However, Octavia was a different story.
"Well… it's just that ever since I met you, you haven't been at all what I expected a Sinner to be," Octavia explained, trying to rationalise her question.
"I'm… not quite sure how to take that," Mick answered honestly, scratching the back of his head while wondering if he had just been stereotyped.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I mean no offence!" Octavia quickly said, coming to the same conclusion. "It's just that unlike most Sinners, you're not a total asshole. True, you were snappy at first but you turned out to be a decent guy once I got to know you… granted I probably didn't help things by kicking you in the balls when we first met."
Both Mick and Snowflake couldn't help but roll their eyes at that.
"Yeah, thanks again for that," Mick commented sarcastically, remembering the event well.
"The point is I just can't believe someone like you could ever end up in Hell," Octavia stated firmly, not wanting to drag things out. "You're just too… nice."
After that, silence once again fell between the two Demons, this one filled with so much awkwardness it was hard to figure out just how to break it. Even Snowflake looked uncertain of what was going to happen next, so much so that she was nervously digging her little paws into the sofa like a cat. Before long, Octavia eventually spoke again.
"I'm sorry," she said, her face now filled with regret for asking such a question in the first place, "I know this is invasive but-"
"No! No, it's fine!" Mick interrupted, easily sensing Octavia's anxiety. "In all honesty, I was wondering how long it was going to be before you asked me that."
Once again, the Goetia Princess was taken completely by surprise.
"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and receiving a nod of the Cat Demon's head.
"Given how often we talk, I'm surprised the subject hasn't come up sooner if I'm being honest," Mick elaborated, only adding to Octavia's anxiety.
"I'm sorry," she sighed, shamefully hanging her head. "I… I just wanted to respect your privacy."
Luckily for the Goetia Demon, Mick didn't seem the least bit angry at that, or even annoyed. In fact, in response to her statement, he just gave her one of his comforting glances.
"That's completely understandable," he said. "Despite what they say, there's nothing wrong with being a little curious."
If she was being honest with herself, Octavia didn't know whether to be relieved or filled with even more anxiety after hearing that. Because now she felt like she had to press the question even though there's a strong possibility that she'd be putting her friend in a difficult position. Eventually, however, she decided to bite the bullet and just get on with it.
"So… will you tell me?"
As soon as that question left Octavia's beak, a heavy sigh left Mick's lips. As hesitant as he was, he knew he owed the Goetia an explanation since she trusts him enough to share her own sad past mere minutes ago.
"Sure," he eventually answered. "But it's kind of a long story."
"I'm not going anywhere," Octavia replied, staying firm with her resolve. Finally, she was going to get the answers she was looking for.
Mick, however, remained hesitant.
"It's… not a happy one," he pointed out, letting out another sigh.
"Should it be?" Octavia retorted, once again raising an eyebrow.
"Fair point," Mick admitted, scratching his head as he tried to find the right words to say. "Alright… I guess the best way to explain would be to start from the beginning, yes?"
Nodding her head, Octavia listened intently as the Cat Demon began relaying his tale.
"Well, you already know about my dad, yeah?" he began, once again earning himself a small nod. "Well, I won't get into too much detail but you could say this all started after he left my mom."
"Your mum?" Octavia repeated.
"Yep," Mick confirmed. "After dad ran off with the first fresh piece of ass he could find, mom was basically left with nothing but a small amount of cash to her name and me to look after. I didn't have any siblings so I suppose it wasn't too much of a burden but it was still difficult for her, especially considering dad practically forced her to move to the states as soon as they were married."
"Where was she from originally?" Octavia asked curiously.
"England, believe it or not," Mick answered. "Lovely place out in the country according to her. Anyways, for the next few years after the scumbag left, she struggled to make ends meet, worked two jobs, bought second-hand items, all that jazz. With me so far?"
"Mhm," Octavia replied, giving another nod of her head.
"But no matter how she struggled, she always put me first," Mick continued, letting out a solemn sigh as he began to reminisce. "I won't lie and say I made it easy for her, to be honest, I was a little shit back then."
"What kid isn't?" Octavia joked, earning a small laugh from the Cat Demon.
"Can't argue with that," he agreed. "Still, as I got older, I began to realise how hard things were for her, and how much I wanted to help her. But no matter what happened, she always took things head-on with a smile on her face… especially when she was trying to comfort her little boy whenever the nightmares started."
Octavia couldn't help but feel a little jealous at that. Growing up, it was always her father who came in to comfort her whenever she had a nightmare, her mother, on the other hand… always carried on sleeping into the night.
"She sounds like a good mother," the Owl Demon commented, giving Mick a gentle smile.
"Oh, she was," Mick agreed, smiling beneath his mask. "And things weren't all bad either. Before long, she managed to find a good job in a small town in Idaho. We had a nice house, simple comfort, anything we could need. Plus, when I was old enough, I even started helping her out by working at the local pet shop so I could help pay some of the bills."
Once again, Octavia started to feel a little jealous. Had anyone else she knew heard this, they would have said it was bullshit in seconds, and yet… there wasn't a single lie in the Cat Demon's story, the Goetia could tell that much. Knowing that, she still couldn't help but wonder what could have happened that would have sent Mick down here after his death… then again, now that she heard the first part of the story, she was almost dreading hearing it.
"That sounds nice," she commented honestly, secretly wondering what it would have been like to live such a simple life.
At those words, Mick's happy nostalgia instantly faded away, leaving only a solemn sigh in its wake.
"For a while, life WAS nice," he said, bringing up a hand to his face. "We were both happy, all things considered."
"So what happened?" Octavia asked, instantly regretting doing so as soon as she got her answer.
"Mom… got sick,"
The moment the Cat Demon said those words, it didn't take a genius to put 2 and 2 together. As such, Octavia instantly began to hate herself for bringing up what could only be such a painful memory for her friend.
"Oh, fuck," she uttered, unable to say anything else due to how much she was at a loss for words.
"Yeah, pneumonia," Mick elaborated, much to Octavia's ever-growing unease. "Mom tried antibiotics to cure it but they only did so much. Worse still, she refused to stop working even when the disease continued to take its toll. I told her she needed to slow down and look after herself but she just wouldn't listen."
At this point, Octavia could hear the Cat Demon's voice begin to break. The more he spoke, the more painful it was to hear. Alas, she couldn't bring herself to tell him to stop.
"For an entire year, her condition got worse and worse," Muck continued. "She could barely breathe, she was coughing up blood, shivering, it was horrible. Then one day, she went to sleep and… and never woke up again… I was around 16 at the time."
It was around that point that the room once again fell into silence, the only sound being heard by anyone being Mick's choked up breathing. At first, Octavia was unable to say another word, being too overwhelmed with painful emotions to do so, however that quickly changed when she noticed something dripping from beneath the chin of the Cat Demon's mask. Despite Mick trying not to let Octavia see him cry, it was pretty obvious that reliving such memories was tearing him up from the inside. And frankly, Octavia couldn't bear seeing him like this.
"Listen, Mick, you don't have to-"
"No, you… you have the right to know," Mick interrupted, cutting Octavia's attempt to ease his suffering off mid-sentence. "I'll be okay, I promise."
Octavia remained uncertain about that. Granted, she wasn't one to talk, but she still didn't like seeing Mick try to put a brave face on despite holding back tears of anguish. Either way, it was clear that he was determined to finish his story regardless.
"Well, if you're sure…" Octavia sighed, receiving a nod of the Cat Demon's head. "So… what happened after… you know?"
"Well… after mom's funeral, I thought I was going to be put into some kind of foster home," Mick answered, letting out a small scoff at his own words. "But no one even batted an eye. I guess I was too old or something. So I just stayed in the same house mom bought for us."
Octavia gasped in shock at that.
"Alone?" she asked, completely astounded to learn such a thing.
"I didn't have any other family, not that I knew about anyway," Mick elaborated, his tone slightly changing to one with a small hint of anger. "And even if I did, they didn't bother looking me up after my mom died or even came to her funeral… no one else came to her funeral."
"No one?" Octavia repeated. "Friends? Neighbours?"
But no matter which one the Goetia Demon suggested, she was still met with a shake of Mick's head.
"Me and mom… we weren't all that social," he explained. "Plus we didn't spend that long in town, so we didn't know anyone that well anyway."
Then came the part of the story that practically stuck a knife in Octavia's heart.
"After a while, I… I just completely shut down," Mick continued, his voice once again starting to break. "I stopped going to work, dropped out of school, just hid myself away from the world outside my house… Then when I turned 17, everything just… it just became too much to take."
Mick may not have been able to force the words out, but Octavia didn't need to hear anything else after that. Hearing all of that, and looking at the Demon form Mick took after his death, it wasn't hard to figure out what happened to him. Obviously, the cat-like form is due to his life working in a pet shop, add his childhood, his broken neck… even his long, rope-like tail, it all led up to one thing…
"You… killed yourself, didn't you?"
The moment Octavia asked that. Mick instantly nodded his head.
"Turns out that when they say 'thou shalt not kill', it also applies when the life you're taking… is your own."
As soon as Mick said that, Octavia covered her mouth in horror. Granted, suicide was nothing unfamiliar here in Hell, but still, having to hear that such a thing happened to a Demon one knows is nothing short of shocking. Now that she knew, the Goetia Princess instantly wished she hadn't asked at all.
"Oh, Mick…" she uttered, once again at a loss for words.
"I grabbed a length of rope from the garden shed, walked out into the woods, climbed the tallest tree I could find and… that was that," the Cat Demon continued, unknowingly scratching at the left side of his mask. "That was around 14 years ago."
14 years!? Mick has been down here for that long!? Worse still, he ended up in Hell… because he was trying to escape his own misery? And here Octavia thought the assholes up in Heaven couldn't get any worse! How the fuck was that fair!? And the worst part… during the last year of his life… he was all alone. He had no one. No one who cared about him… or even noticed that he was gone.
Unable to bear it any longer, Octavia's eyes once again filled with tears and she suddenly wrapped her arms around the Cat Demon in front of her, much to his shock.
"W-what's this for?" he stuttered, unable to fathom what was currently happening.
"Just shut up and take it," Octavia said in response, tightening her embrace. "You need this just as much as I do."
Mick just couldn't make heads or tails of it. In all the years he had been in Hell, not once did anyone hug him so gently yet firmly at the same time. In fact, it had been so long since anyone had hugged him with such compassion, that the Cat Demon had almost forgotten what it felt like.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" he began, only to be cut off mid-sentence.
"Don't you DARE apologise!" Octavia snapped, stopping Mick from saying anything more. "I… I'm so sorry, Mick. You didn't deserve any of this. I'm glad you told me."
WHY did he tell her though? Ever since the first day he ended up in this forsaken pit, Mick had never told anyone of his past, not even those he had considered to be his friends. After all, to say such a sob story would put a target on one's back in most neighbourhoods down here. And now here he was spilling his guts out just because Octavia asked?
After keeping almost everyone at arm's length, even his own friends, it felt strange to just tell the truth like this, and yet… since it was Octavia whom he was telling this to, the Cat Demon didn't feel any shame or regret in doing so. For some reason, he felt like he could tell her anything she asked of him and she wouldn't judge. To him, she was something he really needed but hadn't realised until now… someone who actually gave a crap.
Before he knew it, Mick returned the Owl Demon's hug, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as she did, all the while letting a few small tears fall from the eye holes in his mask. Even Snowflake, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, watching the two Demons with interest, joined in on the hug, snuggling against Mick's lap in an attempt to comfort him. As the pair of them just sat there in each other's arms, both Mick and Octavia felt a sense of gentle warmth that neither of them could quite understand, but they liked it nonetheless. After a while, neither one of them wanted to let the other go.
Alas, neither of them could hang onto the hug forever. Before long, Mick and Octavia reluctantly broke off the embrace, wiping their eyes of any remaining tears.
"Th-thanks for that," Mick said gratefully, trying his best to regain some composure. "I didn't realise how much I needed it."
"You're welcome, Mick," Octavia replied, doing the same. "And for the record, if there's anything YOU need… I'm happy to be there for you as well."
At those words, Mick once again couldn't help but smile underneath his mask. As much as he wanted to be a good friend to her, it was nice to know that Octavia was willing to be such a good friend to him in return.
"So, was she religious?" the Goetia Princess suddenly asked, much to Mick's confusion.
"Who?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Your mum," Octavia elaborated. "That Rosario you carry around is hers, right? That's why you're so protective of it?"
Mick suddenly felt a little awkward at that. While it was true that he does keep his Rosario on him at all times, and it was also true that he had been known to get a little snappy whenever someone else even goes near it, something which Octavia and Jewel quickly noticed when he accidentally dropped it once while cleaning in the same room as them, the Goetia Princess wasn't quite on the mark with her assumption.
"Not exactly," Mick answered sheepishly, taking out the Rosario from his pocket and giving it a good look with a solemn sigh. "I actually got this thing AFTER I was sent down here… but that's a story for another time."
As curious as she was, Octavia understood completely. After all, she had forced Mick to say so much already, it wouldn't be fair to force him to say more all at once. In all honesty, she felt a little dumb asking such a question now. She should have realised that the Rosario was something Mick would have picked up AFTER going to Hell. Heck, half the time, Sinners are lucky to even get down here with the clothes on their back, never mind a precious memento like what Mick has… so where did he get it? And why is it so important to him? As the Cat Demon said: it's a story for another time.
"So… what now?" Mick asked, unsure of what to say now that the moment of comfort felt like it was passed.
In all honesty, Octavia had no idea how to respond to that. If she had the choice, she would have gladly suggested staying as they were at this very moment. Just sitting here in the Music Room with Mick at her side and Snowflake snuggling in between them for the next several hours sounded like paradise right now… if only she could have gotten such a chance.
"Ahem!"
The moment the two Demons heard that familiar voice, the pair of them instantly snapped their heads towards the slightly open door, seeing an all too familiar Imp with a frown plastered across his face.
"Reginald!?" Mick yelped, quickly jumping to his feet and standing at attention, unintentionally launching Snowflake into the air and causing her to land in Octavia's arms with a shocked yip.
"Michael," the Butler replied, his hard gaze solely focused on the Cat Demon in front of him. "Prince Stolas has requested that you see him in his study… immediately."
The moment those words left Reginald's mouth, Mick instantly gulped in fear. Since both he and Octavia were so lost in their conversation, the pair of them had almost forgotten the reason they were in this room in the first place. What's more, neither of them had any idea of how long they had been talking, so who knows how much time they had kept everyone waiting. With that in mind, Mick could only dread what awaited him. With heavy breathing escaping his mouth, Mick reluctantly began to follow the Imp out… however he suddenly found himself stopping just outside the door when he felt Octavia's hand take hold of his own.
"Hey," she said, giving that Demon a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay."
Mick may not have known which situation the Goetia Princess was referring to when she said that, but frankly, he didn't care. Seeing her smiling back at him with Snowflake in her arms, gave Mick all the comfort he needed. As he walked down the hall after Reginald, towards his inevitable fate, all he had to do was think on that to bring his nerves to a complete calm.
"SUSPENDED!?"
Needless to say, this reaction was no surprise to Mick once he told his roommate the result of his meeting with Stolas earlier that day. If anything, he was taking it a lot better than he expected.
"Yep," he confirmed, hanging his uniform off a small hook on the bedroom door. "One week without pay. Guess I'm stuck down here until then."
"Jeez, that sucks, man," sighed, shaking his head.
"Oh, it gets better," Mick retorted, his voice filled with sarcasm as he showed the Imp his right palm.
The moment Buzz saw the strange black mark now plastered over the Cat Demon's hand, he instantly cringed.
"Ooh, they stuck you with a Cursed Papyrus, huh?" he asked, earning a nod in response.
The Cursed Papyruses. One of the many objects all over Hell that had been embedded with unholy magic. A thick series of parchments that were as red as blood and given only to those of the highest status, namely the 7 Kings of Hell and a select few members of the Ars Goetia. As the name would imply, anything written on one of these Papyruses is instantly touched by a curse and a strong one at that, as such, should anyone ever write a contract upon one of them, then it becomes instantly binding in the most magical yet painful way possible. The moment Mick was forced to sign his name on such a contract, the hand which he used to hold the pen was immediately branded with a black magical symbol that burnt like a soldering iron. Should he even think of going back to work or asking for money before seven days had passed, the mark on his hand would immediately put him in so much pain that he would wish to die all over again.
"I take it this was Lady Stella's idea?" Buzz asked, a deadpan expression on his face.
"Like you even have to ask," Mick scoffed in response. "Prince Stolas was fine with just a slap on the wrist and suspension for three days, but that wasn't enough for his wife. Oh NO! She wanted to make sure an example was made!"
"Well you DID get into a fistfight with the Count's son," Buzz pointed out, much to Mick's annoyance.
"To save her DAUGHTER!" he retorted. "Honestly, I think that crazy bitch just gets off to seeing other people suffer."
Buzz could only shrug at that.
"Meh, you're not wrong," he admitted. "Hell, I'm surprised she didn't try to do anything worse."
"Well, it wasn't due to lack of effort," Mick pointed out. "From what I can figure out, the punishment she originally had in mind involved a lot of scalpels and tweezers."
At those words, both the Imp and Sinner shared a shudder.
"You do have a point, though," Mick continued with a sigh. "Seth did look pretty pissed on his way out."
"Hey, I would be too if I got beaten up and had my hand blown off," Buzz chuckled.
Mick couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Well, no one can say he didn't have it coming," he commented. "Either way, it looks like I'm stuck down here for a week with nothing much to do because of it."
"You're not gonna go out or something?" Buzz asked, raising an eyebrow.
Once again, Mick shuddered in response.
"Believe me, I wish I could. But I have a horrible suspicion that Lady Stella will be waiting for me to come out at one of the upstairs windows with a crossbow in her hand," he explained, shaking his head. "No, it'll be better if I lay low for a while. Give the bitch a chance to calm down."
"HA!" Buzz blurted out. "She's had about 1000 years to do that, buddy. Sorry, but you ain't gonna have much luck there."
"Come on, let me live in denial!" Mick retorted, much to the Imp's amusement.
Sharing a small laugh, both Mick and Buzz shook their heads in delight. As far as Mick was concerned, it was nice to have more than one friend in this house… even if said friend had more than one screw loose. Suddenly, the Imp's eyes lit up as an idea seemingly popped into his head.
"You know what?" he said, hoping off his hammock. "You need a drink! Come on, I know where the Chef hides the good booze."
At any other time, Mick would have refused, perhaps even chastised Buzz for making such a suggestion so early in the afternoon, BUT considering the fact that he no longer has any reason to worry about work for the next week, the Cat Demon felt next to no reluctance as he let out a small sigh.
"Alright fine," he said, much to Buzz's delight. "But if Chef goes in for the kill, I'm blaming you."
Once again, Buzz let out a small laugh. Following the Imp down the Servant's corridor wearing little more than a T-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants, Mick couldn't help but wonder what's going to happen now that he was once again without work… even if it was only temporary. Looking down at the mark on his hand, the Cat Demon began to wonder just what else did Stolas use such paper for. Whatever the case may be, given this kind of experience, he did NOT want to sign another Cursed Papyrus as long as he can help it.
Perhaps a nice quiet drink would help take the edge off a bit, it wouldn't be as strong as Mick's weed, but it'll probably be a nice buzz nonetheless. But then, as soon as he followed Buzz into the kitchen…
"SURPRISE!"
The instant the Cat Demon heard that shout, he practically jumped out of his fur. Before he even realised what was happening, he was surrounded by a horde of happy Imps, all of whom were clapping their hands and cheering. From what he could tell, many of them were the temporary employees that had indulged in the party Bloody Mary arranged last night, while some he recognised as those he had worked with since he had started, including Reginald, surprisingly. To add to his further surprise, once Buzz had finally stopped laughing, he suddenly began leading many of the Imps in a jolly tune.
For he's a jolly good fellow,
For he's a jolly good fellow,
For he's a jolly good fellooooooow,
And so say all of us!
That little song, of course, was followed by yet another small round of applause from everyone in the room. And yet for the life of him, Mick still couldn't understand why.
"What the heck is all this?" he finally blurted out, earning himself another laugh from Buzz.
"Dude, that crazy bitch may say otherwise, but what you did up there was the most awesome thing ever!" he declared, his opinion positively shared by many, if not all of the other Imps in the room.
"Aye, we've been wanting to beat the shit out of that little bastard for years," the Chef added, walking over to the Cat Demon with a wooden stein in each hand before handing one over to him.
"And now, we finally have something awesome to look back on every time we feel down!" Jewel chuckled, letting out a small laugh of her own.
NOW Mick was starting to put the pieces together. Of course, this was about Seth's brutal beating! After all, the Imps made it no secret that he was practically infamous for being needlessly cruel to their kind, as well as other "Lesser Demons" ever since he first arrived last night. And now that Mick had given him the thrashing he deserved, he was basically being hailed as a hero… in all honesty, Mick couldn't tell whether to be embarrassed or flattered.
"Here's to you, lad!" the Chef chuckled, this being one of the rare moments he wasn't being snappy as he smashed his stein against Mick's "Drink up, you deserve it."
Seeing the smiling faces of all the Imps staring at him, Mick immediately blushed with bashfulness as he took a sip from his stein.
"You guys…" he muttered, scratching the back of his head.
Needless to say, the Cat Demon would never have come to expect this kind of recognition from his coworkers, half the time he expected them to cook and eat him rather than give him such praise like this. It would seem that these guys aren't as bad as Mick originally thought… well, except for one, maybe.
"And who knows, big boy," Jewel commented, suddenly appearing at the Cat Demon's side and leaning in close to purr in his ear. "Perhaps I can give you a more deserving reward later tonight, hmm?"
Once again, the resident pervert instantly made Mick's fur stand on end with terror. Thankfully, though, the Chef was still there to immediately pulled the thirsty Imp of Mick before she started reaching into his pants.
"Jewel!" he snapped, lifting her off the ground by the back of her shirt with an annoyed look spread across his face. "Behave yourself!"
Unsurprisingly, Jewel crossed her arms and pouted at that.
"Hhm! Spoilsport,"
At this display, Mick had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. As terrifying as they were, he daresay he had gotten quite used to the Maid's antics by now, one could even say it was one of the things that made Mick a lot more alert than he used to be. In fact, almost everyone in this household has helped him out in one way or another. The Chef certainly made sure he always stayed on his toes, even shared a couple of cooking tips now and then. Even Buzz, in all of his insanity, was a decent guy to talk to now and then, at the very least he was able to make Mick laugh occasionally. All in all, as much as he would always treasure Octavia's friendship, it was good to know he had friends down here too… sad to say, though, the moment was quickly short-lived.
"Excuse me, are we all on a coffee break?"
Once again, that familiar voice drew everyone's attention to the direction of the door, where Reginald was standing with an unamused glare at everyone.
"Uh… I don't drink coffee," Buzz pointed out, causing several eyes to roll.
"Then I suppose the break is over!" Reginald retorted, hardening his gaze at everyone. "Back to work, please!"
To be fair, Reginald was completely in the right this time, considering that this moment in time was technically during work hours. However, that didn't mean that everyone was happy about it. Reluctantly putting down their drinks, the small crowd of Imps began to disperse and return to their normal duties. Mick, however, had a completely different situation in front of him once Reginald walked up to him.
"Michael," he said, his voice calm yet cold. "May I speak with you for a moment?"
Understandably, Mick didn't like the way the Butler said that. Granted, he was stoic on most days but on this particular occasion, he sounded like a strict parent about to scold their child. Regardless, he followed the Imp over towards the corridor, away from the other staff members, and awaited this inevitability. Once Reginald was sure that they wouldn't be disturbed, he gave Mick exactly what he had been waiting for.
"I hope you realise how fortunate you are in keeping hold of your position after what's happened, Michael," he said sternly, his gaze solely focused on the Cat Demon in front of him.
"I do," Mick replied, believing it best to keep his answers short and to the point in his current situation. He may not be speaking to one of the Goetias at the moment, but given Reginald's position, he was still a higher-ranking employee compared to him.
"Good," he said, his stoic tone unwavering. " With that said, I must say you handled that situation with Master Seth quite poorly."
Hearing that particular sentence escape the Imp's mouth, Mick couldn't help but feel a little insulted. Thankfully he managed to Marian his composure long enough to ask a simple question.
"How so?" he said, his mind practically demanding an explanation for such a statement.
In response, Reginald's answer was a short and blunt one.
"You forgot your place," he said, noticing the surprised look in the Cat Demon's eyes before choosing to elaborate further. "You engaged in a fight with a Demon of a higher status than you, and in doing so, you put yourself and this entire household at risk. We should consider ourselves lucky Count Ipos was so understanding when the Prince phoned him earlier to explain the situation."
So he was suggesting that he should have stood by and done nothing while that slimy bastard did whatever he like!? How idiotic was THAT!? Did this Imp seriously care more about his role in the household than he did for the well-being of the people he works for? Granted, it wasn't as though he himself didn't do anything. After all, he was the one who alerted the other Goetias to the situation while Mick went straight for Seth. But still, if he was saying that what Mick did was the wrong thing to do, then the Cat Demon STRONGLY disagreed.
"Now, I realise your intentions were good, and you've proven yourself to be a satisfactory employee," Reginald continued, his stoic tone feeling a bit more intense as he edged a little closer. "However, I must give you this one simple warning…"
It was only then that Reginald's glare hardened and his normally expressionless face twisted into a small threatening scowl, making Mick feel a little nervous as he said his piece.
"Do anything like this again, and I shall personally see to it that you are removed from this household forthwith… is this in any way unclear?"
So Reginald was resorting to threats now? Granted, he may have been one of the few employees that Mick never quite connected with since he arrived here, but he never thought that he ever once got on his bad side… was he still angry about the party last night? Was it something else? Either way, this supposed warning seemed somewhat petty on the Butler's part. Before Mick could say a word in response, however, a third voice suddenly entered the conversation.
"Oh, leave the boy be, Pringles," the Chef said, suddenly appearing behind the Butler and placing his giant hand on his shoulder. "It ain't like you never made a mistake in your entire career."
Reginald, however, didn't say anything in response… in fact, the moment the Chef opened his mouth to address him, his face suddenly shifted from a look of anger to a paled one of complete horror, making it look as though he had just seen a ghost. Mick, on the other hand, was just plain confused.
"Pringles?" he repeated, raising a confused eyebrow.
After a moment of stunned silence, Reginald soon shook his head and suddenly snapped it towards the Chef with a fresh look of irritated anger.
"I thought we agreed to never call me that again," he said through clenched teeth, trying desperately not to act up more than he needed to.
The Chef, however, merely scoffed in response.
"And remind me why exactly," he retorted. "It's your real name, is it not?"
"That is beside the point!" Reginald snapped back, his left eye suddenly twitching with anxiety.
"And I believe you've made yours," the Chef growled, his glare intensifying with each passing second. "So toddle off."
Mick just couldn't believe his eyes or ears right now, Reginald was meant to be the head of the household staff and yet, here the Chef was talking down to him as if he were nothing more than his underling, even going so far as to claim that… Wait… if the Imp's not denying it then that must mean… holy shit! That IS his actual name!? At that moment it took every ounce of willpower the Cat Demon had to stop himself from bursting out laughing.
Reginald, or rather, Pringles, on the other hand, looked as though he were about to burst. After taking a moment to calm down, he suddenly returned his attention to Mick.
"Do be sure to be punctual when you return to work, Michael," he said, his voice once again stoic but still carrying a small hint of irritation. "Suspension will not excuse you for lack of effort."
With that final word, the Imp walked away, leaving the two Sinners to their own devices. Only when Mick was sure that he was completely out of earshot did he allow himself to release a small chuckle.
"Pringles?" he snorted, still unable to get over hearing such a revelation.
"Aye, he changed his name when he first started working here," the Chef elaborated through his own chuckle. "Wanted to make himself sound fancier, I suppose, and until today I be the only one who knew."
Mick couldn't say he was surprised to hear that. Technically speaking, the Chef IS the oldest employee in this house, and by a couple of centuries at that, therefore it was only natural that he'd know a lot more about all his younger employees than anyone. Still… that didn't explain why he would suddenly just blurt out such an obvious secret without question. Just what was the Chef's game here?
"Uh… thanks for that, by the way," Mick said, choosing not to think on the subject as he awkwardly scratched his head while showing his gratitude.
Once again, the Chef couldn't resist letting out a small chuckle.
"'Tis no problem, lad," he replied, giving Mick a good pat on the back. "Can't let my best assistant disappear now, can I?"
His BEST assistant? That was… unexpected. Normally the Chef would rather throw a knife than a compliment one's way… which he actually did on more than one occasion. And now he was freely saying something like this? Did Mick… actually earn his respect?
"Huh… that is actually the nicest thing you've ever said to me," the Cat Demon commented, unable to stop himself from smiling beneath his mask. "You're actually quite the big softy under that shell, aren't you?"
Aaaaaaaand saying that proved to be a fatal mistake. About a second later, Mick suddenly found the Chef's giant hand wrapped around his neck before he was suddenly lifted off the ground and pulled an inch away from his snarling face.
"CALL ME SOFT AGAIN, AND I'LL HAVE YOUR GUTS FOR GARTERS!" he roared, his voice so loud and powerful, he practically shot his foul-smelling breath like a canon in the Cat Demon's face, spraying him with trickles of saliva.
Needless to say, Mick was instantly pissing himself with fright as he dangled from the Turtle Demon's grip.
"Right, got it!" he whimpered through small gasps. "No softness here! You are a total badass! Please, don't kill me!"
"Good," the Chef huffed, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Glad we understand each other."
…
"Do I even weigh anything to you?"
"No, it's like holding a couple of wee grapes."