Chapter 25: The Ars Goetia
Paimon's castle was one of many Ars Goetia residences in Runesville. He wasn't as reclusive as his superior Bael, but the mere appearance of his residence always reminded demons to never break in… or even ring the doorbell unannounced. The 8-stories-tall castle of maroon black stones and lava yellow cement stood in the middle of a black lake. A thin passage connected the castle to the mainland, but unless they were careful in the crossing, anyone could fall into the lake and be devoured by the sea serpents bearing Dromedary camel skulls for heads. He never invited anyone and nobody invited him.
In the Ars Goetia tradition, if a higher-ranking Goetia comes to an event uninvited, you don't send them away. And if a higher-ranking told you to come with him, rejection led to humiliation.
In his throne room, void of any servants, Paimon read again a copy of the letter he had sent to Princess Charlotte Morningstar.
Your Majesty,
I must inform you that due to unexpected circumstances, one of your entourage members, a sinner named Indigo Caligo, has suffered an accident. She went to visit my granddaughter, Princess Octavia Goetia, and was subjected to my daughter-in-law, Princess Stella Goetia's unprofessional act of elitism. The low-ranking sinner has been subjected to various bruises and broken arms.
While I could care less about sinners' deserved beatings from my kin, I am fully aware from shared knowledge that Ms. Caligo is a patron of your hotel. Since it would be humiliating of my family's legacy to present your entourage member in her condition, we cannot send her back to your location in her current state. I will personally have her stay with the Goetia until she has recovered. Rest assured that she will be unharmed and returned no later than Monday, December 20th.
I send, as another part of my apology, a generous donation for your rehabilitation project and an RSVP for your garden party on behalf of my son and granddaughter, Stolas and Octavia Goetia. They and Ms. Caligo will be happy to attend once the latter had recovered.
With respects,
King Paimon Goetia
Out of nowhere, a hand snatched the letter from his hands. Unfazed, he looked up at his unexpected visitor. Usually, he'd drown any intruder, but not this one.
"For the Goetia that can make all sorts of things, lies are your forte." Cain Adamson glared at Paimon.
"I have fortes in many things." Paimon sat up on his chair. "How may I assist the First Murderer?"
"Assist me, really?" Cain revealed the 4-foot-long makeshift club he'd fashioned out of a nearby dead tree. "You can assist me by releasing the sinner you're hosting. She isn't worth your time and the last thing you need is for Lucifer's child to wonder why one of the Ars Goetia's kings has lied to her."
"Not worth my time?" Paimon tilted his head and tapped his fingers against his throne's armrest. "How curious. I think the real question is why is the cambion worth YOUR time, and most importantly, how will Lucifer, or worse, Bael, react when they find out that Leviathan has a cambion grandchild lurking near the princess of Hell?"
The gems hanging from the ceiling clanged against one another to the force of an invisible wind. A chuckling voice echoed in the throne room. "My, my, my…"
"Great Underdweller…" Cain said.
"King Leviathan." Paimon nodded.
"I could crush your skull and replace it with that of a camel for your blackmailing attempt," Leviathan's echoing voice said casually, "but I'm entertained. Envy's growing in the Ars Goetia… How ever did the king seconding Bael figure out that his granddaughter's friend is mine?"
"Do a better job at hiding their physical quirks," Paimon bluntly stated. "Octavia and Stella are too stupid, but when the latter lifted up your bastard to strangle her, I had an exposure to that recognizable birthmark your blood relatives are born with."
"Many creatures are born with birthmarks," Cain pointed out. To give him a quiet answer, Paimon snapped his fingers. Purple beams projected from the hanging gems towards the floor. A demon-sized projection of Stella Goetia trying to strangle Indigo Caligo appeared. Indeed, when Stella had lifted up Indigo, her hold on the girl's collar caused her shirt to lift. Only Paimon had noticed the distinguishable birthmark coating the small demoness' navel.
To the eyes of a moron or a human, it had the glamour appearance of a distorted worm. In the eyes of those shielded against illusions and knowledgeable enough, the distorted worm was actually an ouroboros. A snake viciously biting its own tail, the dripping blood forming a dragon's pupil in the middle of the ouroboros. Lucifer's snake represented the temptation of Eve, but for Leviathan's clan, the snake ouroboros represented the eternal destructive cycle of envy and the self-harm it could inflict. That's why Leviathan proudly took on the name Von Ouroboros.
And that same ouroboros was visible to Paimon on the projection. Right on Indigo's navel.
Cain grimaced at the sight. "Pf!" He dismissed. "Probably another sinner giving themselves fake birthmark tattoos to pretend to be long-lost royalty. You realize that was fad up until the 80s?"
"The period of the Romanov imposters?" Leviathan's voice chuckled. "I ate the envious hearts out of a dozen when they started falling! Those envying the royalty and hierarchy are the tastiest!"
"This girl is probably another imposter." Cain swung his hand over the projection. All he did was swipe the Stella Goetia projection into nothingness. "Claiming to be a deadly sin! The nerve!"
"Wouldn't the real nerve hitter be her uncanny appearance to your son and wife?" Paimon hid it well, but he knew that Cain could see hm secretly smirking. "It's also interesting that she happens to have been murdered by the company of the imp my son favors, soiling my reputation."
That caused Cain to stiffen.
"She must be what, sixteen? Roughly a couple years younger than my granddaughter. Hell's laws dictate that cambions must be raised strictly by their human parent and remain ignorant of their demonic heritage up to their sixteenth birthday. Oh, and there's also the law dictating that the cambion's choice of familial loyalty determines if they are condemned or blessed." Paimon leaned in. "My spies spotted her when she first landed. Isn't it strange that she died on her birthday, she appears oblivious to her true nature, AND, the unidentifiable bullet the human authorities found in her corpse was none other than a demon bullet fabricated in Wrath?"
Cain showed his gritted teeth. What echoed next was a slow, sarcastic clap. Followed by another. Wherever he was in his palace watching the whole thing, Leviathan was entertained.
"Wow! Just… wow! I am SO shocked… Oh, wait… Why do I care actually?" Leviathan's voice mocked. "I hope you weren't expecting fear coming from the most terrifying deadly sin, Paimon."
"Never! I am not THAT stupid!"
"And you intend on informing Lucifer?" Cain took hold of his club. "It's surprising you haven't ratted us out to that candy cane yet."
"Ooh, now that's interesting" Leviathan's voice sounded excited, like he was invited to a game. "The Ars Goetia kings are suck boot lickers to Luci. Now that I think of it… If our inferior good friend Paimon hasn't ratted out our secret just yet to that candy cane dwarf, then something is interesting him. What could the Goetia who has all the fear from those below want from the Embodiment of Envy? What has you all envious, Paimon? What do you crave?"
Paimon got up and walked towards the projection. With a snap of his fingers, it changed to represent Indigo Caligo… standing next to Octavia Goetia. "My granddaughter obviously has finer tastes than my son. Therefore, I would like to propose a deal… in exchange for my granddaughter to be arranged with yours."
Silence echoed the throne room. Cain raised his club, preparing to strike the Ars Goetia. Something held him back. After looking up to the sound of his gems clanging, Paimon saw that his ceiling ornaments had fused into a giant boney hand. The shining, boney hand held back Cain using only its middle fingernail. The others clawed viciously against the floor.
Paimon didn't dare to gulp.
"Well… I'm being blackmailed by an Ars Goetia king. He wants to bring an arrangement… Honestly, is it worth my time? What do you think?"
The glass of his stained-glass window broke. As the wind blew, maniacal laughter echoed in high pitches. These new sounds came from the window shards and none of the voices belonged to Leviathan.
"Arranging a weak Ars Goetia princess… with one of OURS? Will the others be jealous?" Phthonus Protographium Von Ouroboros asked.
"Of course." Paimon crossed his arms. The wind ripped through his curtains. The ripped fabric fluttered, flocking up around the ceiling like ravens seeking a dead body to feast on a dead body. A new voice giggled. A female voice giggling and gurgling as if her invisible mouth was filled with blood.
"How risky would that be?" Nemesis Nymphalid Von Ouroboros giggled. "The king who fathered so many Ars Goetia princes, but couldn't predict that one poor arrangement would lead to his own son damaging the Goetia name with his desperate need of love? The same son who divorced the marquess who tried to have him killed? The same son who further embarrassed the Goetia before Asmodeus? How much resentment would there be… if the Ars Goetia found out that in the end, YOU could be held responsible for not harnessing Stolas?"
Paimon said nothing. The carpet pulled under his foot. Paimon jumped and landed on his throne. He watched his carpet unravel into snakes, their small heads beating up and down against the hard floor. The pests were beating themselves for nothing, laughing hysterical hisses while another female voice spoke through them.
"I want to see the big mess it's going to provoke!" Oizys Ornithoptera Von Ouroboros declared. "The Ars Goetia will get violent if it fails! We get to laugh at their misery and despair in the end! They'd rip their throats if they found out! They'd start competing! If they succeed, they'll spread more misery onto the commoners and onto themselves with us to leash them! If they succeed, they'll be as miserable as ever… but worse. And who would they believe? The king who failed to propose a decent arrangement to compensate for the first failed one, or the upper ranking sins who can crush their souls if they dare question us?"
Paimon took a deep breath. He knew how the Von Ouroboros family functioned. If the envy devouring wasn't already a quirk of theirs, verbally extracting it out of others was one another. They were testing him. They wanted Paimon to get angry at them. Reveal his secret envious side. If he exposed it, they'd feed on it from their chambers six rings down.
He inhaled and sat down on his throne.
"I guarantee nothing for the Ars Goetia… but I guarantee the envy of all the lower beings!" Paimon waved his hands. The lights created a projection of faceless demons desperately crawling up a high cliff. On top of said cliff was an idealized version of Indigo Caligo, dressed in regalia and looking down cruelly at the demons desperate to reach her. Purple fluids dripped out of her mouth. "I could really care less what are your intentions for her and your family, but I do know… your private plans might be held back so long as she has incorrect influences. From what my spies are implying, her only proper influences are two outdated Overlords."
"Your point?" Cain questioned. "Choose your words carefully."
"Powerful in heritage, but weak on principles. I propose that Leviathan accepts an agreed arrangement between our granddaughters… in exchange for my silence about my knowledge and my offer to assist in coaching the cambion to her proper rank."
The voice of Nemesis scoffed through the ruined curtains. "Dolling up my niece? Are you insane? You hear that, Father? He thinks he can bribe us with a shitty parody of MY FAIR LADY!"
"There could be some dolling up." Paimon shrugged. His projection changed, this time of an ideal of Lucifer awarding a kneeling Indigo with a scepter. "But I was thinking more of making her an Overlord."
There was a brief silence.
Paimon continued. "Leviathan can only have the most envied heirs for the Ring of Envy. The cambion isn't envied nor is she properly feasting if she is like your family. She is, however, powerful enough to boost herself in the sinner ranks. With the right guidance, she could become an Overlord faster than the Radio Demon did. She'd be the youngest, stealing that from Velvet. The higher she climbs, the more she'll feast on the demons who envy her success. The demons who'd kill themselves to be her. All that envious essence… that could be all yours for the grabbing!"
The Ars Goetia king clenched his fist. His purple holographic projection morphed into one of dark shadows howling in envious agony. Cain didn't budge, whereas his in-laws' voices echoed with hungry drooling. Paimon noticed that there were four hungry voices and wondered where Cain's wife was.
Leviathan's voice hummed. "I guarantee nothing, but I can work with that. Ensure she's powerful enough to claim the title of Overlord and MAYBE I'll agree into an arrangement. MAYBE."
Paimon clapped his hands eagerly. "Perfect!"
"But if you wasted our time, OR WORSE, my granddaughter hasn't gained power… Well, I know Asmodeus is of lower rank than you in the shitty Goetia hierarchy, but he's SUCH a delightful uncle to Satan and Belphegor's brats and Mammon's crazy nephew. You wouldn't lift a pinkie when those brats could easily destroy anything you Goetia poultries own."
Paimon just bowed. "Of course. Trust me… She'll go into the right path."
Hours later
Indigo and Octavia had done everything to get the former out of the latter's house.
After the incident with Octavia's mother, Indigo was left with mere bruises on her neck. Paimon had refused to let her out of Stolas' palace. The girls had tried to escape, but to no avail. When they tried jumping off the balcony, the Hellhound guards had sniffed them out and escorted the girls back inside. When they almost scaled the wall, zombie-like camel monstrosities scared them into going back in. When Indigo tried using the Apocatombs to successfully take her and Octavia and landed right across the street from the hotel, Paimon had teleported them back just as the mailman had delivered his letter to Charlie.
"Can I PLEASE just go home? Indigo clasped her hands and tried begging Stolas as he brought in a tea set and a fancy stationary. "I REALLY don't want to inconvenience you!"
"You aren't, my dear! You aren't!" Stolas tried to reassure. He put the tea tray down on the coffee table. Octavia kept banging her head against the wall. "But… my father outranks us all…"
"Grandpa won't answer my fucking texts!" Octavia snapped. "I keep telling him to let Indigo go!"
"Yes, well, she DID bite your mother." Stolas pulled out his wallet from his waistcoat, took out a 100-soul bill, and put it in Indigo's hands. "For scarring Stella." He smirked, not out of kindness but out of pleasure for his ex-wife getting a permanent scar.
"I'd rather you didn't pay me," Indigo admitted. Stolas nodded in understanding, but still left the bill in her hands. Indigo clenched the money. "Is Paimon going to execute me? I did attack your ex-wife."
"Well… She did physically aggress Octavia…" Stolas sighed. "Goetia nobles… don't make the best emotionally supportive parents… Well, most of them. However, they can't physically harm their offspring. Especially if they outrank the parent. Even when we were married, Stella still had the same rank as her brother Andrealphus. As my heir, Octavia automatically has my rank. These sorts of things can vary depending on marriages, duties, and accomplishments, or worse. After our divorce, Stella still had the title of Princess Ranked 65, but by hitting Octavia, she might have gone down to Marquess Ranked 65."
"Grandpa doesn't give a damn about me!" Octavia snapped. "He just sees me as aristocratic merchandise! I'm nothing more than a precautionary addition!"
"You're not merchandise!" Indigo calmed her down. "Breathe in, OK?"
Octavia tried breathing in, only to then frantic. "I'm pissed, OK? I just… I wanted to be there for you, you were having a hard time, and thanks to my family, you're stuck here! Against your will and until the hotel's garden party!"
"Girls, I know it's inconvenient, and it's going to get worse…" Stolas showed them the stationary. It was a dark blue paper invitation. Shiny paper cutouts of arms, monkeys, and baboons framed the silver invitation.
Great Duke Gusion invites you to a last-minute banquet at the 11th Goetia Palace tonight at 6:11pm.
Reasons for celebrating: Stella got humiliated and Paimon broke off his initial arrangement between Octavia Goetia and Naberius Goetia.
Any Ars Goetia beneath my rank can invite a plus-one to the party. Lower classes and commoners are welcomed as plus-one but must dress formally to not be mistaken as servants.
5-minute tardiness is not accepted. Please come celebrate with us as we mock Stella Goetia. If you are lower than my rank, your presence and that of your plus-one is MANDATORY!
See you tonight!
Printed under the invitation was a fancy logo of a crowned black drongo.
"Uh… I'm guessing your grandpa never told you of your arranged marriage until he decided to cancel for reasons probably related to me," Indigo said nervously. She looked at the invitation again. "I guess this Duke REALLY doesn't like your mom."
"Oh, Gusion has hated my ex-wife since they were still little girls!" Stolas shrugged. "Gusion is a higher ranking Goetia, but she had her shares of sympathy towards my awful marriage."
"Probably helps that the drongo is still pissed at my mom for not respecting the fact that Naberius identifies as a 'he'. Mom still calls him 'Naberia'." Octavia could care less about her unknown arrangement being cancelled. Indigo didn't know what to say. Best she could think of that for maniac avian elitists and possible inbreeders, the Ars Goetia had no problem with homosexual reproduction and heirs switching genders. "What are we gonna do, Dad? We can't possibly take Indigo!" Octavia crumbled up the invitation. "She'll get uncomfortable!"
"Paimon probably told Gusion why he cancelled the arrangement. Knowing her, Gusion would rather die than miss the chance of meeting the sinner who humiliated the one Marquess she despises for disrespecting her heir. Besides, we're low-ranking Ars Goetia compared to Gusion…"
"True." Indigo raised her hand. "But… is it kinda bad that I actually want to watch Octavia's mom get embarrassed while everyone talks trash about her? It feels kinda, you know, karmic?"
The two Ars Goetia stared at her in shock before exchanging wicked grins with one another.
Later, at 7:11pm
They had arrived right when the time shifted to 7:11pm.
To be fair, Gusion's palace was just 25 streets away from Stolas' palace. They drove in the limo, which gave them an early arrival by 25 minutes but Stolas had insisted on 'fashionable punctuality'. At 7:05pm, they finally got out and walked towards the entrance, with Stolas in the lead and Octavia walking close to Indigo.
Gusion's palace was larger but not as supernaturally interesting as Stolas' palace. The architecture bared fancy baroque carvings to frame the windows and doorways and the bricks holding up Hell's parody of the Burghley House were made of petrified ebony. The large garden was relatively simple: a croquet playing field surrounded by devilish Cyperus, hundreds of alliums planted to circumnavigate the fence, and an outdoor patio complete with a white patio and dance floor. Baboon demons in security uniforms parked the cars for the guests while mandrill demons guided the guests indoors. From what Indigo quickly learned, Duke Gusion hired sinners in a majority of her staff. Nearly all the other Ars Goetia were disgusted by the sight of sinners, but their host could get angry if her guests harmed her well-paid employees. The guests were guided to the main hall where the banquet was hosted. Indigo was rather surprised by the modesty of the decoration. The main hall was one rectangular space of black painted walls with gold trimmings and a grey floor. Sapphires dangling from the chandelier lit by blue flames was the sole source of light. The only other splashes of color in the room were the marigold and lotus bouquets crowning the light grey tablecloths, the golden cutlery and dishes, and the blue fire glowing in the fireplace. The guest took their turns to present themselves to the host before accosting the other guests.
Duke Gusion was a terrifying sight. Though it would be rational to be terrified of an Ars Goetia surpassing your friend's rank, Gusion's fashion tastes were a nightmare for the 7-foot-tall black drongo that she was. Her black hair was tied up in a bun but large amounts of loose strands were curled up into ringlets kept up by pearled strings. Her dark blue cape coated her ballgown's brown puffy sleeves made of monkey fur. Her gown's skirt, which hid her talons very well, was asymmetrically fashioned with grey ribbons, navy blue cashmere sashes, and an overall fabric of the gaudiest black color. She was worse than the Marie-Antoinette cosplayers. Her son Naberius was less revolting. He almost reached Octavia and Indigo's heights with his slouching. He'd inherited most of his mother's drongo features excluding his crow beak and darker hair which he kept short and gelled back. His frock coat went down to his feet, the sleeves and shoulder pads trimmed with dog fur. The buttons and cuffs of his coat were designed to resemble silver canine crossbones. Still, it was uneasy to think about the possibility of where he got that fur from…
"How wonderful that you could accept my invitation on such short notice, Stolas!" Gusion said. Glee was in her voice while her arms were crossed. Indigo imitated Stolas and Octavia's instinctive move to bow before her. "When Paimon told me he cancelled his arrangement, I was so happy for Naberius' liberation that I had to throw a party!"
"Mom, stop…" Naberius hissed.
Indigo noted Octavia's awkward grimace. The three ceased to bow and stood upright. Gusion finally noticed Indigo and the latter expected some mockery. Even with the nice black empire dress, silver star circlet and belt lent by Octavia (Indigo really had to admire the majority of casual wear in the princess' closet) and Scrunchy's brooch pinned on her chest (she really questioned his bodyguard techniques), she was clearly a dolled-up sinner. A street Chihuahua walking into the den of cannibalistic Poodles.
"Oh… My… Satan! Is that the sinner that disfigured Stella?" Gusion squealed, leaning over Indigo. "No! She is SO adorable!"
"Uh… It's a pleasure to meet you, Duke Gusion." Indigo curtsied. "I'm terribly sorry you had to go through the trouble of hosting this party… since I attacked… an Ars Goetia. I'm aware I shouldn't have due to her position…"
Gusion just laughed, her laughing voice sounding like a whole herd of baboons were laughing their heads out while chewing on crows that were still cackling. "You're adorable! Stella is just a low-ranking Marquess and I totally didn't want her as my sister-in-law!"
Stolas and Octavia chuckled awkwardly.
"I swear, Stella didn't really consider her actual position among the Ars Goetia!" Gusion curiously looked over Indigo. "She even strangled my pet dog when we were kids, just no dignity! I laughed my head off when Stolas cheated on her for that imp and even more when they divorced! I mean, she had it coming! Arranged marriages with the Ars Goetia are just a means to produce more heirs, but the lower ranking parent could easily be finished off when the higher ranked parent had the heir they wanted."
"Just ask my dad…" Naberius pointed over the fireplace. Indigo and Octavia yelped at the sight of the stuffed Ars Goetia crow standing over the fireplace. He'd been stuffed in a screaming pose and his clothes and feathers were coated with protected varnishing.
"And to think that without him, Stolas' sibling Purson wouldn't have ascended to Rank 20 King!" Gusion gleamed proudly.
"Uh… right…" Indigo gulped. "The joys of aristocracy…"
Nearly 2 hours later
Octavia never enjoyed Goetic parties, especially those hosted by her mother. But this time, this banquet was specifically hosted to mock Stella, which wouldn't have bothered Octavia if it weren't for the fact that Indigo was constantly uncomfortable.
Gusion just wouldn't stop hogging the butterfly demoness or putting her in the spotlight. When the guests were finally sitting down at their designated seats, Gusion purposely switched Stella's name tag for that of 'Octavia's sinner' and had Stella's tag placed at the table where the servants dined. Octavia could only imagine the glares her mother was sending out while her ex-husband, daughter, brother, and 'the sinner that bit her' sat with other nobles.
Like every other demon, the Ars Goetia could digest anything, but they were all still birds. Octavia was amazed at Indigo's willingness to digest the bizarre courses: mouse kabob, chicken cooked in snake wine, beetle pasta, floral nectars, seed cakes, fruitcakes, and to Octavia's bigger shock, monarch butterfly salads. Indigo didn't blink about eating the insects that were her demon form. If anything, the moment the salad was put on her plate, the butterflies voluntarily flew into her mouth. But the food was only enjoyable until the other nobility started shifting seats just to speak with her. Like Gusion, they'd forgotten that they were fawning over a sinner. They pestered her with questions. How'd she meet Octavia? Was she truly a sinner? Why didn't she smell like a sinner? Why'd she bite Stella? Why didn't she eat Stella? Were the plebian rumors true that the infamous Radio Demon was her parent? Were she and Octavia secretly engaged? Was she sure she wasn't truly a Hellborn aristocrat pretending to be a sinner?
It got worse when after the banquet, Gusion had everyone go outside for croquet, tea, and dance.
Octavia nearly crushed her teacup as a good portion of the Ars Goetia, men and women, requested Indigo to dance with them.
If it weren't for ranks, Octavia mentally grumbled.
"I'm terribly sorry, but you've heard it. She's Octavia's favorite."
The last person she expected to say that was Naberius. The young Marquis pulled Indigo away from the disappointed crowd and lead her back to Octavia. Octavia's eyes widened in shock. "Octavia's favorite can only spend time with Octavia. Besides, they have a meeting with me. We apologize for the inconvenience." Naberius whispered to the girls. "We can go to the tower for privacy."
Octavia mouthed 'I owe you' and the two followed him. They didn't expect Naberius to lead them all the way up the wooden staircase, through spiderwebs, and finally to the main platform where enchanted baboon statues controlled the mechanism of the tower bells. Naberius popped a window open, leading to the roof of the tower.
"Wow…" Octavia said.
Naberius then sat down on a corner with books pilled in dusty shelves and put on some headphones. "What are you doing?" Octavia asked.
"Giving you privacy. This is where I go listen to my rhetoric audiobooks." Naberius popped a book open and winked at Octavia. "We'll talk about debt later. Go hang out with your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend!" Octavia snapped at him.
"Well, she's not exactly just a friend, is she?" Naberius searched through his phone for an audiobook. "Definitely not a transaction. You spend a lot of time together, don't you?"
"A recent, solid friendship doesn't automatically mean romance… which we DON'T have!" Octavia persisted.
"Romance is just another subjective label." Naberius shrugged and hit the 'Play' button fast. "Try to figure out what kind of shit is really going on between you and her before it ends up like your dad's relationship."
Octavia scowled. "Just what are you insinuating, Naberius?" Frankly, she was relieved her 'unknown arrangement' to him was cancelled. She really wanted to punch him.
"My mom had me go to IMP to place a whole amount of hits. Give the Exterminators some easy pickings for the New Year so they don't get too close to Runesville. The boss really looked crappy, and I don't mean the usual 'imps are crappy', I mean 'crappy' like how your dad is. You're gonna have to start thinking what kind of friend that butterfly is to you before she starts to think that she's your toy and, well, you do exactly the same shit as your old man."
Octavia really wanted to punch him. Strangle him. But as she saw Naberius finally sinking into his own, zoned-in hobby, she held back. When she realized that Indigo had gone out the window to sit on the roof, she followed her.
Octavia paused.
We're just friends. Nothing more. Octavia shook her head and sat down next to Indigo.
The latter sighed in exasperation. "I don't ever want to go to another banquet in my afterlife…" She rubbed her face. "Your peers drove me nuts."
"I didn't want you to go through that." Octavia looked down at the rest of the Ars Goetia. In the midst of the festivities and drinks, she saw some nobles mocking her mother and physically bullying the sinner servants. Her own father barely chatted with any other Ars Goetia.
"You don't…" Octavia hesitated. "Do I treat you… like they do? You don't think I view you as something… not like me?"
Indigo stared at her. "You mean if I'm a lesser being?"
Octavia lowered her head.
"You realize we wouldn't be sitting on this roof if we thought our friendship was unreal, right?" Indigo gestured at the crowd beneath them. "I know it's the aristocracy you were born in, but I don't treat you like a princess who could do whatever to me. You're Octavia. That's all that matters."
Octavia sniffed. She gave herself a small slap on her hand. "I am NOT going to cry…"
"You can if you want. I won't judge."
"Yeah, and that's just it! I'm not even sure what kind of friends we are!" Octavia started panicking. "I don't open up about this shit in me with the other 'friends' I have! I don't even get why you're the only demon I can be vulnerable when I'm not being vulnerable to!"
"What's wrong with that?" Indigo asked calmly. "Everyone has that one person they trust more than the rest. Believe me, I'm still hitting myself mentally for not telling Angel Dust about, well… You know." She sighed. "I've barely been here long enough. Life or afterlife, trust is difficult. It takes serious courage and heart to find the few people you would willingly be vulnerable to." Indigo tapped her fingers against the roof in rhythm. "You know, I think that's why I freaked out when I saw Angel Dust and Alastor in that… thing in the kitchen."
"What, you thought they were having sex?" Octavia frowned. If she had a soul for all the times she overheard her father flirting on the phone.
"No… When your grandpa locked me in your guest room, I thought more of it. And talking with you… I honestly think that there's this weird trust between those guys. I mean, I don't see it in action, but… I'm pretty sure that Alastor and Angel Dust have this form of trust they don't share with the others. They get kinda cute when they argue, but when I saw the thing in the kitchen… I wasn't sure if Angel Dust was being an unwilling whore or if Alastor had been pressured… I just don't think of them in that light... I don't think they should just hook up, but… They seem comfortable… You know, together…"
Octavia's heart tightened. It made more sense.
Indigo was never going to be inferior to her. She was superior to the common basics of friendship, but nothing extreme. Nothing clichéd. Octavia trusted her with her vulnerability and Indigo trusted Octavia with hers. You couldn't just label a friendship like that.
As the sky darkened its red shade for the night, the halo orb of Heaven shined high above, clashing with the black Pentagram moon of the Pride Ring casting its red rays.
The clashing rays did nothing to stop the shine on Indigo's locks. Some butterflies peacefully flew out of her hair, glowing in the night like stars.
Octavia smiled. Indigo had to be the closest to an idealized angel…
Sarcastic clapping echoed behind them. They turned. Naberius was leaning against the open window, clapping like a broken rhythm counter. "Wow…" He said drily. "And here I thought you were going to fuck or some shit."
Octavia's face flushed red, angry at Naberius for interrupting their moment.
20 seconds later, Naberius landed right into a fountain of fruit punch, staining Stella's white dress in the process. The rest of the guests laughed at her shrieking fit.