As soon as Linda ran out into the storm, she immediately began to regret her decision to do so. Not because of the WAY she left or because she basically deserted her new job and home, but because by the time she did, Hurricane Pruflas was already reaching its worst point.
When she eventually reached the streets of Pentagram City, the rain had already heated up to the point where it was beginning to steam up as soon as it hit the concrete below. As such, the whole area was soon clouded with warm mists, which under better circumstances, would make anyone assume the whole street had just turned into a giant sauna. Worse still, since she had run out in a state of panic, Linda was foolish enough to rush out without any protection from the hot rain. If she didn't find shelter soon, she was going to burn before the hail even started.
CRASH!
"EEP!"
That is if she didn't die from a heart attack first. Between running away, the thunder and the uncertainty of everything around her, the poor Imp's nerves were shot into overdrive. Still, being out here has got to be better than staying back there with those Royal Demons… right?
As the engine of her bike roared through the streets, Octavia couldn't help but consider herself lucky that no one seemed to be out on the roads at the moment, then again it was hard to tell because of all the steam. By the time she, Mick and Snowflake arrived in Pentagram City, every corner was completely covered. Between that and the rain, all three of them were practically searching for Linda while blind.
"Any sign of her?" Mick asked, keeping his fur fully tucked under his poncho as much as possible to avoid getting burnt by the boiling rain.
"I don't know!" Octavia replied, her voice muffled by her helmet as she slowed the bike down to a crawl. "I can't see shit in this!"
Needless to say, Snowflake wasn't having a good time either, despite being a Demon born from flames, the heat of the boiling rain wasn't doing her any favours. While she may be able to actually stand in it without being burnt, she was still panting from all the humidity. Of course, that was nothing compared to the amount of guilt Mick was feeling right now.
"Oh jeez, I knew I shouldn't have left her side," he muttered. "If anything happens to that Imp, I'll never forgive myself,"
Octavia, however, was well within earshot of that, and she was NOT going to let Mick blame himself for this.
"Don't you dare say that, Mick!" she snapped. "You weren't the one who ran her off!"
"But if I tried harder to help her-" Mick began, only to once again receive an agitated snap from the Goetia Princess.
"You did everything you could, Mick!" she stated firmly, Snowflake nodding her head in agreement. "If anything it's MY fault for making her lose her trust in you!"
At those words, Mick was left completely dumbfounded.
"You!?" he exclaimed. "What are you talking about, you didn't- LOOK OUT!"
Before either of them had a chance to blink, all of a sudden something emerged from the mists, namely a large overturned car that Octavia failed to notice due to looking at Mick for a brief moment. One swerve later, the three Demons on the bike managed to avoid a collision, however, it was then that the bike suddenly made its way onto the sidewalk and began rushing by numerous shops.
As it turned out, while some Demons chose to lock up their businesses before the storm hit, others thought it better to simply cut their losses and abandon them without doing shit. As such, it was quite a bumpy ride as Octavia picked up speed and tried desperately to keep the bike stable as it crashed through numerous outside stalls.
"Hang on!" she cried, trying desperately to avoid as much debris as possible.
At that moment, one particular store's canopy started to give way. Having collected so much boiling water from the rain all at once, the sheer weight quickly began to press down on the fabric. Moments after Octavia drove under it… the fabric tore.
"AAAAAAH!" Mick screamed. "FUCK!"
While it may not have been enough of a tear to douse all three Demons, it was still enough for a splash of water to pour out and catch the exposed wrist of Mick's right arm.
"Mick!" Octavia screamed, the Cat Demon's voice still ringing in her ears.
Instinctively reacting, the Goetia Princess pulled hard on the brake, forcing the bike to a complete stop underneath another canopy. After securing the stand so the bike didn't tip over, she then quickly turned around to check on her friend.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.
As soon as she said it, Octavia immediately felt like an idiot. Of course, Mick wasn't alright! Sure, he didn't openly say so but at the temperature the rain was now, he probably felt like someone had just tipped the contents of a kettle on his arm.
"Ugh… don't worry," Mick stated firmly, wincing in pain. "I'll be fine."
But despite how much he tried it, Octavia knew that Mick had to have been in agony. Hell, she felt the heat of the water through her leather jacket! If the situation were different, she would have suggested postponing the search and finding Mick some medical attention… However, it was too late for that now. With the steam growing thicker and the heat intensifying with every raindrop and gust of wind, it wouldn't be long before the very air was too dangerous to move in. No! The priority now was to find shelter.
"Hey!" she heard a voice cry out. "Over here!"
Snapping their heads in the direction of the voice suddenly echoing on the wind, Mick, Snowflake and Octavia looked over toward the building a few yards down the street from them. There, they saw a stout little shadow of a figure in the mist, an Imp from what they could make out, waving their arms at them and ushering the two Demons to come over.
"Come on!" they called out. "Inside here! Quickly!"
It was a tempting offer, there was no denying that. After all, it was easier to walk through an open door than to risk wasting time trying to pry open a barricaded one. However, neither Mick nor Octavia was so gullible as to aimlessly wander into a stranger's abode without question, especially if it's a denizen of Hell. Even Snowflake was suspicious given the glare she was giving the shape in the vapour. But even so, neither of them could risk staying outside for much longer.
"Do we risk it?" Mick asked, understandably suspicious of the stranger.
"We don't have a choice," Octavia insisted with a heavy sigh. "This rain's already at boiling point."
As much as either of them hated to admit it, the rain did, in fact, make it impossible to do anything else right now. However, that didn't mean that getting to the stranger was going to be easier either. At this point, the rain was so hot that it wasn't even hitting the ground before evaporating, making the steam even hotter and impossible to move through… in other words they were stuck.
"But how're we supposed to-" Mick tried to say, only for Snowflake to suddenly beat him to the punch.
Jumping off the bike and dashing into the mist, the little fox gave Mick and Octavia the biggest surprise of the day.
AWOOOOOOO!
With one howl and a powerful thrust of her head, a large tower of blue flames burst out of Snowflake's mouth! As amazing as that looked, what made it even better was the fact that the flames formed a large dome at the top of the tower before dispersing, one that appeared to evaporate the rain before it could get low enough to cause harm: in other words, the perfect umbrella for this kind of weather.
"Aha! That's my girl!" Mick exclaimed, mentally thanking his lucky stars that it was a Kitsune that he was fortunate enough to have as his beloved pet.
Deciding not to waste any more time, Mick and Octavia immediately ditched the bike and proceeded to make the short distance between there and the stranger on foot. Carefully scooping Snowflake up and placing her on his shoulder, Mick quickly looked up at the flames and saw just how much of an area they covered. Seeing that there wasn't much elbow room between the pair of them, Mick acted on instinct and pulled Octavia close underneath the fiery dome.
"Stay near me, alright?" he said, focusing his gaze on their destination.
Once again, Octavia found herself blushing at how Mick's hand was wrapped around her, thankfully Mick appeared to be too focused on everything else to notice.
"Ready?" he said, earning himself a nod from the Goetia Princess. "GO!"
Immediately breaking into a small jog, trying desperately to keep Snowflake stable to avoid dropping her and risk getting doused in the rain, the two Demons hurried over towards the figure. Thankfully, the trip didn't take more than a few seconds given their speed. Soon enough, all three of them made it under the newest canopy, allowing Snowflake to stop her flames. As soon as they were under, Octavia quickly began to check on her friend, her mind filled with worry as she heard him wince in pain.
"Oh Mick, your arm," she grimaced, quickly noticing the singed fur and red blisters on the Cat Demon's wrist.
"Relax, I'll heal," Mick insisted, pulling his arm away and trying to brush his injury off. "How's Snowflake?"
As admirable as it was to see Mick having more concern for others, Octavia wished he didn't forsake his own wellbeing so much. If anything, it was less painful to see her friend hurt and allow her to help than for him to try and put on a brave face beneath that mask of his. Nevertheless, the Goetia Princess did as she was asked and checked on the Kitsune pup on Mick's shoulder. Thankfully, despite a few small coughs that caused small puffs of smoke to leak out of her mouth, she looked as well as she could be. If Octavia had to guess, that little fire display was more exhausting for her than anything else, a little something she'll grow into at some point no doubt. Seeing that they were all okay, the trio then turned towards their would-be Samaritan.
"'Bout time!" the stranger snapped, a stout little Imp whose facial features, aside from a big bushy moustache, were hidden by a heavy hooded raincoat. "Come on, get inside before you two catch a heatstroke!"
Seeing no sense in arguing against the Imp's request, both Mick and Octavia followed the Imp towards the door of the shop… however, Mick couldn't help but feel a hint of nostalgia as he tried to place where he heard this stranger's voice before…
Suddenly another noise caught the Cat Demon's attention… or rather a lack of one. Turning their heads to the streets around them, all four Demons saw that the boiling rain had ceased pouring, as evident by the lack of noise and the steam quickly dispersing into the air.
"Is… Is it over?" Octavia asked, not knowing what the hell was going on.
WHOOSH!
SMASH!
As if answering the Owl Demon's question, all of a sudden, something dropped out of the sky and crashed into the windshield of a nearby car. Snapping their heads towards it, everyone saw what looked like a white sphere embedded in the glass, one that appeared slightly smaller than a golf ball and was somehow frozen and on fire at the same time. As soon as he saw this, the stranger gasped in horror.
"INSIDE, NOW!" he screamed, immediately kicking open the door and rushing inside.
Having a strong suspicion as to why the Imp was so afraid, both Mick and Octavia wasted no time in following him in.
"Come on, get the door! Get the door!" he yelled, a surge of panic oozing through every syllable that shot out of his mouth.
Slamming the door shut, the three of them quickly began barricading it with every heavy object within reach. Why it was necessary, Mick and Octavia didn't know, but given the circumstances, they weren't about to question the Imp trying to save them.
CRASH!
CLANG!
Before long, another loud noise filled the air, followed by another and then another. Soon enough, the whole building sounded like the inside of a giant rattle. Daring to satisfy their curiosity by peeking through the gaps of the boarded-up windows, both Mick and Octavia gasped in horror as they witnessed the devastation they narrowly just avoided being caught up in.
As if the mists, strong winds and boiling rain weren't bad enough, somehow it was now even worse outside. Where there was once only one chunk of burning hail, now the area was filled with thousands of the same, each one falling from the sky and causing severe damage to everything in its path. Worse still, certain canopies were even unfortunate enough to catch on fire after the burning hail tore through them, spreading white flames all over the place. Sure enough, THIS was what a true Hell looked like.
"Bah, don't you two worry," the stranger reassured them, seeing their despair even as he tried to catch his breath. "This shop's pretty sturdy, we should be safe in here."
As sceptical as they were, both Mick and Octavia were nonetheless grateful for the assurance. Fuck knows they'd need some after seeing what was just outside.
"Well, thanks for letting us in here… whoever you are," Octavia said, speaking for the pair of them.
"Don't mention it," the stranger replied with a small smile.
Seeing that the barricades were holding against the onslaught of hail outside, everyone soon found themselves a moment to relax. So much so that they were content enough to start removing their outerwear. As warm as it was, their jackets and coats remained wet and no one liked wearing damp clothes no matter the circumstances. However, as soon as the Imp removed his raincoat…
"What the!?" Mick exclaimed, his eyes snapping wide at the reveal of his and Octavia's would-be saviour.
"Yo, Harv! I found a crap ton of booze in the back, let's crack open-"
Hearing that voice and suddenly snapping his head over to the second Imp popping out from behind the shop's counter, Mick's jaw practically poked out from under his mask. THAT's why the Imps sounded so familiar! These were the same two morons who ran him over back in Imp City! Lars and Harvey!
"You!" Mick snapped, pointing an accusing finger in Harvey's pudgy face.
"YOU!?" Harvey retorted, his eyes suddenly snapping wide in realization as he too began to remember his last encounter with the Cat Demon.
"The fuck are you doing here!?" Lars added, almost dropping the bottle of liquor in his hand in shock.
Octavia, however, was completely baffled upon seeing the sudden exchange between the three.
"Wait, you guys know each other?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In a manner of speaking," Mick replied with a heavy sigh.
Mick couldn't blame Octavia for her curiosity, of course. Seeing as how the Cat Demon had conveniently left out the identities of the Imps involved in the incident when he told her about what happened in Imp City, it wasn't at all surprising when she asked such a question. Thankfully, neither Imp seemed like they were about to get hostile.
"Huh… small Hellring, eh kid?" Harvey commented, allowing a small smirk to creep up onto his moustached face.
"Indeed," Mick replied, having no other words to say.
As awkward silence fell between the Demons in the room, Octavia suddenly felt a surge of tension building up around her. And frankly, she didn't like it.
"So… this is YOUR shop then?" she asked, choosing to put an end to the silence.
Both Lars and Harvey's eyes shot wide open at that.
"Well… no," Harvey replied awkwardly, nervously twiddling his thumbs as he tried to find his words. "We, um… you see…"
Seeing Harvey's eyes shift from side to side, it was only then that both Mick and Octavia took the time to actually look at their new surroundings. By the looks of it, they appeared to be in some kind of hardware store, one that seemingly specialized in bladed weaponry… or at least what used to be one. Looking around the room, they noticed most of the shelves had been emptied save for a few random items still yet to be bagged up, meanwhile all the collected items now rested in large sacks resting in front of the counter. Seeing all of this, only one conclusion could come to the Cat Demon's mind.
"You were robbing the place, weren't you?" he asked in a deadpan tone.
Seeing that there was no point in hiding it, both Lars and Harvey let out a defeated sigh each.
"Meh… what can I say?" Lars eventually replied with a sigh. "Storms are practically harvest-time for looters. We were just beating them to the punch."
"Plus we got someone uptown willing to pay big souls for all this shit," Harvey added, emphasizing his point by rubbing his fingers together.
As much as the two teenage Demons didn't like the fact that they've basically walked into the middle of a robbery in progress, the two Imps seemed docile enough for them to keep their cool about it… well, that and all things considered, they barely had any reason to care anyway. For now, both Mick and Octavia were simply happy just to get out of the storm.
"Seems like your timing was pretty shitty, eh?" Mick joked, pointing his thumb at the door.
At those words, Harvey couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.
"I guess you can say that," he laughed, relaxing a little when he and Lars began to realize that Mick was once again being a good sport about what they were doing.
Seeing the way Mick relaxed his tone with the two Imps, Octavia chose then to trust his judgment. As much as she disliked the fact that she was in the same room as a pair of thieves, she at the very least tried to be civil for Mick's sake.
"So where IS the owner?" she asked, secretly hoping there wasn't a hostage or a corpse in the back room that she and Mick have yet to see.
"Not here, thank fuck," Harvey explained, waddling over towards his partner in crime. "Bastard closed up shop this morning and never came back."
"We thought we could clear it out and be out of here before the storm got worse but we kinda lost track of time," Lars added. "We were just hunkering down when Harv spotted you guys in the mist and well, here we are!"
"So it's just us here then?" Mick asked.
However, those words once again brought about an awkward glance shared by the two Imps.
"Well… not exactly," Lars answered, scratching the back of his head as he pointed a thumb towards the far corner of the room. "We found HER hiding in a trash can out back and had to drag her in here before the storm got worse."
Following the lanky Imp's thumb, Mick, Octavia and Snowflake turned their heads and gasped upon seeing just who was curled up in a frightened ball beneath an empty shelf in the corner of the shop with her back to everyone else. While she may have been trying to hide her face, Mick knew that large mess of black hair anywhere.
"Liddy!" he cried out, running over to her. "Thank fuck!"
Upon hearing the Cat Demon's voice, Linda immediately gasped in shock and raised her head to see if her ears weren't playing tricks on her.
"Mick?" she uttered, sitting herself up in surprise as she saw his masked face. "Wha… what are you doing here?"
"What do you think!?" Mick snapped, tackling her into a small hug. "Do you have ANY idea of how worried I was!?"
At those words, Linda suddenly felt her eyes begin to water.
"You… you came all the way out here… for me?" she asked, almost choking on her own voice due to the overwhelming emotions.
"Of course, we did, you dingbat!" Mick replied, wiping the tears from Linda's face. "You seriously didn't think we'd leave you out here, did you?"
However, it was at that point that Linda's smile suddenly faded.
"We?" she repeated, only now choosing to look over Mick's shoulder to see what he was talking about.
As soon as Linda saw Octavia looking back at her with Snowflake in her arms and giving her an awkward wave, her frown immediately returned.
"Oh…"
That was the last thing she said before once again turning her back on everyone, giving Mick cause to let out a heavy sigh and once again filling the room with an awkward tension. Having no idea what was going on, all Lars and Harvey could do was give each other a confused glance while Lars in particular held up the liquor bottle in his hand,
"So… Anyone want a drink?"
About an hour passed and the burning hail showed little sign of letting up, and inside the shop, pretty much everyone was on edge because of it. While there was no sign of any of the hail breaking through the barricades for now, no one could find the opportunity to relax.
"How bad is it out there, Harv?" Lars asked, handing his partner a glass of whiskey as he continued to peek through the gaps of the boards on the windows.
"VERY," Harvey replied with a solemn sigh as he accepted the glass. "This hail's gonna last a while and even then, we'd have to wait for the fires to die down before we can go anywhere."
Since the pair of them were both over 40 years of age, Lars and Harvey knew full well the severity of the damage Hurricane Pruflas brings upon the Pride Ring. As such, it didn't take anything more for Lars to nod his head in understanding.
"Looks like we're stuck here till morning then," he commented.
"Seems that way," Harvey agreed, shaking his head. "Fuck it!"
Taking a sip of his own drink, Lars couldn't help but look over to the other three Demons in the room, all of them seemingly wrapped up in their respective conversations.
"I still can't believe that kid knows a Goetia, can you?" he commented, taking another sip of his drink.
Needless to say, it was a surprise to the two Imps when they eventually recognised Octavia after she came in. Unlike most Demons, however, it didn't take long for them to get over the initial shock and treat her just like anyone else. When one lives in Hell as long as they have, one tends to learn not to stick their noses into other Demon's business, especially when there were clearly certain dramas going on.
"Best not make a big deal out of it, pal," Harvey stated, earning a small nod in agreement. "Looks as though those two have their own issues to deal with concerning that kid."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Mick sat up against the shop's counter with Snowflake curled up on his lap as he watched Octavia do something she had dreaded since she chose to leave the mansion… get in contact with her parents.
"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine, really," she said, talking assertively into her Hellphone, wincing every time Stolas's panicked voice came through the speaker. "I'm just going to be held up, that's all… yeah… uh huh… I understand… Okay… I'll see you when I get back… bye."
By the time she hung up, the Goetia Princess felt an immediate headache race across her forehead.
"He seems to have taken it better than I thought," Mick commented, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.
Octavia couldn't help but smirk at that.
"Yeah, AFTER the 10 minutes of screaming," she retorted, letting out a sigh as she pocketed her phone.
"Your dad or your mom?" Mick asked, earning himself another sigh from the Owl Demon.
"Both," she answered bluntly, pinching the bridge between her eyes. "Ugh… I can't believe I have to go through this whole worried-parent bullshit again."
Since Octavia was obviously referring to the day she and Mick first met, the Cat Demon understood her plight completely and nodded his head in understanding.
"At least you managed to contact them this time," he pointed out, trying to find some form of a silver lining for her.
Once again, Octavia found herself smiling in appreciation for the Cat Demon's attempts to be considerate.
"Yeah, that's true," she admitted, sitting down next to him and giving Snowflake a scratch behind the ear. "You got any joints on you?"
"Like you need to ask," Mick replied, smirking beneath his mask as he had already taken out his container and offered a blunt to the Goetia.
"A friend with weed is a friend indeed," Octavia playfully quoted with a smile as she accepted the joint and allowed Snowflake to light it with her flames. Chuckling at the statement, Mick picked out his own joint and removed his mouthpiece.
As they both sat there, taking small puffs of their respective sticks of marijuana, a small wave of nostalgia washed over the two teenage Demons. Once again, they both found themselves trapped in an unknown location with only their weed and each other's company for comfort. Still, one could argue that this time around things are a little better. Now Octavia didn't feel like she had to be careful with what she said, now the Cat Demon next to her couldn't be a better choice for what she'd like to have for company. When the effects of the weed slowly began to kick in, another sigh soon escaped Octavia's beak.
"My mum's gonna kill me," she commented, causing Mick to scoff.
"No she's only going to GROUND you," he pointed out. "When she finds out I'm involved, she's more likely to literally kill ME!"
Shuddering at the thought, Mick took another puff of his joint. Octavia, however, wasn't all that phased by it.
"Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "I'll think of something."
Seeing no reason to argue, trusting Octavia's judgment completely, Mick could only let out a sigh of his own.
"Well, we got all night," he commented.
Sharing a small laugh, the pair of them took another puff of their respective joints and allowed the smoke to ease their tense bodies, hoping it would be enough to get them through the night until they could finally leave. Soon enough, however, Octavia's attention was brought back to the Imp still huddled up in the corner. Looking at her in disappointment as she kept her back to them, another sigh escaped Octavia's mouth.
"Any word out of her?" she inquired, sadly earning a shake of Mick's head.
"Not a peep," he answered, his tone filled with disappointment and regret. "I've tried talking to her for the last hour but she's shut up like a clam."
Needless to say, that piece of news didn't bring Octavia any joy. While it seemed that Linda was finally willing to speak to Mick again at first, the second she saw Octavia, she was back to her reclusive self and that felt both hurtful to Mick and disappointing to Octavia. In fact… it has gotten so annoying that the Goetia Princess couldn't keep quiet about it any longer.
"Right that's it," she snapped, putting out her joint and getting back to her feet. "This has gone on long enough!"
He may not have known what Octavia was planning to do, but the angry look on her face was more than enough for Mick to have some concern about it. By the time he got to his own feet, however, it was already too late to stop Octavia from walking over to Linda and nudging her with her boot.
"Linda," she said assertively. "We need to talk."
But to no one's surprise, Linda didn't say a thing in response, rather she just curled up more and kept her head turned away. Octavia, however, wasn't having it.
"You don't want to talk? Fine, then just listen," she snapped. "Look, I don't know what happened to you to make you hate me, but the fact that Mick and I are friends doesn't give you the right to just blow him off! He's been trying nonstop to help you, and you're not even giving him a chance anymore!"
So that was Octavia's plan. Since being gentle wasn't working, the Owl Demon was trying the blunt approach. Of course, as much as he appreciated Octavia trying to help, Mick wasn't entirely certain that getting riled up about it was going to accomplish anything.
"Hmph!"
To his surprise, however, Octavia's statement did seem to get a different kind of response this time. Perhaps letting her continue wouldn't be so bad.
"Alright, fine!" she snapped, her eye twitching in frustration. "Be that way to me, but don't keep giving Mick the cold shoulder like a stubborn bitch! Even if you won't admit it, you need help and he's the only one who-"
It was at that point where she had to stop herself from saying any more, lest she says something that she would end up regretting. Seeing her take a moment to calm herself down with a deep cleansing breath, Mick's concern began to grow a little. However, after a little while, the Goetia Princess let out one of her signature sighs.
"I'm sorry," she said, seemingly catching Linda by surprise judging from the light gasp Mick heard escaping her lips. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. Fuck, 17 years of trying to block them out and somehow I became my parents."
Mick couldn't help but shudder at that.
"Oof, don't even joke," he commented, causing Octavia to refind her smile for a moment.
It may not have been the most ideal of situations, but if Octavia was going to get through to this Imp, then she needed to push through her own frustrations and keep pressing her point.
"Look, I get it, okay?" she said. "You don't even want to be in the same room as me. But since we're both stuck here anyway, maybe we can start over?"
It was then that Linda finally had enough of the Goetia's words and snapped her head back to look at her.
"Just leave me alone!" she exclaimed.
Finally! A full sentence! Granted, they weren't the kindest of words but Linda was finally talking. Progress at last! Time for Octavia to take advantage of this stroke of luck.
"Not gonna happen, Linda," she stated firmly. "Like it or not, we're all stuck here till the morning so we might as well get comfortable and talk."
As much as Linda hated the fact that the Goetia standing over her insisted on speaking to her, it was pretty clear that she had no intention of stopping. Even if she didn't talk back, much to her chagrin, all she could do was let Octavia talk.
"Listen, I'm not asking you for your trust or your friendship, I know I haven't earned the right to either just yet," she said, once again catching Linda off guard. "All I'm saying is that I understand how you feel, and Mick and I want to do our best to help you."
However, that statement only proved to make Linda even angrier.
"Oh please, you're rich!" she snapped. "How could you possibly understand!?"
As glad as she was to see Linda continue to speak, Octavia had to admit she had a strong counterpoint. So much so, that she needed to think carefully before she said her next sentence. Soon enough, yet another sigh escaped her beak.
"You're right, I don't understand what you're going through," she admitted, looking solemn in her words but nonetheless determined to get through to the Imp in front of her. "But that doesn't mean I can't sympathize, nor does it mean I don't know my fair share of pain. I have… issues of my own."
Seeing the pained expression on Octavia's face, Mick knew instantly what she was about to say. However, this time he wasn't so certain that he could bear seeing Octavia in a fresh state of misery.
"Octi, you don't have to-" he tried to say, only for Octavia to raise her hand to silence him. Clearly, she was insistent on speaking her mind regardless of what anyone said.
"You see… my dad is cheating on my mum with some Imp clown," she explained, catching Linda's immediate attention. "And…well, needless to say, it's only made things worse around my home after she found out."
Realizing that nothing was going to stop Octavia from telling the truth, Mick could only nod in agreement and sit down next to Linda in a comforting manner. Thankfully she didn't seem to object to it.
"Sad to say, what you experienced earlier was Stella on one of her better days," the Cat Demon admitted, cringing a little as he recollected what Octavia told him earlier.
"That's putting it mildly," Octavia agreed solemnly, taking a seat on Linda's other side. "Anyway, even before mum found out about the affair, they were constantly fighting… So long, in fact, that over time I just became desensitized to it."
While she may have pretended to ignore the Owl Demon's words, Linda couldn't help but feel intrigued by what Octavia had to say. There was truth in the fact that she had no idea what Linda went through, but still… there was something in the Goetia's tone of voice that she couldn't ignore. She could have been lying through her beak as far as she knew, and yet Linda doubted that could be the case.
"Most days I just try to escape into my reading or drown things out with my music," Octavia continued, seemingly getting lost in her own world as she stared at the wall while she talked. "It's all depressing crap, but it gets me through the day… at least it used to."
It was at that moment that Linda couldn't keep her back turned any longer. Sitting herself up to look up at Octavia's face, she saw an expression she was all too familiar with… a look of sadness that had been built over a good few years. And yet, despite seeing that, Linda still wanted to know more.
"Used to?" she repeated, practically begging for Octavia to keep going.
At those words, Octavia's frown slowly shifted into a gentle smile as a new memory filled her mind.
"Turns out, what I really needed was a friend… a REAL friend," she said, once again catching Linda by surprise before she began to elaborate. "As you could probably tell, my mother is obsessed with the dignity of the Goetia family name. So much so, her idea of my ideal social life was to put me through an elite school and arrange marriage suitors for me… one of them you know all too well."
Linda immediately shuddered at that, instinctively wrapping her arms around herself in fear. And yet despite her fear, Linda remained captivated by both Octavia's story and the expressions on her face. Seeing her like this, she looked so… vulnerable. Never in her life did Linda think she would ever see a Goetia of all things in such a state. Perhaps… she DID understand what it's like to be hurt.
"But after I met Mick, I finally began feeling a little more comfortable with opening up," she continued. "Because of that, I was able to talk to my dad a bit more freely… I can understand him a bit more than my mum, but I digress."
At that moment, Linda's eyes lit up with realization. So THAT'S why the two of them were friends! Mick… he genuinely wanted to help, not just her but Octavia as well… and Linda gave him the cold shoulder because of his choice of company, even when she did nothing to her to warrant it. At that moment, the poor Imp felt so guilty, that she felt a sickening lump in her stomach.
"I… I didn't realize," she uttered, half-expecting a scolding from either Sinner or Goetia but none ever came.
"Yeah, well you weren't to know," Octavia replied with another sigh. "It's not like I advertise it. Hell, aside from my dad, Mick's the only one I ever told these things to. He's a pretty good listener when given the chance."
"She's not wrong," Mick added, feeling satisfied that everything now seems to be going well between Linda and Octavia.
"The point I'm trying to make, Linda, is that while I don't know specifically the reason why you hate me so much, I know for a fact that you need a friend just like I did," Octavia stated, earning herself a small understanding nod from the Imp. "And for what it's worth, I truly am sorry. Both for my mother and everything else. You didn't deserve any of it."
That was the first time Linda had ever heard a Goetia say such a kind word to her and actually mean it. At that moment, a surge of emotions came rushing through her mind all at once. Anger, sympathy, confusion. It was enough to make her head hurt and her eyes fill up with tears to the point she had to bury her face in her knees again. After a few minutes of silence… she too began to reveal a surprising truth.
"I… I don't hate you," she whimpered. "At least… not you specifically."
At last, a real breakthrough. No snippy comment, no hostile attempt to shut everyone out, just honest feelings without any reservations. In all honesty, Mick couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Octavia managed to accomplish something that he had spent the last day and a half failing at. Still, it was nice seeing the pair of them actually speaking to each other like equals.
"You're talking about those of Royal status, yes?" Octavia asked, earning herself another one of Linda's nods. "I suppose whatever you went through in your old job is the primary cause of that."
"Mhm," Linda muttered with a heavy sigh. "Count Ipos didn't really acknowledge us Imps as the same species, his wife completely looked down on us, but worst of all was… was…"
"Seth?" Mick spoke up, finishing the sentence that Linda was clearly too scared to speak.
"He… he hurt us… all the time, " Linda continued, her face now streaming with tears. "He's a fucking animal!"
Unable to bear seeing the Imp cry into her knees, Octavia did the one thing that no Imp would ever expect a Goetia to do… wrap her arm around Linda and pull her close into a comforting embrace. As shocking as it was for her, however, Linda had no objections, in fact, she immediately melted into it.
"What did he do to you?" Octavia asked, almost dreading the answer Linda would give.
After having a good cry, Linda eventually calmed down long enough to wipe her eyes with her tail and spoke.
"Wh-whenever I made a mistake… he threatened to peel my face off and pin it to the wall," she said, instantly making everyone within earshot gasp in horror as she reached a hand up to her face. "This scar under my eye… was when he almost made good on his threat… but then he said I wasn't worth the effort."
At that moment, Mick's blood immediately began to boil, so much so that he was driving his claws into the nearest wall in anger, leaving behind several gashes in his wake. As if Mick didn't hate the privileged bastard before, now he has a newfound desire to see him stuffed and roasted on some cannibal's dinner table.
"But the worst of it was no one bothered to help me… not even my coworkers," Linda continued, shocking the two Demons even further. "If you wanted to survive in that house, it was everyone for themselves. And I can't trust the other Goetias because they'd never take an Imp's side over their own."
"Why didn't you just leave?" Mick asked, desperately hoping that she wasn't part of a household that induces slave labour too.
"Because I couldn't," Linda stated bluntly."Ipos only paid us enough wages just to get by and I've got nowhere else to go because my family has either died or run off before I was born… I'm alone."
Now Octavia felt like she was about to cry. Compared to the shit Linda had to deal with before she arrived at the Goetia household, it made the Owl Demon feel like her own problems were nought but a mere inconvenience. At that moment, both she and Mick had to give her a small hug in an attempt to comfort her. Even Snowflake was getting in on the action by climbing up onto Linda's lap and snuggling close to her chest.
"Not anymore, you're not," Mick stated firmly, resisting the urge to cry himself. "If you're willing to give us a chance, we'd like to help you… please, Liddy?"
Linda just didn't know what to say. This morning, she didn't want anything to do with the two Demons hugging her, one of them being a Goetia no less, and now, all of a sudden, she couldn't bear the thought of them letting her go. This had to have been, without a doubt, the strangest day of her young life.
"How… how do I know that this isn't just some cruel trick to use me?" she eventually asked, still understandably hesitant.
"You don't," Octavia admitted. "But sometimes you just have to roll the dice and take a chance."
A statement that Mick agreed with completely.
"So what do you say?" he asked, a small hint of hope in his voice.
At first, Linda said absolutely nothing in response, but then after a few moments of silent thought, one word escaped the small Imp's lips.
"O-okay,"
With that single word, both Mick and Octavia smiled in relief. Finally, they had gotten through to her. Even Snowflake was letting out a few happy yips as she snuggled up to Linda once more, licking her face and causing her to let out a few giggles. It was the first time she had actually laughed in a little while… and then the moment was ruined by another voice clearing his throat.
"Uh… can we say something here?" Lars said awkwardly, causing all three Demons to jump in surprise. In all honesty, they were so wrapped up in their own thing, they had completely forgotten that there were other Imps in the room.
"Yeah, sorry for listening in, but all that was kinda hard to ignore," Harvey added, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, what is it?" Mick asked, curious to what they had to say yet still somewhat annoyed by the interruption.
"Okay, it may be none of our business, but it sounds to us like you three are letting status create too many boundaries between you guys," Harvey pointed out.
"You're right, it ISN'T any of your business," Octavia retorted, narrowing her eyes at the two Imps.
"BUT regardless of your status and all, you three obviously care about each other," Lars butted in, ignoring Octavia's comment while trying to make his point clear. "And y'all should embrace that. I mean, come on, an Imp, a Sinner and a Goetia, that's practically a miracle down here."
"What are you two getting at?" Mick asked, raising a confused eyebrow.
"We're saying that you three should just forget your labels for a second and try to look from each other's point of view," Lars elaborated, much to their further annoyance.
"What do you THINK we've been doing!?" Octavia snapped.
"Not enough," Harvey retorted. "I mean, come on, there's got to be a way for you three to connect."
"Yeah," Lars announced in agreement, before pointing a clawed finger in Linda's face. "You!"
"M-me?" Linda squeaked, once again startled by Lars's voice.
"You!" Lars repeated. "Tell us what you like. Anything!"
None of them may have known what was going on through the lanky Imp's head but in all honesty, Mick, Octavia and Linda were too nervous to ask about it. However, despite that, Linda couldn't help but provide an answer to his demand.
"W-well…" he said nervously. "I like watching fantasy movies?"
If Linda was being honest with herself, she felt a little silly giving what she felt was a basic answer. However, much to her surprise, Mick didn't seem to think it was silly at all.
"Hey, I like that too," he said, giving the Imp a playful nudge.
Smirking at the response, Lars then turned his finger on the Cat Demon next.
"Right, you!" he announced, making him jump with sheer volume.
"I like… Banoffee Ice cream," Mick replied, slowly beginning to catch on to the Imp's train of thought.
This time it was Octavia's turn to say her piece.
"Meh… that one's fine, I prefer Neopalitan myself," she commented, her eyes soon lighting up as a thought entered her head before she turned her attention back to Linda. "Hey, what's your favourite book?
As surprised as she was to hear such a question from the Goetia, Linda gladly answered anyway.
"D-death On The Nile," she said, once again giving Mick reason to smile under his mask,
"Ooh, I love Agatha Christie!" he said, causing both girls to laugh a little at his dramatic declaration.
Seeing the smiles on their faces, Lars and Harvey gave each other a knowing smirk. It appeared that their plan to cheer up the depressed group of teenagers was working splendidly… Now it was time for Phase Two! Before either of the younger Demons realized what was happening, the two Imps began breaking into a song, with Harvey taking the lead.
Harvey:
I can tell you've got an awful lot in common,
Even though you look as different as can be!
You don't even have to try,
To see things eye to eye,
It just comes to ya naturally!
Lars:
Come to think of it I think you fit together,
Playing cat and mouse won't get ya very far!
There's no need to feud and fight,
When you know it can't be right,
Come on guys, just be who you are!
As unexpected as this musical number was, Mick had to admit, it was pretty catchy. So much so that he, along with Octavia, Linda and Snowflake stepped back and watched in delight as the two Imps started into the chorus.
Harvey:
You're a trio!
A trio!
A bunch of lonely ones who were meant to be a three!
Lars:
Oh, a trio!
It's true-o!
Wherever you go, you know it's meant to be!
Suddenly, the three teenage Demons found themselves being wrapped up in the music themselves, with Lars and Harvey literally pulling them out to the middle of the floor and ushering them into a small dance number. At first, Linda and Octavia in particular were hesitant to join, Linda because she wasn't confident enough in her ability to dance, and Octavia because she still wasn't that comfortable cutting loose in front of strangers. However, as soon as they saw Mick shaking his hips, they both couldn't help but laugh along with him as he joined in on the singing.
Harvey:
No matter what now, you've got one another,
You'll be there to pick each other off the floor!
Mick:
Anytime you're feeling glum,
Count on me to be a chum!
Even Linda couldn't help but sing along.
Linda:
If ya get an itch attack,
I'll be there to scratch your back!
Mick:
Now, who could ever ask for moooooooooooooooor-ACK! ACK!
It was at that moment the song was interrupted by the sound of Mick's wheezy coughs. Such is the downside to smoking so much weed.
"Ugh… the hell did THAT come from?" he hacked out, readjusting his mouthpiece.
Seeing this, both Octavia and Linda couldn't help but laugh.
"Wow, you're really getting into this, huh?" Octavia playfully commented, to which Mick responded with a small smirk.
"Well, what can I say, Octi?"
Mick:
We're friends and that's what friends are for!
Soon enough, the entire room was in a small uproar of delight as Lars and Harvey brought the song to a close.
Lars & Harvey:
You're a trio!
A trio!
A bunch of lonely ones who were meant to be a three!
Oh, a trio!
It's true-o!
If it's ever fight or flee,
You know friendship is the key,
It's meant to be,
Just waaaaaaaaaait aaaaaaaaaaaand seeeeeeeeeeee!
Yes, sir!
After that, the rest of the night was filled with smiles and calm chatter. Whatever devastation was happening outside, none of it mattered to the group of Demons hidden away in that little shop. For one night, in Linda's opinion, all was well.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The Featured Song: Parody of "A Duo" - from the movie: An American Tail