Back In Hell

It had been several months since they had all joined forces. Henroin and his men had formed a base nearby in Cannibal Colony to house their forces. There wasn't enough room in Rosie's Emporium so they had to rent a spare building to accommodate themselves.

Henroin wasn't all too happy having to live amongst cannibals and this was obviously not his preferred place of operations,but it was one of the few places that Val had a limited control over. There wasn't as much modern technology in comparison to the rest of Hell as the place seemed stuck in the 1920's.

The Cannibals all seemed stuck in their ways, preferring the olden days and while there was some modern tech that managed to slip into the area, it was clear most of the cannibals preferred their time period and kept their distance from modern technology. There weren't any cameras around and while there were a few TV's, it was hardly like the more populated areas of Pride where there were TV's and screens everywhere that were all within Val's grasp.

Still, that didn't mean they were completely safe. Rosie had to focus her efforts on securing the Colony and ensuring that none of Val's men entered. The last thing she wanted was a spy amidst the population and causing trouble for them.

So far, Rosie was using her connections as an Overlord to her advantage and ordered her men to keep any suppliers who drove not the Colony to stock up TV's to now be allowed inside. She had also sent Cherri to destroy and TV's with her bombs that she saw.

Despite this, their teamwork between each other was still very much shaky. At least between Henroin and Cherri Bomb who were butting heads on a daily basis, just barely able to keep each other off each others throats.

The arguing, the threats, the bickering, it was very irritating. Rosie swore she was going to get a migraine just from listening to them. Their voices bounced all the walls and if she didn't intervene they would no doubt kill each other.

It was beyond exhausting to listen to and Rosie was at her wit's end.

Listening to two people bicker non-stop would wane on even the most patient person in the room. And Rosie considered herself a patient woman who could handle many things that were thrown at her but even she found herself tired of listening to their petty arguing.

Rosie sighed, she could hear their muffled arguing from within her office. Those two had such loud mouths and even from the comfort of her own adobe she wasn't able to be granted a hint of peace.

Of course the thought of having peace in the Underworld of all places was a silly thought but it was still something the Overlord desired, especially after all the chaos that had been going around.

Val had more or less absorbed the other V's resources into his own in order to expand his empire. With Vox and Velvet's absence, Val had taken matters into his own hands and used the resources of his former allies to his advantage. Everything and everyone who had made deals with Vox and Velvet as a result had fallen under the thumb of Val and he had put them to work by having them spy on his adversaries and find any information they could find on his enemies for blackmail purposes.

Vox and Velvet owned the most popular media sources in Hell and despite having taken everything they owned, Val still wasn't satisfied. He insisted on owning just about every property that wasn't marked by those stronger than him and if a speck was left untouched there wasn't a doubt in her mind he'd do anything to get it.

The moth had a lust for power that refused to be satisfied and while Rosie had done her best to keep her hands over the property Alastor had accumulated during his first rampage, it was clear that Val wanted not just his property but hers as well.

She had gotten letters from other Overlords that Val was pestering them about their property, demanding them to hand it over to him and becoming more hostile with his demands. They complained of being spied on and that Val was threatening to use the information he had got and expose their secrets in public to lower their resolve.

They were scared and fearful of what was to come, and Rosie was uncertain what to do. This was affecting far more people than she realized and Val was becoming an even bigger threat as time passed. It was only a matter of time before Val grew tired of toying with her and she feared when he decided that diplomacy was a fruitless venture and decided to pull out the heavy artillery.

She knew he was trying to intimidate her, threatening those in their social circle and getting her to surrender when the pressure became too much. It was Val's core strategy to destroy the person from the inside out. He relished in the suffering of others, no doubt getting sexual kicks out of scaring those weaker than him.

She had encountered people like Val, they were a dime a dozen in a cesspool of sin like this. They put on a friendly face and a kind voice, made you think they were different from every other depraved soul and once they got you to trust them…they took their chance to strike.

It was all just an act, a trick to con others into taking their word and selling themselves into slavery. Only difference was that Val was the head-honcho of it all within Pride capitalizing on human trafficking and sex slavery to run the adult entertainment field.

Valentino was the embodiment of the porn industry, caring only for money and power, his lust rivaled only by his ego. Valentino wanted everything he could get his grubby hands on, even if it came at the cost of countless lives. It didn't matter who he hurt or how far he had to go to get what he wanted, so long as he got his desired end result, he'd considered all the trouble worth it.

And that's what scared her, Val was like a demonic parasite of sorts. He hungered for property to consume in order to make it a part of his empire. He wanted to absorb all the property he could and he wouldn't stop until he sucked it all dry at the expense of the denizens of Hell.

It didn't matter how many neighborhoods he had to clear out, how many demons had to be kicked from their homes and forced onto the streets, how many would sell themselves into his business just to support their families. It was a cycle and one that Val would support so long as he breathed, because that's what made him money and it seemed to be the only thing he truly loved in this world other than himself.

Val was a monster,and she was certain if he wasn't stopped,the vast majority of the Pride Ring would be under his control and the parts that weren't would be few and far between.

And even then, for the parts Val had no influence over, he still had control over every modern piece of tech due to Vox and Velvet's absence. With them gone, all the control they had automatically went to him and he had control over every TV and phone and all technology in Hell.

He was more or less the multimedia conglomerate and those with direct power to do anything were too preoccupied with their own affairs to care for the plights of those weaker than them. The figureheads of Hell cared too much about their own lives to concern themselves with the population's demands and would turn a blind eye than care for their own citizens.

In the end, it was every demon for themselves and the ones who did attempt to put their trust into others usually had a knife in their other hand, ready to plunge it into the back of another at a moment's convenience.

Rosie felt as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She had so many obligations not only to her business partners but to her allies(who she was still learning to fully trust) and dealing with the looming threat of Valentino put them all on edge.

Rose clutched her head as Henroin and Cherri's arguing became louder and louder. Henroin's booming and gruff voice battled with Cherri's high pitched and obnoxious one. To Rosie it was like listening to nails on a chalkboard. It was unbearable and she had been hearing this sound nonstop for several months and she couldn't take it anymore.

She then stood up and pushed past the doors to her office, nearly running over one of her maids in the process who dropped tea all over herself in the process that she had planned on serving to her mistress.

"My apologies, Lady Rosie, I didn't see you there. Are you alright?"

"Never have been better,"She replied flatly,"Now step aside, I don't need anymore distractions. I need some time to myself and I'd appreciate some alone time.."

"Where are you doing, my Lady?"

"Somewhere that isn't here…"

Before the maid could question her any further, Rosie slammed the door behind her, leaving the tea-soaked maid in awe at her sudden disappearance, wincing at the sound of the door slamming.

She then looked at her dress and grumbled,"Ah nuts…that was my only dress. I do not get paid enough for this…"

In the meantime, Rosie had headed out of her home and walked down the streets. Unlike back in the olden days where you'd see some newcomers(those who got lost mostly and they usually ended up being preyed on by Cannibals)

Now, there was barely anyone out on the streets and those that were out seemed to be residents of the Colony judging by their old fashioned clothing. The usually eerie cheerful environment vanished and was replaced with a darker and more somber tone.

The streets were quiet…too quiet for her standards. It sent shivers down her spine and she desperately wished for the normalcy she was used to. The silence made her stomach church and the lack of populace made her rather at this time, Alastor would be humming a tune and greeting some fair maidens along the street who'd swoon over him affectionately, practically kissing the ground he walked off of.

Her dear friend had been gone for so long and she missed him dearly. It was as if it was yesterday that she could remember his charming face and welcoming smile that she couldn't help but miss the times they had, holding them deep inside of her corrupted heart.

As Rosie walked down the streets she couldn't help but hear shouts nearby. At first she thought nothing of it and planned to carry on with her day, at least until she heard someone shout,"GET BACK HERE YOU THIEVING SHARK!"

"Shark?"

Rosie turned her head when she saw a butcher with a knife in his hand chasing what appears to be a shark of sorts with a sausage link in its mouth. It was running across the street as an incredibly fast past, the overlord staring in awe at the fanatical sight of a pig demon chasing a hammerhead shark.

The sight was as ridiculous as it was hilarious as the shark was using its little stubby legs to sprint down the streets. It had big beady eyes and hard light blue skin and it was running as fast as it's little legs could carry it.

It was rather humorous as she watched the shark avoiding the butcher's attempts to harm it, using its superior speed to outmaneuver his attacks.

She giggled at the sight, it was like watching a cartoon in real time, where the cat tried catching the mouse only for it to get away at the last possible second.

It was funny…at least until she noticed the shark was getting closer….and closer…and closer and closer-

OH SHIT!

The next thing Rosie knew she was suddenly slammed to the ground, letting out a high-pitched screech as she was brought down the ground. The wind was knocked out of her and the world was spinning, as if her mind was sent inside the eye of a tornado.

"Uhh…" She groaned as she came around, her eyes fixated on the shark that had landed on top of her. Her body was being crushed against his weight.

The shark was several hundred pounds of fins and body-fat and getting body-slammed by a creature whose weight trumped over yours by such a large margin would've sent anyone barreling down to the ground.

Rosie's black eyes made contact with the shark's large and beady ones. Her heart was beating and her chest felt heavy(likely due to the fact the shark was threatening to crush her body). She tried to push it off of her.

Thankfully the shark gradually got the hint and moved off of her a bit, giving her the chance to pull herself away and give her a chance to catch her breath. Rosie panted as she fought to regain her composure as she stammered out a greeting,"Erm…hello there aquatic creature…I can't say I expect to see you around here…especially since you ran into me so suddenly…"

The shark stared at her, tilting his head to the side. He didn't seem scared of her and he didn't seem hostile. Animals from Hell were usually fairly hostile unless they had been raised by a person and given sharks were fairly vicious creatures, she was under the impression that this was someone's pet…

Suddenly the butcher shouted,"There you are! I finally caught you, you good for nothing bottom feeder!"

The shark winced up upon being yelled at, getting off of Rosie completely and shrinking back. The pig butcher scowled at the shark, infuriated at the shark for stealing his prized valuables.

"There's nowhere for you to run, you're coming with me this time! Drop that goddamn sausage link or else I'll make your death even more painful once I carve you up. I'm certain I'll be able to carve you into some shark fin soup and some customers would love to have such a delicacy…" He smirked, licking his licks at the notion of selling an expensive 'dish' to his customers,"It's not everyday a rare cut of meat just walks through the door after all…"

The shark shivered in fear, appearing rather small despite his size. Rosie hadn't noticed it until now but the shark looked rather malnourished and she could see his ribs. No doubt it hadn't had a decent meal and must've gotten desperate by breaking into a butcher's shop to steal some meat.

The poor thing must've been starving if it was entering Cannibal Colony, running the risk of getting eaten just for a meal.

Rosie regained her balance and felt pity for the creature and decided to come to its aid. She stood up and stepped in as she said,"Excuse me sir, I hate to interrupt but I do believe that is unnecessary. This poor creature is clearly just in desperate need of nourishment and decided your shop would provide it food. It doesn't mean any harm…"

"That 'poor creature' is disrupting my business, Rosie!" He hissed,"Do not defend this creature! It's been pestering my shop for weeks and this is the first time I've actually come to catch it. Do us both a favor and hand the shark over so we can both pretend this never happened and go on with our lives…"

Rosie narrowed her eyes,"I'm afraid I cannot allow that. This innocent shark is staying alive and I won't allow you to carve him up like you have to those who've entered your store."

He scoffed,"Since when do overlords care about the lives of the innocent? You're a cannibal just like everyone else yet you think you're better than me just because you refuse to eat this stupid vertebrate? Quit with the holier-than -thou attitude and give me the damn shark already. I've got some shark fin soup to cook up and I'd like to have my main ingredient packaged and ready for delivery within a few hours."

"How unfortunate,"She remarked,"I'm afraid we're at an impasse then, because the shark is going to be staying intact as long as I'm around. Go find some other prey to carve up, this one is off limits."

The butcher narrowed his eyes before seemingly giving up, turning around and seeming ready to walk off. Rosie was tempted to believe that was that, at least until he threw his butcher's knife in her direction when her back was turned.

Rosie hadn't anticipated the attack and hissed when the knife pierced her shoulder, leaving a deep gash and screaming. She was knocked onto the ground and hissed in agony at the wound he had inflicted on her.

'Damn bastard…' She thought to herself bitterly, harshly criticizing herself for not seeing such an obvious attack coming. She was ready to try and attack him from afar with her demonic energy however she noticed the shark looking at her with hunger in its eyes.

She was worried the shark saw her as prey and prepared for him to sink his jaws into her but the attack never came…

Instead, the shark turned to the butcher and suddenly charged like a rampaging bull. It began barreling towards the butcher and quickly took action by sinking its teeth into his flesh, the butcher screaming and attempting to fight it off to no avail.

"LET ME GO YOU STUPID VERTEBRATE! GET OFF OF ME-ARRRGH! MY LEG! MY ARM! STOP IT!"

The attack continued and the shark was tearing him apart piece by piece without a hint of mercy. The attack was vicious and brutal and Rosie watched in amazement as the shark tore through him, fueled by vengeance and anger.

By the time the shark was finished, the butcher was nothing but a scrap of blood and meat, completely unrecognizable from the person he used to be. The shark then devoured his remains like a starved animal that hadn't had a good meal in ages…

Once the shark was done, his mouth was full of blood and he looked at Rosie who at the time the butcher was being dispatched rose to her feet. She gripped her bleeding arm and prepared to take her leave, seeing that her presence was no longer necessary.

That was until she felt something bite into her dress and tug on her. She gasped in response and saw the shark was tugging on her dress. She frowned and said,"What are you doing? Let go of my dress, I made this myself and I don't appreciate having holes in my clothing.." The shark refused to budge and she growled,"Come on…let go..let go!"

Rosie tried to force the shark to let go but it had a tight grip on her. She pulled harder and harder but it caused the thread in her dress to become strained and it was only a matter of time before…

RIP!

Rosie cursed when she finally managed to get the shark off of her only to hiss when she saw she was carrying a cloth in one hand while the shark held the other within its mouth.

"Ugh!" She groaned,"That was my favorite dress! Now I'm going to have to sew it back together! Do you realize how expensive this fabric is!? Give me that!" She snatched the fabric from the shark's mouth and grumbled,"This is going to take an eternity to sew into one piece. Not only is there drool and blood on it but it's very rugged. Thanks a lot, shark, I hope you're happy with yourself. Now if you excuse me, I need to get going. I have a life and I wasted far too much time out here…"

Rosie tried to walk off again but she noticed that the shark was following her once more despite her hostility towards it . She facepalmed and pinched the bridge between her nose in frustration,"What do you want now? Can't you tell when you aren't wanted? Scram! I don't need you dragging me down. Go back to where you came from! Shoo I say, shoo!"

The shark blinked before frowning and letting out a small sniffle. Rosie paused and said,"You don't have a home anymore don't you?"

The shark shook its head and she couldn't say she was too surprised.

With how friendly the shark was to her, she wasn't surprised it likely had an owner at one point but whoever used to care for the shark appeared to be gone for whatever reason.

Either through abandonment or death, the original owner was nowhere to be seen and the shark was left to wander the streets and likely headed to Cannibal Colony due to the influx of meat and because in the rest of Pentagram City, sharks were more likely to be purported by locals if they were eating their neighbors.

That likely was why he hadn't been doing so well as living in an area with high security meant being able to eat large amounts of meat(aka people) would only get the shark into trouble with authorities who'd likely exterminate it if they ever got their hands on it.

The shark looked rather malnourished and the longer she looked at it, she realized the shark was not only a boy but extremely unkempt, dirt and other sorts of grime covering the rest of his body. Not only that but he smelled awful, no doubt he hadn't taken a bath in ages and had been surviving on his own.

The shark was in poor condition and she doubted he'd be able to survive on his own.

Still, Rosie was reluctant at the notion of taking the shark with her, she had no idea how to take care of a pet and a shark was definitely on the exotic side of the scale. Very few people in Hell were likely rich enough to own one, let alone maintain living such a lifestyle.

Regardless, the point was that the owner of this shark was no longer around and that he likely wouldn't survive on the streets if she left him there. He wouldn't survive on his own and would likely fall prey to the other citizens within the Colony who consumed meat without caring of its origin.

He wouldn't survive out here…and she knew it…

She sighed, initially weighing the pros and cons of keeping the shark. He'd require a lot of maintenance and no doubt she'd have to safety proof the Emporium to ensure he didn't tear through the entire place. A creature of his size would bulldoze the entire area without even meaning to and she was certain he'd need his own area as a way to reduce the damage.

She could take care of him, she had the resources to do so and while it would definitely take some getting used to, she could make adjustments and compromises in order to house him.

Besides, she couldn't leave him here, he wouldn't survive out on the streets and Cannibal Colony devoured outsiders, demons and animals alike. He would eventually become too weak to defend himself and would be ripe pickings for any hungry cannibals who desired a meal of some kind. It wouldn't feel right and besides, she was certain that she could manage it, if she could handle all the unruly brutes around her she could deal with a shark.

Sure, they'd need to work on his manners and his wild behavior but she was certain a little training and rehabilitation wouldn't hurt, he was someone else's pet and being in a home would likely bring back his domestic instincts within a short period of time.

Rosie heaved,"Alright, fine…I'll take you with me…You clearly won't survive on your own and since your owner isn't here for whatever reason, I suppose it is my responsibility to step up in their place and fulfill the role of a proper owner. Though I must ask, what is your name? Do you have one?"

Vark attempted to say his name though due to the fact he was a shark, he was unable to vocalize what his true name was.

Rosie misread his whine as an admission of no and made a face,"That's disgraceful. How could your owner leave you without a proper name? You poor thing! That's no way to treat a pet, don't worry my precious shark, I'll come up with one just for you. Now let's see, what should I call you? Richard? No, that's not right. Beethoven? No, not that either. Come on Rosie, think of something more…pet-like. What do people call their pets again? I do believe they name them off characteristics sometimes. Would 'Scaley' work since you have scales? That sounds a little tacky, how about something simple like…Fluffy?"

Vark looked a tad confused at the name, it was definitely a far cry from Vark and he wasn't sure how to feel being called 'Fluffy' and made a noise that Rosie once again misinterpreted as a gleeful answer.

"Fluffy it is!"

Vark's stomach then growled and Rosie frowned,"Oh, you're still hungry Fluffy? Was that butcher not enough to satiate your appetite? No matter, I'll get you some food. The butcher isn't around to complain about his lost profits so I see no reason not to help ourselves to his food supply…"

Rosie took Vark to the butchery and allowed the shark to help himself to the meat inside. Vark tore through the store and ate as much as he could, stuffing himself to the brim. By the time Rosie finally dragged him out, Vark was a happy shark on a full stomach and burped after slurping up the last sausage link.

"We're going to have to work on that," She criticized,"Burping like that is not proper, even for an animal such as yourself. You're going to have to learn some manners as your former owner clearly didn't bother to teach you."

Vark blinked in confusion, his beady eyes staring at her in bewilderment. Rosie was nothing like Vox and usually his antics caused amusement and Vox often fawned over him making noises and found it funny. Rosie found it irritating and he was a little taken back at being lectured for acting as he was made to…

"Oh don't look at me like that. Even sharks have to have some sort of manners. I cant let others think I've been neglecting you by not teaching you how to behave yourself. Not only that but you need to be dressed in a better manner, once we get home I'll make you the best accessories known to man, just you wait…"

Vark blanked as Rosie began talking about how to act all proper and telling her new pet about the rules of the house, such as not chewing on the furniture, not going to the bathroom where he wasn't supposed to and to not run around the house.

There were so many rules that by the time they managed to get to her Emporium Vark had already lost track of how many rules Rosie had listed for him to follow, his mind scrambling to focus on her list of demands

When she got back she welcomed Vark inside of her home,"Welcome to my Emporium, Fluffy..."

Vark stepped inside and followed Rosie as she showed him around the house. He waddled just behind her. He then noticed a flower pot and stood up on his hind legs to reach it, leaning over and taking a sniff, noticing they smelled pleasant.

Curious, Vark opened his mouth and attempted to eat them only for Rosie to shoo him away and hiss,"No, bad shark! Bad! No eating the flowers!"

Vark recoiled away from the flowers and Rosie wagged her finger in front of him,"Fluffy, not everything in this house is a chew-toy. These are very expensive and I must ask that you do not touch anything without permission. These are fragile and I'd hate to get them replaced."

Vark settled down and eventually went back on all fours, seemingly understanding Rosie's demand. The Overlord sighed, the shark clearly wasn't used to being told what not to do and he must've had free reign back at his old home so all these restrictions must've been confusing to him. He likely ate all the flowers he wanted and his owner likely didn't put up much of a fuss about it and merely replaced the flowers without batting an eye.

While Rosie could afford replacing them, she didn't like the idea of wasting money on something just because her new pet wasn't accustomed to living under a stricter lifestyle.

It felt rather odd on Rosie's end having to criticize a 10ft tall creature that was several hundreds of pounds and could easily crush your body with a simple body slam. She was thankful the shark's temperate wasn't hostile, else she was certain he would've bit her hand off just for raising her voice at him.

Thank goodness the shark seemed to have at least been somewhat trained around people else she was certain she'd have more damage on her person than just a torn dress and a wound. Speaking of that wound, she'd have to tend to it later.

Only reason she hadn't removed it was because she didn't want to bleed out on the streets and preferred keeping the knife in over letting the blood gush out. Regardless, she should still focus on the shark before she tended to herself.

Just then, she heard footsteps rushing down the stairs, Cherri storming off as she shouted,"NO WONDER ANGEL LEFT YOU, YOU'RE SUCH A FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

Henroin chased after her, rage building in his eyes,"WATCH YOUR MOUTH LITTLE GIRL! CHILDREN LIKE YOU SHOULDN'T''T SPEAK ON TOPICS YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT!"

"I'M IN MY TWENTIES JACKASS!" She hissed,"QUIT TREATING ME LIKE I'M A CHILD! I'M A GROWN ASS WOMAN!"

Rosie scowled,"Enough of your arguing! You've been arguing since I was gone and it's outrageous you two still haven't stopped! Is it really that hard for you two to get along?"

"Sorry I don't get along with my friend's asshole dad,Rosie. Clearly I"m the one with the problem," Cherri muttered sarcastically,"Homophobic piece of shit…"

"You know I can hear you, you obnoxious bitch? I'm not deaf…"

She scoffed,"Does it look like I care? I don't give a damn if you can hear me or not, my opinion still hasn't changed.." The cyclops then took notice of Vark and nearly had a heart attack and jumped into Henroin's arms in a fright,"HOLY SHIT! ROSIE, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?"

"Oh this? This is my new pet shark, Fluffy! I found him out on the streets and I figured he needed a home."

"Pet shark?" Henroin asked,"Are you insane, Rosie!? That thing is a wild animal! Put it back in the Ocean for god's sake!"

"Do you know how far the Ocean is from here? I cannot do that, besides, he was someone's pet, he won't survive out in the wild. Fluffy needs a home and I decided my Emporium would be a great place for him. I don't understand why you two are making such a fuss, haven't you heard of people adopting stray animals on the street?"

"Rosie, in case you are not aware, there's a difference between adopting a puppy you found on the street and a 10ft tall man-eating machine with fins!" Henroin hissed,"Most people can tell there's a fine line between adopting a dog and adopting a fucking shark of all things. He belongs in the Ocean, Rosie, not in your house. I get taking pity on animals but this is not it."

"Henroin, Cherri, I understand your apprehension at our newest addition but I assure you that Fluffy is going to be on his best behavior. There won't be any biting or harm caused to any of you. So long as he's happy and fed I'm certain he'll be well-behaved."

"But Rosie, he could eat my pig!"

"As I said, so long as he's fed, I'm certain he won't resort to that. Besides, I'm certain within enough time he could become friends with your pet if you just gave him the chance…"

"It's a big leap to ask me to live within the presence of a shark , let alone trust him around a pig who he could easily eat," She retorted,"I know it's your house and all but I do think you should reconsider your position on this. This shark is probably bad news."

"My decision is final," She said in a strict and unwavering voice,"Fluffy is staying and if any of you have a problem then you'll have to voice it to me at another time. "

Henroin scoffed,"Are you certain he doesn't belong to an aquarium or something? Can't you just return him there?"

"Absolutely not, Fluffy is staying and there are no if's or but's about it."

"Fine, suit yourself. Just don't expect us to take care of it. Though I have to ask…why did you name him Fluffy?"

"What's wrong with it? Isn't that a common name for pets?"

"For fluffy animals it's normal, for a several hundred pound killing machine it's a little bit different…"

"Killing machine or not, Fluffy is going to be a welcome guest in our home and he's to be treated just like any other pet regardless of his size and pointed teeth! Besides, I heard sharks are dogs of the sea so it won't be too different from having a dog. Just imagine him as a large dog with fins if it'll make you feel more at ease."

"Nothing will make me feel more at ease knowing I'm sharing the same living space as a fucking hammerhead hsark," Cherri mumbled.

"For once, we agree," Henroin said,"I can't say all to comfortable with this arrangement either.."

"Speaking of which, can you get your hands off of me? I don't appreciate old men laying their hands on me…"

Henroin scoffed and dropped her. Like literally, he dropped her on the ground automatically, Cherri screaming as she collided to the ground,"OW! WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM!?"

"What? You said you wanted me to drop you. I did exactly what you said, Cherri. That is what you wanted isn't it?" He asked with a chuckle.

"You know what I meant asshole!" She shouted back,"QUIT FUCKING LAUGHING! IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

Rosie rolled her eyes,"You two are insufferable. Would it kill you two to stop acting like children for five minutes? This bickering is getting tiring and I swear I'm going to tear my ears off at this rate. You're not making a good impression on Fluffy either…"

"You expect us to care about first impressions with creatures that can't even communicate with us?" Henroin asked flatly,"Ridiculous. I don't even understand the appeal that wild animals have on you but whatever it is, so long as it doesn't take a bite out of me or my men in our sleep I suppose I can tolerate his presence. Though I don't understand why you named him Fluffy of all things, sharks aren't known for being cute and cuddly creatures…"

"Well Fluffy over he is very capable of being ice when he puts his mind to it. I'm certain he's just a wonderful pet who needs some love and affection. AIsn't that right boy?" She asked as she patted Vark on the head,"Aw,see? He's nothing short of a gentle giant when he's in a good mood. You'd believe he couldn't hurt a fly now wouldn't you?"

"If he weren't a giant killing machine maybe. Just know that I'm keeping my eye on that thing. If I notice anyone out of my squad missing I'm going to suspect that overgrown vertebrates had something to do with it so you best keep that thing on a leash."

"Worry not, Fluffy is going to be on his best behavior. When I'm through with him you'll hardly notice he's even here after he's' grown accommodated to this household. Speaking of which, I need to go get a room for him set up so please try not making a mess while I'm away and keep your arguing down to a minimum.``

"Ugh…fine..I'll try…" Cherri huffed,"Though Rosie, do you know that you have a knife-"

"I'm well aware. It's nothing too serious. I just had a rough patch with a butcher when I found Fluffy over here. Worry not, he's already been dispatched and Fluffy handled the situation quite well if caught by drift…"

"You mean…he ate him?"

"Basically. Granted he was really hungry and it was an act of self defense. He was defending me and I am grateful that he saved me the trouble of having to personally dirty my hands with blood…" She admitted before turning her attention to Vark,"Come on now, Fluffy. Let's get you ready in your room. I know just the place for you…"

Vark followed Rosie's lead as she led him to one of the spare rooms she had in her Emporium. She chose one of the few empty rooms at her disposal and decorated the room to the best of her ability, summoning pillows, a bed and some toys for Vark to enjoy with her magic and a food and water bowl with his newly given name on it.

"And there we go, Fluffy! This is your new room! I hope you enjoy your stay! Now if you don't mind, I need to go clean myself up and sew myself back up again. That butcher did quite a bit of damage to me and I need to fix myself up. If you need anything just be sure to knock and for the love of Satan, please don't knock anything over while you do. I get you're a bit large but I would prefer my Emporium not being made into a playground. Got it?"

Vark nodded his head in understanding and Rosie patted him on the head and left him in the room.

As the shark looked around, he couldn't help but feel…uncomfortable. Sure, it was a home and Rosie was being accommodating to him(albeit far more stricter than he would've liked) but he did miss Vox and he wondered why his owner hadn't come back for him.

It had been several months he had roamed the streets, several months of neglect and malnutrition, tireless nights and miserable days of wandering the streets, avoiding the wandering eyes of pest control who'd likely shoot him on sight and having to struggle for scraps just to get by.

All of this, and the question that still lingered of where Vox was. Vox usually came back and this game they had been playing stopped being fun ages ago. He wondered if he had done something wrong, if him playing the game wrong was why his owner hadn't come back.

The uncertainty put the shark on edge and he greatly missed Vox. He wanted his old life back, he wanted to be with Vox and with Velvet. She'd usually give him the best treats and he had missed seeing her.

He didn't understand what had gone wrong. They were never gone this long, even during business trips where they were gone for several weeks, they always came back. And yet when they went for vacation, they never did…

The shark didn't understand it. He wondered whether those two were going to come back for him. He just wanted to see his owner again so it'd be just like old times, back when they were all happy and when none of this was happening.

He couldn't understand why Vox hasn't come back Vox have just grown bored of him and left him? He thought he always made his owner happy yet he still hasn't come back and he didn't understand why. Had he done something wrong to deserve this? Was he a bad pet? What could he have done to deserve being left alone and rotting on the streets for months on end?

Vark whimpered as he grabbed one of the chew toys Rosie provided and nibbled on it half-heartedly,, his heart aching with pain as he took his stress out on the toy, his mind stirring with sadness and conflict.

Eventually, Vark fell asleep and in his dreams, he thought of him, Vox and Velvet playing ball together, doing the things they used to do before everything went downhill. He thought of all three of them being happy and seeing Vox smile.

His owner rarely showed anyone a true smile, one that wasn't filled with cockiness or threatening malice but around Vark, all of the less pleasant parts of his personality vanished as he played with his shark, playing ball and what-not.

Those were the good times and the ones the shark held dear to his heart and he always tried running towards Vox in a loving embrace but the moment they touched, he woke up and saw that he was still in Rosie's bedroom and felt tears developing inside of his beady eyes…

Alas, all the happy times he experienced could only exist in his head and the moment he tried to interact with them physically was when they disappeared. This always happened in his dreams and despite the frequency of it, it always made his heart ache knowing that no matter how often he dreamed of his friends, they could never be with him in reality…

The only times Vark could feel happiness was inside of his head, because the real world was far more depressing and gloomy and even when things appeared to be looking up, it was never how he would like it too. Even though he had a home now, it wasn't the home that he wanted. The people he truly desired were far away and he didn't it know what happened to them.

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Enigmus-288: Parent of the year am I right lol? He's a dick if you can't tell...