(Not a shipping story)

In the wee hours of the afternoon, in the Goetia Manor. A rather young early adulthood (20s maybe like Octavia is around. I'm just not smart enough to do the math, it hurts my brain) owl Prince sat in his study, relaxing as much as he could after having to deal with his wife's …encouraging words. You could still hear her now but now terrorizing a poor servant, probably Boxley. Poor thing, she was taking out her anger on them of course as he quickly ran off to his private study while she was trying to find something to throw at him. His happiness has been at a low ever since…well probably when he found out he couldn't find love on his own, he felt it before in his childhood…it was probably something he'd never feel again as his special Imp disappeared after a couple years. (I honestly don't know when they reconnected, I just know how the divorce happened lol). On his desk were scattered papers, a star map, and a couple knick knacks to get through the drab work day. He picked up a Drinking Bird, it was enjoying its life. All it had to do was dunk and drink. After putting it down he gave a loud disheartened grown leaning onto his elbows and mussed up his feathers with his hands.

Within a few minutes of sulking the giant bird man jumped up in surprise as a certain kind of portal opened up in his study, knowing who this was he quickly fixed himself and the desk up. Gulping as his uh…lovely father entered into the room, King Paimon..a much bigger "owl" with an intimidating appearance and scowl. "Hello son…ah yes Stolas!" He chipperly said despite his attitude toward his 1 of many possible kids. Stolas with enough going on in his head, not exactly feeling it today, forgot to hold his tone back as he greeted his father back. Paimon glowered down at him. "Mhm, you've been slacking on your duties. Your attitude these days is not good at all, don't think I haven't been keeping tabs." Stolas, about to defend himself was interrupted by his father. "As I'm getting tired of all this I decided to get someone to keep you in track. Should leave me with less duties and I can finally ignore you." He grinned, well a bird grin I guess, and gestured to his side expecting a cheery response from the slave, I mean, demon he "hired". After hearing nothing he glazed to his side and saw no one. "Father, I don't need anyone to watch me. I'm not-" "Oh for the love of..hold on son." Stolas raised his brow at the whole thing as his father went back into the portal, although not happy with his father basically hiring a spy and having no way of saying no to it he was also curious. His eyes widened in surprise after hearing a ruckus. "No! I don't wanna! Gah! Put me down you loopy headed crazy ass dumbass fuckwad dilweed of a bird!" "Such a rancid mouth you have there, do we need to have you eat soap again? I thought we trained you well." He heard his father berate the other voice, it was rather feminine and had a very thick New York accent. "It's been three damn days, I ain't even learned anything else about this damn place!" "You're just lucky we can't kill you, Dearie. Don't tempt me to torture you again. Now be good and meet your new boss!" Stolas yelped and ducked as a figure was thrown into his Study, bashing against one of the many bookcases making almost all of the books fall out into a pile onto the being. "Truly, Dear. You're too wiley." Paimon grumbled, brushing himself off as he came back through himself. With his personal servant in tow. "Stolas, this is …" "Rutabaga, Sir." "Yes, that dreadful name. She's going to be a watcher of sorts. Watching you mostly." The being stood up from her painful toss shoving the books aside with her feet. Letting Stolas get a full look at her. Rutabaga, she was short. Like really short, if anything most Imps would dwarf her. He'd guess she's about 4'8. A voluptuous figure and rather plump. What most would call thick..with two c's (She's a shortstack dang it), she was some form of husky with a long dual colored pink and creme tail curled up to look short and her hair to match was a dark brown with what seemed like stars sparkling in it. Probably something Paimon did. Dressed up in an unflattering boxy dress. "But Father-" Once again butted in. "She's a pure bred Husky Hellhound, Rutabaga here wears a special collar to prevent her..well don't take it off and hopefully she doesn't fuck up this job. But don't worry about her attitude, we've fixed that, right?" Paimon patted Rutabaga's head with a happy sounding chuckle. The small Hellhound muttered something with a growl which of course had his Father smack her upside the head. "Etiquette!" He turned to Stolas who was looking at her with a saddened look as she sniffled while rubbing her head. "I'm such a good King~ Well I'm off, hopefully I won't be back." Stolas tried to put his foot forward again but his Father was already up in his own ego as he left off to where he resides now. Stolas and Rutabaga stood in silence as she hugged her long fluffy tail in fear. Stolas turned to her, making her flinch with wide green eyes, he gave a look of remorse as she backed away from him. "Look I'm sorry! I'll fix the books, okay?! I'll do anything just please don't hurt me!" She bowed repeatedly and shuffled off to the displaced bookshelf and fixed it up in a haste, alphabetically. The Owl Prince was both surprised and saddened, because of her reaction to him and how she started cleaning his office. But then he scoffed, why would he care..she's just here to spy on him anyway. Just another thing to ruin his life. He turned his chin up at her and went back to his work, even though he was just sulking in his office and wanted to brood more he felt the need to make the sucky Hellhound know her place.

Within a couple weeks the Goetia Manor was getting acquainted with the new face, Stella not at all being too happy with the fact that her 'Good for nothing husband' had to have this 'waste of space' Hellhound around. She hated Imps more than anything and Hellhounds was another. They were nothing but slimy perverted freaks to her, even then it was worse because Rutabaga had more problems than what Stolas' Father told him…even if it was just one thing. How new was she? Three days seems like not enough because it looks like his Father just plucked her from the streets. Her whole appearance was innocent, from the way she acts to the way she talks, how was she a Hellhound in the first place? It was something Stolas was curious about greatly even though he chose to ignore the poor thing on the Daily. Even if she was tidying up everything in his path with a facsimile of a happy smile. Octavia had become friends with her, it was surprising considering the drastic personality differences, and there was a side Rutabaga showed with her but around everyone else she was..anxious and panicky. Boxley had come to watch her more than she was supposed to be watching him, Stolas couldn't help but crack a smile as he watched Boxley chase her around in the moments of random hyperness she had and get her back on her actual job whenever she started doing something else like make random things from modeling clay or play with the snails that would find their way into Stolas' garden. Usually he had to go find her when she had moments of anti-socialness, she'd be hiding under something or in something and she'd be staring into the long horizon with a blank stare. The one time Stolas went to find her she was crying in a ball of herself, she'd look like a giant ball of pink fuzz as her tail and afro had the same density. She didn't even notice it was him as she was blinded by a full emotion she didn't know how to control as much, yelling "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean too!". It all started due to Stella when the poor hellhound had a spasm and dropped a pricey candy dish she was tasked to bring over to the teatable for Stella's friends, the white peahen yelled at her in her full anger and nearly struck her if she didn't run away. He grew a fondness for her, something about her set her aside from anyone in this forsaken world. Rutabaga was an innocent soul. With what Boxley called a mental disorder, what kind was unknown to them, as his father of course didn't know nor did he care too, and she barely spoke to anyone but Octavia, an unusually low amount of demons even have those problems or at least one of them. The ones that do though belong here because of the things they did before death, it was a coincidence is what I'm trying to say. Even though Boxley was annoyed by it, all Stolas took to her. Even gave her a place to sleep in his private bedroom. He and Stella don't exactly share one. It was mostly a big green kids tent with an Ivy pattern on it, some comfy thing on the floor of it and random pillows. If anything she was a pet now. To most, even though Stella hated her Stolas was fond of her. Stella treated her like a Pet, not fully knowing why she's here in the first place but going off the air that her lousy louse of a spouse got her a pet. As if. But that won't stop her from treating her as such.

There were probably many reasons she wasn't a good Hellhound, one thing shone through.. Aside from her scars Stolas looked down to the short Hellhound as she scuttled next to him, a slight of a smile upon her face as she hummed. They were in his Garden today, not many people..well demons thought much of it, hell, Stella loathed it. Rutabaga rather enjoyed the area and he didn't know what Octavia felt about it, if anything it hammered in on his loneliness, coming to this area to find a sense of solace whenever her nerves got the best of her it was the same for him. "I've had a lot of plants myself, albeit not as dangerous." She looked up to the night sky, moving her tail into her hands to stroke it. "It gave me some form of purpose." Stolas with an unreadable expression, gave her a soft hum. Stolas found this place was usually the place to look if she's missing. He wondered if she was actually sending information back to his Father, she never wrote anything down and when asked about it she took a while to remember her job. There had to be something on her that was linked to his Father. This wrecked his mind daily and during the night as she slept like a cat next to him in that tent. Stolas shook his head away from his rather anxiety inducing thoughts and stopped his usual meander through his Garden seeing as she fixated on Hellish Hydrangeas, and even though she's seen them before she loved looking at 'em. Her long fluffy tail wagged with positivity and off she went. He wouldn't admit to anyone that the woman had become almost a second child to him. Her age was up in the air, clearly adult but it was hard to tell with her height and her way of life. Childlike wonder and innocents, like she forgot she was in a Forsaken Realm. It made him miss the times with Octavia..

Years later~

Rutabaga does have a room now with a nice canopy bed (you ever see Oliver & Company? It's basically like Georgette's room except not as meticulous) but weirdly enough prefers the tent. Something about her childhood and not liking the loneliness of it. Being near where people frequent was enough for her. The short Hellhound had taken it upon herself to do the minimal superfluous things, like sending, receiving, and returning mail or parcels. Taking calls, and transferring them over to the one they called for and even setting up times when the Royals can meet certain folk. She was ..kind of an emotional support animal though and through. Stolas found himself talking with Rutabaga as if they've been friends for years, telling her his problems and many, many issues, and if he was going through a bad day she knew just from his body language or inside emotions, she kept him calm. He learned so much about her when she started to open up to him, always being afraid to speak as if she was going to get punished if she did. He wasn't sure if his father was the one that instilled that in her or it was something that permeated in her since she was alive and now. Today she was sending out RSVPs for a Party. It was a usual get together for different Royals and anyone just as important to "catch up" so to speak. There's one every New Moon and this is the first time in years she agreed to go, she kept calling it a Gala after learning about the annual event, which only bugged Boxley in more of a fun way. She knows it annoys him but she just likes messing with him. But this Party was to celebrate a Royal getting married not one he knew but one Stella knew, the wedding itself being held a few days ago, an event Stolas felt great envy and sadness for.

Fresh out of his study, with a rather pleasant mood. Even if Stella gave him trouble earlier in the day about his latest escapade with a certain Imp, Stolas had come to grips with it. Dealing with her nonsense for the sake of his Precious Owlette, he knew their squabbling hurt her. The dining area was settling with the usual participants, Octavia gave him a small wave from the table and went back to eating breakfast, her headphones back in place as she began to bop around and air drum a bit to whatever she was listening to, Stella was on the phone talking with a friend of hers. Waving around a fork to exaggerate her words, a sausage stuck on it waiting to be eaten, Stolas had gone over to the coffee machine, fresh coffee in it for once. "Believe me when I say the fool was too lazy to get off his lousy pampered ass to even do it or have a servant do it!" "The fuckin useless dog is doing it, trying to make herself something in this damn castle! Like that'll ever happen." While making a cup o' joe Stolas lifted his mug up to his nose and the scent made him sigh in relief, almost relaxing through all of Stella's shit talk. The Cook Imp had come around with his food, placing down Rutabaga's plate next to him and Octavia, her's was different because she eats more than they do. Stella gave a dissatisfied growl, being fed up with this. Hanging up her call she immediately sent glares to her husband. "This is it Stolas, she either eats off the floor or in that damn room of hers! Every day since her biggest unnecessary outburst of stupidity she's with you, she doesn't even sleep in that room you allowed her. She'd rather be all over you, it's like you're sleeping with her as well!" The Star Prince fidgeted a bit, an audible sigh leaving his beak. "Stella..please, she's Octavia's closest friend. It's for her sake, Rutabaga also doesn't like being alone, she just requires more attention but there's nothing lewd happening between us, she's my closest confidant.." He tried to reason, placing his mug down. Stella's left eye twitched, slamming her hands down on the table voice louder than before. "I don't give a damn Stolas, she's a slave, a servant, not your friend, not your daughter-" Stella smirked as Rutabaga came into the kitchen, clearly having heard everything and if anything it was on purpose. Her tail uncurled to hand low in sadness and fear. Stolas' eyes widened as he stared at her face, "She's a pet! And I'm kicking her out if I find her in your bed again!" He looked up to his wife and down from her gaze as , would he have the gaul to say 'Or else what?' But soon enough Rutabaga turned away and ran off. "Ruti!" Stolas called after her, staring up at Stella as she smirked triumphantly.