Having Your Back
While the rest of IMP was in a meeting with the Overlords of the Pride Ring, Loona decided to step out for a smoke break.
The Hellhound takes a huff just before hearing a familiar voice.
"Mind if I join?" Clara walks up as she takes out her own pack of cigarettes.
"It's a free Hell," Loona smirks at the sight of the puffy haired Carmine sister. "Will Odette be coming along?" she looks around as she rarely sees the two sisters apart. "Or are we getting a free pass from the judgmental look she doesn't give us?"
After taking a huff, Clara shakes her head. "No. She's assisting in the meeting. I managed to excuse myself," she lets out a sigh. "It's not easy. I can only use; I need to use the bathroom so many times."
Loona shakes her head. "You still haven't told your mom?"
"Are you kidding? My mother may be an arms dealer, a Demon Overlord, and have killed way more than enough people in life to end up here, but she draws the line at smoking."
"So, why do it then?"
Clara shrugs her head. "I'm not sure. Mom loves us. There's no doubt about that. But she can be a bit…" the Carmine tries to find the right words.
"Overbearing? Controlling? An Entitled Ritch B(bleep)ch who believes everything has to go their way?" the Hellhound lists off.
"I was going to say, smothering," Clara answers. "But yeah. I guess I like the idea of doing something that's just me without her approval. I'm sure you know what's that like."
Loona finishes her cigarette before tossing what's left. "Me?" she lets out a laugh. "It almost seems like I always get Blitz's approval. No matter how hard I try not to."
"Yeah! Um…" the puffy-haired Carmine avoids looking over at the Hellhound.
"What?"
"It's just that, I, uh, noticed that you're always harsh around your dad. I don't understand…"
"Why?" Loona finished before shrugging. "Sometimes I don't know and other times…" she looks down. "It's not easy growing up in the system. And the fact that I was about to age out before Blitz adopted me doesn't help. He says that he won't replace me but I'm afraid that he will. Guess it's just easier to accept that if I hate him then it wouldn't hurt as much." The Hellhound is then hugged.
"Don't worry," Clara tells her. "I'm sure your dad won't just abandon you," she then backs away and puts out her own smoke. "And even if he does, Odette and I will be more than happy to help. It's my mom we'd have to worry about."
The Hellhound raised a brow. "She won't have me be her purse dog will she? Because I don't play dress up," she then mumbles under her breath. "No matter how much you pay me."
"No!" the Carmine giggles while shaking her head. "You'd just be expected to pull your weight and work certain jobs."
"Meh," Loona shrugs. "Guess I can't ask for more. Thanks, Clara."
"No thanks necessary, Loona. We're friends. We have to have each other's back."
The Hellhound smiles as the two start walking back into the building. "You're so nice, Clara. How could you end up in Hell?"
"Might be because I killed my ex after catching her sleeping with my sister's ex," the Carmine tells Loona causing her friend to stop for a moment. "It's also probably why Odette's here as well." And the two pass through the doors.
.oOo.
"You called, Mom?" Clara walks into her mother's office where she also finds her sister standing behind her.
Carmilla looks up at her daughter with an expressionless face. "Yes, Clara. Is there anything you would like to disclose with me?"
"No," the puffy-haired Carmine answers as she looks up at Odette who merely shrugs.
The Arms Dealer notices that and briefly looks back at the spectacled sister before returning her gaze to Clara. "Are you certain?" then receives a headshake. The woman sighs as she places picture on her desk. "One of my employees delivered this to me a couple hours ago."
The image within the photograph is of Clara along with Loona smoking just outside the building, causing both sisters' eyes to widen.
"Mom, I…" Clara halts as her mom raised a hand.
"I consider myself lenient with you girls given where we are," her glare turns cold. "But this is one thing I will not stand for, Clara! You think that your health means nothing because we're already in Hell? Is that it?" Carmilla doesn't even give her daughter time to answer. "I am cutting your allowance severely and your spendings will be monitored for the time being."
"But, Mom—"
Carmilla quiets her by simply holding out her hand. Clara understood and reached into her pocket to remove her pack of cigarettes and pass them over. The Elder Carmine did not put her arm down as her glare never left her daughter. The puffy-haired Carmine then hands over her lighter.
"Now then," Carmilla sets the lighter and cigarettes into a drawer. "Given that Blitz cannot control his employees who obviously is a bad influence over you, I am denying any contracts with IMP and will suggest the other Overlords decline as well."
Clara's eyes widen. "You can't—"
"This conversation is over!" the Arms Dealer's tone tells Clara that she's not requesting it.
.oOo.
Clara sighs as she leans over a railing just outside her room. She then here's her sliding door opening and closing. Turning, the puffy-haired Carmine finds her sister.
"Come to tell me I told you so?" Clara asks as she turns back to the city. "Like judging me wasn't enough."
Odette never answered as she simply walked up to her sister and placed something next to Clara.
Clara's eyes widen at the sight of an unopened box of cigarettes. "I…," she picks up the pack. "I don't understand."
"Don't get me wrong. I firmly believe that smoking is an unhealthy habit and that you should not commit to it," Odette explains. "But this is also your choice. Not our mom's. I'll have your back, Clara. Always."
The puffy-haired Carmine smiles at her sister as she opens her pack. "You wouldn't happen to have a lite on you?" A small flame flickers in front of Clara as a hand reaches over from her other side. "Thanks." She accepts the lite but coughs up smoke as she realizes something.
"Don't mention it," a certain Hellhound smirks as she is sitting on the railing next to Clara.
"Loona!?" Clara stared in disbelief.
Odette raised a brow. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to check up on you guys after Blitz chewed me out for nearly costing the company a major contract," she lights her own cigarette. "Turns out I could do wrong as he actually grounded me."
Clara tilts her head. "Nearly?"
Odette then explains, "I managed to talk Mom out of cancelling the contract and for not talking the Overlords into doing so as well. I reminded her how rare his type of services is."
The puffy-haired Carmine sighs in relief. "That's good to hear. I'd hate to be the reason for your dad to be out of the job."
Loona shrugs. "Blitz has this way of bouncing back. Even when you don't want him to."
The trio stood there in silence as Clara and Odette continued to smoke. Then Odette asks.
"So, how's being grounded for the first time?"
"All right, I guess," the hellhound takes in a huff. "I'm just not allowed to leave my room or office unless I'm on the job."
The sisters glance at one another before Clara asks. "Are you on the job?"
Loona grins as she tells them, "Nope."
End