It's a Millie Chapter! And you guys might wanna brace yourselves, it's going to be an emotional one, dealing with some heavy subjects such as racism, prejudice, and bigotry. And while it is mostly towards a fictional spieces rather than humans, I'm sure there's still a chance it will be triggering to some of you. So if any of you are uncomfortable with that, I won't blame you for skipping on that one. You've been warned.
Cover Art: Tejedora7 on Twitter
Millie practically started dancing, as the pool of blood covered her from head to toe. The imp was happily showering in the juices and guts of the man she had just disemboweled. Beside her, Blitzo was hacking another guy into bloody pieces and her beloved husband had just blasted apart the skull of a white woman. All the while the Gay Conversion Camp, burned in flame behind them.
It was moments like this, that reminded her why she loved this job so fucking much. Getting to do what she was born to do, fighting and killing, for a living with her closest friends and family. It was even better when the killing was towards people who had it coming, like all of the hypocritical, hate-filled bastards of this camp forcing kids to hate who they were, eventually leading them to suicide. As was the case with the teen client who had hired them.
Sure, they didn't always make a fortune, often they walked away with bruises, broken bones, and wasted ammo, and a lot of the time their plans didn't go accordingly; like the time they were tasked to assassinate someone who stole their client's car and almost caused World War 3. But for every bad job they got, they'd got a fun one like this, when they could just cut loose and get right into the hacking and slashing; job's like this truly made Millie feel more alive than ever. Some of the massacres she played a part in with I.M.P., were even better than the Pain Games in Wrath.
Wrath. Shit, It had been so long since she had witnessed her folks and siblings; she had almost forgotten the times she and Sallie May would mud-wrassle on the farm. Millie promised to visit more once she & Moxxie had the money for it, but for now, I.M.P. made for a good second family. There was of course her loyal, master gunman husband, but also Blitzo, who while a bit crazy and reckless, was still funny, supportive, and had a caring heart deep down. And of course, there was his new super cute hellhound Cyra. Oooh, she could almost squee just thinking about her.
And then, there was his other hellhound. Loona. The rude, lazy, always drunk hellhound, who was constantly shitting on Blitzo, despite the poor imp adopting and loving her. Millie was a lot less fond of Loona. But overall, Millie loved her new work family. She couldn't ask for anything else. Well, except maybe one or two more little members, but like she and Moxxie had agreed, that would come with time.
It didn't take them long to wrap up, killing the last of the staff, ensuring the kids got out safe and the building was nothing but ash, so Blitzo had the hellhound open them up the portal home, with a quick message reading: 'Mishon dun. Pourtl plees.'
Once it opened up, Blitzo hopped through with a spring in his step and a bloodied baseball bat in his hand. Running to the back of the wall, he turned to the portal and raised his bat, tongue sticking out as he grinned excitedly. Moxxie followed soon after, his clothes drenched in blood, a poor sab's spine serving as a scarf while holding a camera to record the following events. On the other end was Millie, gleefully holding the severed head of a fat, balding head of the camp.
Loona just rolled her eyes at the display, as she sat behind her desk, and reached for the bottle of bourbon, she kept in her desk drawer, to take a much-needed drink.
Everyone assumed positions like they were at a baseball game, with Millie as the pitcher and Blitzo as the batter. The boss was even providing his own commentary. "Alright folks, this is it! The one winning strike to end the major league championship once and for all! Can Blitz, the fan-favorite, most handsome and awesome, and coolest batter in the 7 Rings of Hell, hit the head and secure I.M.P.'s victory against the Facistist Assholes running the shithole of a camp? The pitcher's lining up, Blitz's at the ready, and…"
Millie tossed the head right towards her boss. It sailed through the portal, where the awaiting imp slammed his bat against it, causing blood, bone matter, viscous, and brains to splatter across the office. Loona casually dodged to the side, as some of the man's teeth embedded into the wall beside her.
"AND IT'S A HOME RUN! And the crowd goes wild!" Blitzo was now running around the room cheering himself, while Millie entered seconds later, looking very proud of herself as well. Moxxie smiled at his wife lovingly, while Loona groaned at the loud annoyance that was going on in the office. The portal came to a close behind Blitzo, as he came to a stop beside Moxxie. "Aww man, Moxx. Is there anything more beautiful than destroying down an establishment of nazis and homophobic old fucks?"
"No sir. No, there isn't." Moxxie sighed happily, before turning to his beloved lovingly. "I mean, aside from my ever-beautiful Millie."
He reached behind his back, gifting her with the severed human heart, of one of the counselors at the camp. Millie took one look at it, and awwed in delight."Awww, Moxx. Com'ere you." She pulled her husband into a hug, the pair affectionally kissing and rubbing their faces together.
"If you're gonna start fucking again, can you at least do it in the restroom this time, like normal people? Last thing we need, is your jizz making the office floor even stickier," Loona muttered annoyed, after taking a large chug from her alcohol.
Millie did pay her any mind, other than a hearty laugh: "Bitch, you're just jealous you ain't got any of this!" She went back to snuggling with her husband, not caring that Loona was glaring a hole in her head while drinking.
"Well, as much I'd hate to break up this intimate pre-cunnilingus session, I need to borrow you for a bit Mills," said Blitzo to the pair, discarding his skull cap & bat, indicating to the main office. "Moxx, be a doll and handle the paperwork on this one kay? Got something I need to talk with the missus about."
The pair put a stop to their makeout session, Moxxie sheepishly untangling himself from Millie, and shrugged disappointed. "Oh, alright, I suppose I can get to work on that."
"Don't worry Mox, we'll have plenty of time to finish after I'm done," his wife cooed with a quick peck on the cheek, that sent him swooning off to do his work.
"Oh and Loonie, need you too sweetheart," Blitzo suddenly turned towards the hellhound with glee, much to the surprise and displeasure of the two women. "I've got a very important assignment, that I can only trust to the both of you."
"Oh…Goodie," Millie & Loona grumbled in unison with venom in their voice as they glared at each other. Reluctantly the two walked inside the office, taking seats as far away from each other as possible, while Blitzo took center stage in front of them. A surprisingly serious frown was on his face, as he walked over to his whiteboard, now covered by a large black cloth.
"Alright, I've called the two of you together, because I've got an important job for the both of you." He placed his hands on the table, and leaned in towards the two women, looking very stoic. "It's a very, very important assignment, that I can only trust with the most loyal and ruthless members of my family." He turned from them dramatically, grabbing the cloth seconds away from removing it. "I wouldn't ask this if either of you, if I didn't think you would be anything less than the perfect ones, for this important task."
The two of them were starting to get drawn in by their bosses' words. Loona, who usually cared more about what was on her phone, than whatever Blitzo was going on about, was actually getting a little interested and hopeful, that for once she'd get to do something cool for this company. Millie meanwhile, was getting excited, practically drooling at the thought of another big, juicy mission for her to sink her ax into. And with each phrase, she looked more ready to kill someone right then and there. "Awww man, B, stop teasing! You're getting me all worked up already! What is it, Blitz? Are we taking on a military coup? A cult? A sex traffic ring? Crazy Zombie Cannibals?!"
Blitzo smirked from the imp's maniacal bloodlust. "Love the enthusiasm Mills! But no. It's something even bigger and vital. I want you-" he tore the cloth off of his whiteboard revealing…a crudely drawn image of Millie, Loona, and Cyra, all three sporting big muscular arms, lifting weights, shooting guns, and punching demons in the dick. "-to train my little Cyra!"
The two women started at their boss blankly, their excitement and intrigue instantly dashed by the underwhelming reveal. Especially for Millie. "Fuck this," Loona was the first to react, snorting in disgust, rising from her chair, and turning to leave the room.
"Loonie, you walk away now and I'm taking you off the phone plan," Blitzo's cold threat made the hellhound stop; she knew her guardian never made that threat lightly. With a frustrated groan, she returned to her chair, flipping the imp off as she did. "That's my badass daughter," Blitzo nodded happily, not caring about the obvious insult, as he turned back to his plan.
"Wait…so, we're not killing anybody?" Millie asked, betrayed disappointment clear from her voice.
"Not unless they try anything, Millie. Sorry to disappoint yah. Buuut, I think you'll still get a kick out of this job," Blitzo shrugged sympathetically, as he elaborated: "I'm sure you both remember Cyri's recent visit to Andre, and how that little snake's been giving her some pointers on how to fight," Blitzo grimaced at the thought of Cyra's imp friend. "Well, as much as I'm happy to see my sweet little darling, growing up to a certified badass, I got to thinking: why let that sinister troll be her only coach when I have two cooler, deadlier, kickassier assassins, who could teach Cyra to become even more of a beautiful living weapon?"
As her boss explained further, Millie's disappointment, while still there, slowly began turning into curiosity and even excitement, as she realized where this was going. "Blitz, are you asking me to mentor your darling little hellpup?"
"Got it one, Millie-Billie!" Blitzo confirmed, thrilled to see Millie starting to share his excitement. "While Moxx and I will be taking care of some overdue hits this Saturday, I'm trusting Cyra in the capable hands of you and Loonie, for the whole day. Take her to that new gym/shooting range that opened up across the street, and toughen her up real good! Show her to shoot a bastard, punch dickheads in all the right places, lift some weights and I don't know, get some ice cream afterward. Make a Girl's Night out of it. What do yah say?"
It wasn't killing zombie cannibals, but the more she thought about it, the more the idea Millie was starting to love the idea. A chance to pass on her knowledge of fighting, weapon handling, and wrestling to someone else? She recalled fond memories of her time at the family farm. She remembered how her Ma and Pa would teach her all they knew about the fine arts of killing and combat when she was still small enough to make it to her pa's knees. As she grew, she would refine and teach herself to become an even better fighter, and eventually help her parents teach her younger siblings, in-between farm work. She smiled nostalgically at the fond memories. She never realized how much she had missed them. Ever since she left her farm, to further her career in Pride, Millie thought she wouldn't have an opportunity like that until she became a mother. But it seemed, she had been proven wrong. She beamed with fond glee. "Oooooh, B, I'd be honored!"
"Yeah, count me out." Loona scoffed, much to the ire of the others. "Sounds to me this's going to be a waste of my time since you've got that old lady taking care of it." Millie glared coldly at the hellhound, both for the derogatory comment and her lack of interest, which Loona seemed not to care about. "Besides, I've got plans this Saturday. Can't do it."
Blitzo chimed in before Millie could say anything in response, looking at his eldest daughter with a suspicious frown: "Oh? And exactly what kind of plans are those?"
Loona glared back with a fierce growl. "The none-of-your-fucking-business kind of plans!"
Blitzo's eyes narrowed, his protective side uncontrollably coming through, while Millie just looked at the hellhound with contempt, scoffing before her boss could answer back and saying: "Well, whatever they are, I'm sure you can be a good sister and not a cracky bitch for once, and push it to another day, yah selfish mutt."
Loona responded instantly, rising from her chair with a furious snarl at the female imp, teeth barred, her eyes narrowing fiercely at Millie as a low growl echoed from her throat. "You stay the hell out of this lady! I get enough of your bullshit from this job, I don't need a whole day of it with you and the brat."
"Woah, Woah, ladies please, control yourselves," Blitzo stepped in between the pair before a fight could break out. "No need to get all hot and bloody, over this. Now Loona, I'm sure whatever plans you've got, you can move them to another day-"
"No, I can't just move it to another day! This was important to me!" Loona shouted at Blitzo. "Blitz, why the fuck can't you just send Moxxie, to do this instead? He's good with guns and will take any excuse to get any from your bullshit."
Despite the underhanded insult, Blitzo insisted stubbornly. "This is important for Cyra's development, and she needs moral support! Because, if I know that chickenshit party pooer, and given how often I've visited him and his missus, I'm pretty sure I do, then there's no way he's going to agree to any of this. He'll probably just raise another fit, to hide how jealous he is of my parenting skills." The male imp grinned mischievously, before looking at his daughter confused. "Besides, why wouldn't you want to do this? What's not to love about some sisterly bonding?"
Loona was not having it, continuing to glare at her father figure. "Like you haven't already been shoving her in my damn face all the time back home! And at work! AND almost every other moment in between! I deserve one day to myself, without you forcing her onto me or trying to get in my way of making friends! Again!" Her eyes narrowed. "You owe me that much, after the beach."
Blitzo briefly flinched at the mention of the beach. Shit, he had almost forgotten about that; honestly, he had hoped she had gotten over it, especially since she was now friends with that Vortech guy. But, it seems they were coming back to haunt him once more. He almost dropped it after that; until he bottled up his resolve and kept on, though while attempting to be sympathetic. "Look, I'm sorry if I made you feel mad at the beach," He could tell, he had already fucked up from the nasty look she shot him, but pressed on. "And, I promise to make it up to you in some way. But, I'm afraid I have to insist. This is important for Cyra's development, and I'm pretty sure she'd want her big sister to be there for her, to make sure everything goes well and she has support. So, I'm afraid this is non-negotiable. You're doing this whether you like it or not."
The imp stood tall and firm on his decision, which only made the hellhound more furious. Loona seriously considered tackling him to the ground and beating him until he changed his mind; but the stern look on his face along with his usual lack of innuendos, swears, and euphemisms meant his mind was not going to be changed anytime soon. So, very, very reluctantly, she relented and agreed. "A wise decision B. Don't you worry, by the time Saturday's over, you're adorable little hellhound, will be a tiny little killing machine! I guarantee it." Millie chimed in happily, a small part seeming to enjoy the hellhound's frustration with the imp; but mostly she was just excited about becoming a mentor. Blitzo cringed as his daughter shot him a murderous look as she left. Turning from her gaze, he made a mental note to make it up to her somehow.
Returning to her office, Loona pulled out her phone and dialed a number, cursing loudly under her breath until the other side picked up.
"Sup, Loona? Did everything go well with the mission?" Vortex's chill voice greeted her from the phone. While Vortex had been mostly been kept busy with his bodyguard duties, the two hellhound pals had still managed to keep in contact via texting and phone calls. It was one of the few relieves Loona had to distract her from all the madness from her office and her family; along with her newfound friendship with Octavia. It was only recently he had managed to get some time off to recover from some injuries, and they had planned to get together with some of his buddies for a party at Gluttony, that Saturday. The same Saturday that now, she had to spend with her least favorite imp, and the brat.
Loona growled and snorted at the mention of the mission, before answering: "Yeah, it was all fucking peachy. So much so, that Blitz is forcing me to do some bullshit for him this Saturday. So the Gluttony party's fucking canceled for me."
"Seriously? Damn, that sucks girl" Vortex sighed sympathetically, sounding just as disappointed as her. "What kinda business is it?"
"I don't wanna talk about it…" muttered Loona quietly.
After a beat of quiet, with Vortex seeming to consider whether or not to say something, he reluctantly asked something unexpected: "It…wouldn't happen, to have anything to do with your new sister would it?"
Loona blinked in confusion, surprised that he knew about Cyra. Especially since she had never once mentioned her to him. "Wha-how the heck do you know about her? I'm sure as fuck, that I never told you about having a sister."
"You didn't," Vortex confirmed. "But, since we follow each other on Voxtter, I can see whenever you get tagged on photos and stuff. And well…let's just say your boss loves to tag stuff with you and the new kid. Kinda hard not to notice after a while." He chuckled a little at the end.
Loona groaned irritated, "Fucking Blitz. Figures he'd share each and every damn second of the brat's life to everyone in Hell."
"I take it you ain't too fond of the new kid?" Vortex asked gently in a way that he wasn't pressing the issue.
"Why the fuck should I be? I didn't even want a new kid!" Loona ranted loudly. "I didn't get a say in it or anything! That moron Blitz goes to get dinner and two hours later he shows up with a brat, I never asked for. Now that kid's wrecking our house, hogging all the spotlight, and getting everything handed to her on a silver platter with golden gems, while I'm lucky to get an hour to myself! Feels like I might as well not even be here, most of the time."
Vortex didn't respond immediately, but eventually, a light chuckle managed to escape. "…Girl, no offense, but it kinda sounds like you're jealous,"
"What-I am not fucking jeal-" Loona snapped fiercely, before taking a moment to collect herself. "Look, it's most complicated than that alright? Besides, I don't wanna talk about her."
"Alright, if you insist," Vortex seemed to relent for a moment, much to the relief of Loona, before speaking up again. "But, you know that's kinda unfair to her right? And, I know you have your reasons for not liking her and all, but I'm pretty damn sure that kid, didn't intentionally want to screw you or your boss over. She probably just wanted a family. So, getting mad at a 7-year-old, for stuff she can't control and just being happy, is kinda super bitchy of you, y'know."
Loona wanted to get mad that her best friend taking the kid's side as well. But hearing it from Vortex, as much as she hated to admit it, he had a point. A small but good one. "Fuck, I hate it when you're right," she muttered irritated.
"I'm just saying, you shouldn't be so mean to her. Most hellhound kids her age don't have good homes or even families to take care of them. Trust me, speaking from personal experience, she's lucky to have you and your boss as her family; don't ruin it for her just cause of your jealousy," advised the hellhound, Loona getting a bit flustered at his compliment. "Maybe instead of just remaining bitter about it, maybe you should at least give her a chance? Or try to find some common ground? She seems like a sweet kid; talk to her, get to know her a little better, and see where it goes. Who knows? You two might even start to get along."
Loona let him finish, listening quietly to every word and thought about it. Honestly, she doubted it would work. Her and that little brat friends? When she was well on her way to replace her? Like hell that was going to end well. But, then again, she supposed it was a little unfair to always treat her like a pest all the time. She got enough of that from the rest of the world. After some thought, Loona sighed and relented. "Okay, fine. I promise to try and get along with her."
"Glad to hear it," Vortex smiled satisfied on the other line. "And hey, don't worry about the canceled plans; you and I can still hang out the day after. Get a few drinks or something like that," he reassured her, with a comforting tone.
From behind the phone, he started to grin excitedly: "And hey, we've still got that big hound party next month! We'll have plenty of time to catch up and introduce you to the gang."
"Aw hell yeah! It's gonna be at Gluttony right? Trust me, nothing's gonna keep me from that one. Not even Armaggedon," Loona exclaimed hyped up at the thought of the upcoming hound party. At least, she'd have something to look forward to.
"Um, M-Mrs. Millie, d-d-do we really have t-to do this? I-I'm still not sure if I even wanna fight yet," Cyra asked the imp in the passenger seat nervously, as they drove through the streets of Imp City, a grumpy Loona behind the wheel.
"Awww don't worry your little head off sweetpea, it'll be fine. I promise me and your sister, will be there for you each step of the way," Millie told her from her seat, turning to face the hellpup with an excited smile. "And I keep telling yah, enough with all that Mrs. stuff. You can just call me Millie. Or Auntie if you'd like…" She said the last part, with a small giddy laugh. Auntie. She'd always wanted to be called that. None of her brothers or sisters had begun to raise a family yet, being too busy with farmwork, but if she could get one from Cyra by the end of the day, oh that would be so great.
"O-okay, Mrs. Millie," the hellpup mumbled, not following the imp's request, as she shifted uncomfortably in the seat. Truth be told, she didn't want to do this. It had been less than a week since she started learning how to fight from Abby; while it did feel good to throw a successful punch, Cyra still felt unsure if she'd be any good at it or even if it was something she wanted to learn. And Cyra although was happy to spend time with her big sister, she had mixed feelings regarding the imp. Sure she was nice, but a bit too much for her liking, often coming up close and handsy on her, and being rather wild at times. And then there were the times she would say stuff Cyra didn't like being called. It didn't seem like she was being mean about it, like the other grown-ups or her bullies…but it still hurt. "Just promise me, we won't do anything too bad okay?"
"It'll be fine Cy. I'll just be teaching you some basic moves while she'll be helping you use a gun out on the shooting range. Like a good sister should. Ain't that right, hellhound?" Assured Millie, shooting a glare at Loona, who just rolled her eyes in annoyance. Cyra flinched, at the choice of word.
"Yeah, sure thing," Loona grumbled lowly, still bitter about being dragged along with this.
"W-w-wait, I'll be using guns?!" Cyra asked a bit scared, gulping at the prospect of using an actual firearm. "I-I-I d-don't know if that's-"
"Hey look, Cyra! We've made it," the imp called out, as the large gym/shooting range came into view. Parking a few steps away from the front door, the trio made their way towards the entrance. Millie had to intentionally slow herself down, as in her excitement to teach Cyra the imp was outpacing the hellhounds; Cyra nervously walked behind her, and Loona begrudgingly followed, intentionally taking as long as she could. Despite the hold-up, Millie beamed. This was gonna be great.
Loona opened the door and the three walked in, when-"HOLD IT!" A loud, stern voice called out, surprising the trio. A large, overly muscular incubus walked towards them with a fierce glare, one that was particularly aimed at the hellhounds, causing Cyra to shrink. "What in Hell, do you kennel-reject mutts think you're doing here? Can't you animals read the damn sign?" He pointed to a poster over by the see-through walls. On it was a short but clear message reading: No Dogs!
Millie was taken aback by the message and angrily fired back: "What? That's fucking ridiculous! Where's the owner of this place? I wanna give him a piece of my mind!"
"Lady, you're looking at him! And as long as I'm working here, your mongrels or any other mutts ain't welcome in my gym. Now get the fuck out of here!" The incubus shouted, shooing the trio out and slamming the door behind them.
"Fucking typical," Loona growled bitterly under her breath. Beside her Cyra was shaking from the harsh tone of the stranger, hiding behind her hood for comfort. Millie though? Oh, the anger coming off her, would've killed a man. She looked like she was moments away from skinning someone, from the mad look in her eye. Not that Loona seemed to notice. "Well, guess training day's canceled. Might as well cut our losses and go home."
"Like Hell we are!" Millie declared furious; taking a moment to calm herself, she turned to Cyra with a gentle comforting smile. "Don't you worry bout a thing, Cy. Let me talk with him, I'll sort this out," assured the imp patting the hellpup on the back, managing to cheer her up, as she entered the building.
With the imp gone, that left the two hellhounds to their lonesome. Loona immediately pulled out her smartphone and started browsing. Cyra looked up to her sister, who had a disinterested frown. With little else to the hellpup tried to start up some small talk. "So…y-you're gonna teach me how to use a gun…"
"…yeah, I guess," Loona muttered apathetically, not bothering to look at her.
Cyra hesitated for a bit, unsure whether to say something else, before continuing her eyes on the ground. "I've never used a gun before. Is it scary? It sounds scary"
"You'll be fine," came a short reply by the older hellhound, again focusing only on her phone.
"Oh, okay," said the hellpup, unconvinced by her sister's careless tone. The two stood there in silence for a beat before Cyra spoke up again. "H-hey, L-Loona? I really appreciate you coming with Mrs. Millie and me. It's so cool of you. I-I'm kinda nervous about this whole thing. But now that you're here, I'm sure everything's going to be okay. And…I didn't mean to pry, but I heard you had to miss some other stuff because of this." That drew Loona's attention away from her phone, and she turned to the hellpup who looked at her sympathetically. "And I hear you were…angry about it. S-s-so, I just wanted to thank you for doing this…and I really hope you get to do the thing, some other time. You sounded like you were excited about it. S-sorry if I ruined it for you."
Loona frowned a bit, considering lashing out at her for reminding her of the former plans or just continuing to ignore her. But, remembering Vortex's words she breathed, gave a slight shrug and responded. "It's fine kid," It fucking wasn't. But it was too late to whine about spilled milk, so might as well try and move on. "Don't worry about it. And I meant, what I said earlier, it'll be fine. No one's a perfect shot or a pro fighter on their first go-around. Just remember to wear your muffs and not to aim at either of us, and you'll manage."
Cyra beamed at her sister's words, her tail wagging as she brightened up. "Oh, okay. Thanks a lot, Loona. I promise to do my best, big sis!"
The hellpup's bright earnest smile, usually filling the hellhound with annoyance, didn't impact Loona as much as what she had called her. Big sis. That was the first time, she had called her that. She had called her sister before she had called Blitzo dad. And he was the one who actually cared about her. She pondered how to respond when she saw Millie coming toward them, causing a tired frown to reemerge. "Training's back on track folks!" proclaimed Millie excitedly, opening the door for the hellhounds. "Management says you're both a-okay to enter."
Loona gave an unenthusiastic 'Yipee,' while Cyra looked at Millie a little confused. "Really? But he sounded so angry. Why did he suddenly change his mind."
Millie gave her a small mischievous smirk, as she played with her hair. "Oh, a woman has her ways…"
Somewhere in one of the janitors closest, the owner lay against the wall, gagged and beaten, his nose broken, teeth missing, eyes black, hair ripped and legs twisted to a pretzel. His pained screams and moans were muffed, by his No Dogs poster stuffed in his mouth. When he was eventually discovered, he shortly after changed the gym's policy on hellhounds from then on.
Cyra shifted uncomfortably inside the gym's changing room. Even in the ladies' room, being surrounded by so many people undressing and changing clothes, in such close proximity to her, just made her want to be anywhere else. Not helping matters, was all the other demons, were passing glances at her and Loona, in disgust, lust, amusement, and contempt seeing a pair of hellhounds amongst them. Her sister seemed to notice too, by the cold fury on her face as she dressed. Meanwhile, Millie was just comfortably changing, not seeming to notice the attention. Cyra instinctively tried to cover herself up with her hair and arms; she just wanted to hide under her hood, but Millie said she couldn't wear it for the training. With this and that jerk manager, Cyra was already not like this.
"HEY! You fuckers want something? Mind your own damn business!" shouted a pissed-off Loona, having finally had enough of the attention, causing most of them to shift their focus onto something else. To Cyra's relief, it helped her feel more comfortable again. Millie pipped annoyed before the hellpup could thank her.
"Will you keep down? We don't want a scene after we just got here." Loona snorted in response mumbling something under her breath. Walking up to Cyra, the hellpup now dressed in gym clothes, the imp put her hands on her hips and smiled determinedly. "Alright, the first thing we've gotta do, is to fix the hair," said Millie indicating Cyra's red locks.
The hellpup grabbed her hair, holding it almost protectively, at the statement "W-what's wrong with my hair? Don't you like it?" she asked embarrassed.
"Oh honey, no! Not at all, your hair's beautiful," Millie quickly corrected, before explaining. "It's just that if you're going to learn how to fight, then having your long hair out like that's going to be mighty detrimental. You might get it hitting you in the face, getting it stuck on stuff or it could get grabbed by your opponent, so you wanna keep it controlled or restrained."
"Oh, okay, I think I understand," nodded Cyra, getting the imp's meaning.
Millie smiled in approval as she pulled out a few hair elastics from her pocket. "I recommend keeping it short if you really wanna be serious about fighting. But for now, a nice short ponytail oughta do the trick. You mind turning around for me?"
The hellpup silently obliged as the imp excited began braiding Cyra's hair. She hadn't done this, since she was 10 years old, braiding up and cutting her brother's hair before he transitioned. It felt nostalgic, to finally do this again. She just wished it could've lasted longer. Back then, she'd spend almost 10-30 minutes working with their hair, helping to style it just right and find small ways to get creative with it. Here, it took less than a minute to wrap Cyra's long mane of hair into a neat little ponytail.
"Wow…" Cyra beamed, as she admired her new ponytail in the mirror. "Thanks, Mrs. Millie. I really like it," she turned to the imp, who smiled proudly at her work.
"Awww, don't mention it, sweety. I'm just pleased as honey my favorite hellhound happy," the imp beamed happily, giving the hellpup an unexpected one-arm hug, while Loona rolled her eyes at the display. Millie eventually separated from it, taking Cyra by the hand and leading her out. "Now come on! I'm gonna show you the fighting ropes!"
The imp lead them towards the fighting room section of the area, filled with punching bags, foam mats, practice dummies, what looked like to be a punching machine and even a wrestling ring, an excited grin on her face. This was what she had been most looking forward to. The fighting stuff. Her bread and butter. The one thing was known for the most amongst her family and in Wrath. From the day she was born, everyone in town took notice of her talents in the ring, especially when she won Pain Games three years in a row…until she got banned last year. And while Millie had had much help from her parents, a lot of things she taught herself, which the imp later taught to her siblings. In particular Sallie May.
Millie grew giddy as she thought back to those times, and then to the present. Oh, the fond memories. She couldn't wait to relive them here with Cyra. In fact, she was so excited, that Millie didn't even notice Cyra's halfhearted attempts to follow her, as the hellpup looked at the area nervously and afraid. Loona was staying at the far back, following blankly and uninterested.
"Now, how much do you know about fighting so far?" Millie asked Cyra encouragingly, as she sat on the training mat, instructing the pup to do the same.
"I…I guess I know how to punch. A little," the hellpup answered weakly. "Abby showed me, back when I visited her."
"Great! Not a half-bad first start! Now, let's see if I can't teach yah something more," The imp continued, leading her onto the fitness mat. "Now, the principle of fighting someone is simple. You just gotta hit the other guy, hard enough and long enough, until you manage to knock'em down. But, if you've been around a fight as long as I have, that can get a lot tougher than you might think," Millie explained to the hellpup, in a wise sagely voice. "For example, if the fucker trying to kill you is bigger and rougher than you, you also gotta learn to stay on your toes. Remember to dodge and evade the other's attacks when necessary, and make yourself a harder enemy to hit. Only close the distance, if you're confident you can take'em out. Now, no matter how good you are, eventually, you'll get hit. So try to keep yourself guarded around sensitive areas, like the head or the stomach. A hit to either can either disorient you or knock the wind out, leaving you much more vulnerable, so you gotta keep them safe by blocking. I'll teach that later, but, for now, remember the same goes for the opponent, so if you think you can land a hit there, go for it. And always go for their weak spots. Eyes, nose, scars, sensitive areas, and especially the groin! You got that?"
"Eh, I think so?" Cyra answered hesitantly, having mostly absorbed the abundance of info, but her self doubt weighing her down.
Millie seemed to have picked up on her unsureness. "Maybe a little practice will boost your confidence." The imp stood up and held out a raised palm towards Cyra, much like how Abigale had during the hellpup's visit. "First up, hit me as hard as you can. I wanna see what I'm working with. Don't hold anything back either. I can take it."
After a moment of hesitation, The hellpup did as requested, reeling her closed fist back and punching as hard as possible. The imp's hand didn't even flinch; Cyra even whined a bit at the rough exterior of the palm. Millie whistled impressed. "Well, that was pretty good for a hellhound like you. Nice work," she complimented, not noticing Cyra shifting uncomfortably by the word. "It's a tiny bit weak and a little sloppy, but hey, you're still new at this. Plus with a few weeks of training, I'm sure we can toughen you up something fierce!"
"T-thanks Ms. Millie." The hellpup blushed at the praise.
"Oh, don't thank me yet honey," Millie grinned mischievously as she cracked her knuckles and got into a fighting pose. "Let's see, how you stand up in a real fight."
"W-w-wait what?!" Cyra shrieked in a panic, paling and nearly stumbled over herself at that: "Y-y-y-you n-never told me, that was part of the l-lesson! M-Ms. Millie, I don't wanna hurt you and I don't think I'm ready for this! C-can't I just go a-against one of those bags? O-or maybe a dummy?"
Millie just shrugged uninterested: "Oh come on Cyra, you ain't gonna hurt me. Plus, you'll get by a lot quicker fighting a person rather than an oversized doll or a motionless bag of sawdust," replied the imp confidently. After all, that was how everyone was taught in Wrath. A bit of tough love and survival against the odds went a long way to craft the folk living there, ineffective killers; just like herself. "Relax honey, I promise to go easy on yah. I know my limits after."
Her attempts of reassurance did little to ease the hellpup's worries. Cyra gulped and shakily went into a fighting stance, one quite noticeably weaker than Millie's. The imp grinned and motion her to attack. Despite Cyra's clear discontent and unsureness, the hellpup threw a fast and sloppy punch.
Millie easily dodged it, stepping aside, letting Cyra get carried away from her strike, and falling over herself. Thanks to the matt, Cyra wasn't hurt, but still took a small rough tumble. She whined softly, as Millie helped her back up. "There we go, walk it off spot," she encouraged, rubbing her head, not seeming to notice the hellpup was embarrassed by her tumble. The imp just rubbed her head and said: "Try not to swing so wildly, that's how you lose your footing and end up getting your face on the floor. Come on, let's try again."
Cyra meekly resumed her stance and threw another punch. This one was slower, which made it even easier for Millie to block. "Come one, kid, don't punch too slowly either; that'll make you easy to read and open. Try to find a good middle ground." When the pup tried to follow up with another punch, it was blocked and the imp easily knocked her. "Don't try the same attack too often, you'll get predictable." She then tried to kick, only to trip from the attempt, and fall back to the ground. "Watch your footing and don't swing too wide. In my experience, you shouldn't kick unless you can hit the target, or you'll just fall over."
This went on for a while; Cyra attempted an attack only for Millie to expertly block or dodge it, often causing the hellpup to tumble and fall. Often the imp would try to give her some advice, Cyra following as best she could, but it did little to help. By the time she'd taken her 17th fall, she was sweaty, tired, and defeated. Instead of getting back up, she lay on the mat with a tired frown. Millie offered her a hand, but the hellhound refused. The hellpup just kept lying there, until she eventually got up herself, looking defeated.
The imp watched her go confused and a little concerned. From the sidelines, Loona slowly clapped at the fight with a pointed stare. It only made the imp more irritate. "Wow. Congratulations Millie, you successfully managed to beat up and demoralize a 7-year-old. You must very be a proud, noble kind down there in Wrath."
"Go piss on a hydrant, bitch," the imp glowered back, flashing the hellhound two fingers as she walked past her. Cyra's tried frown grew deeper by her comment, a brief flash of anger coming through. The imp didn't notice as she lead Cyra to a different part of the room. "Come on, that's enough fighting for now. I think it's your sister's turn to teach you a bit of gunplay." Millie glared at Loona as she lead the trio.
Walking into the shooting range, Cyra flinched and whined at the numerous bangs and sounds of guns being fired. Even at a distance, the loud shots were ringing in her ears. It hadn't been the first time she had heard the sound of gunfire, she had encountered it several times while living in the streets and even a few times since living with Blitzo, but the hellpup was still not used to the loud bangs.
"Here," Loona's voice called out, as a pair of earmuffs were dropped into the hellpup's hands. "This should help with the sound."
Cyra quickly put them on, and the noise indeed died down a bit. Enough for it not to be too long for her. Cyra smiled at Loona. "Thanks. I feel better now."
Loona gave a small nod in acknowledgment, as she lead the hellpup to an open section, Millie watching a few feet away. The imp was not a gun enthusiast in any form, that was her husband's forte, but she still wanted to cheer the girl on for this. The older hellhound pulled out a small pistol, just big enough for a child, and handed it to the hellpup, Cyra nearly dropping it from the unexpected weight. Loona bent down to her size and went to show her how to handle it properly, making sure she didn't accidentally shoot any of them. She gave her a pair of safety goggles, putting some on herself, and casually explained to the kid:
"Okay. Now, just keep a tight hold on the handle and make sure you keep it steady. Make sure you don't aim it at anyone other than the paper. And don't cry if you miss. One get's it right the first time. Just take a breath, brace for the recoil, and when you're ready pull the trigger," The young hellhound nodded, understanding the straightforward lessons from her sister. The target, a typical silhouetted paper printout, was a few feet away from her. Eying it casually, Cyra lifted the gun, following her sister's instructions best she could, and carefully tugged at the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The bullets flew out of the chamber, and Cyra cried at the sound, instinctively closing her eyes. Even with her earmuffs, at this close, the sound was stinging her eardrums and the recoil made her hands sting from the sudden shock. Opening her eyes, she saw that, even at a close range, she had missed. Only one bullet managed to hit, the very edge of the paper.
The hellpup whimpered. She didn't like using a gun. It felt like nothing from the games or shows she had watched. It was heavy, too loud, the shock was too much. She tossed the weapon aside, took off her earmuff, and turned to Loona. "I don't wanna use guns anymore. Can we go soon?"
Loona could instantly sense Cyra's shaken state, and with a quiet nod went to pick up the gun. "Sure thing kid. That's enough training for the day."
Millie, however, grabbed the gun from the hellhound's grip and glared defiantly at Loona. "Oh no, you ain't!" She turned to the still shaken Cyra, slowly offering the gun back to her, with a comforting smile "Come on kiddo. I know it's scary at first, but you'll get used to it."
The hellpup did not look interested in accepting the pistol. And she didn't have to, as Loona stepped in and took the gun from the imp's hand. "Don't you have eyes? She's obviously not interested in guns."
Millie scowled at the hellhound's intrusion, glaring at her annoyed. "Stop being a bitch." She added an extra emphasis on the word, not noticing the hellpup looking uncomfortable by it. "It's just her first time. It's like riding a bike or gutting a pig. If you just let her give up, she'll never pick it up again. Have some fucking faith for once! We went through way worse at the farm."
"Yeah, well this isn't your shithole farm, and she isn't you," Loona countered fiercely. "And she's made it perfectly clear, she doesn't want to do this anymore. I'm calling it quits."
"Fucking puh-lease!" the imp scoffed. "Don't pretend like you're doing this for Cyra's sake. You just wanna close the day early, so you can be lazy and do whatever shit it is you do after work! You don't care about her at all, you lousy mutt!"
"Um, M-M-Mrs. Millie, please don't call-"
Loona chuckled darkly at the accusation, while Cyra looked hurt and a little angry. The imp was mostly correct, but that didn't stop Loona from firing back. "What, and you're some kind of mother Theresa? You ain't any better yourself. You've done nothing but beat up that kid, and pretty much ruin her self-esteem since we got here. I wouldn't be surprised, if she's too scared to even make a fist, after all, you did to her."
Millie grabbed Loona by the shirt, much to the hellhound's surprise, and pulled her down to her level, now furious. "It's called training. I'm helping her learn to fight the proper way. Which is much more, than you ever did to her you hellhound BITCH!"
"P-Please stop-"
With an angered growl, Loona pushed her off and retorted: "Yeah, because constantly knocking her on the ground, and telling her all the different ways she's screwing up and isn't good, is a perfect way to teach a child with low self-esteem. If you actually cared about her, you would notice how miserable and shitty she's been feeling since all of this started! Admit it, you just wanted an easy win and an excuse to tear another hellhound down a peg."
"How fucking dare you! I care more about her than you ever have. You don't give two shits about anyone other than yourself! You have no damn right, to lecture me on caring about anyone, you self-centered, spoiled, bratty, tryhard, no tit, heartless, flearidden, mongrel hellhound BITCH!"
"STOP IT!" A young voice suddenly cried. Both women turned to see Cyra, the hellpup looking directly at Millie with a hurt look, and angry, bitter tears starting to well up, all the things said by the imp, on top of the tiresome day finally breaking out her bottled-up anger. "Stop calling us that! Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!"
Both of them looked shocked by her sudden uncharacteristic outburst, the imp was especially taken aback by the way it was pointed right at her. This was the first time either of them had heard Cyra snap like this towards anyone. Neither could form any words, as the hellpup then bolted out of the room before anyone could stop her. The two watched her disappear, in silence. Loona was the first to recover, letting out a small bitter chuckle. "Guess, you don't care about her as much as you think."
Millie finally blinked away the initial shock. "What the hell just happened?" She quietly asked no one, as she racked her brains, trying to figure out what went wrong. Finally, she just turned accusingly to Loona. "What did you do?"
Loona laughed in disbelief at the imp's utter gall. "Wow, seriously? Even now, you're blaming me? I think she made it quite clear why she's upset." When Millie did seem to catch on, the hellhound scoffed. "Fine, let me be blunt. It's what you called me and by extension her. Mutt. Mongrel. Bitch. Hellhound."
"What?" The imp asked confused. "What the hell are you talking about? I was clearly just talking about you. Cyra's a smart kid, she knows that!"
"Like that makes it any better?" Loona scowled with an angry growl. "And does she? And is it just me? I've seen the way she reacts when you use the word within earshot of her. Just because it's targeted towards me, doesn't mean she's not hurt by it. Do you know how often hellhounds like her, like me, get called shit like that from prejudiced assfucks daily?! I've had to endure it my whole life, and even now, I'm not safe from it, not even from you. And neither is Cyra."
"Are you fucking serious, trying to make me the bad guy here?" Millie scoffed flabbergasted by the accusation before her eyes narrowed angrily at the hellhound. "Need I remind you, you've been nothing but cold, uncaring and bitchy towards that little girl, since the day you arrived? Not to mention, Blitz, us, and almost everyone you meet? You ain't even given her a chance! She's a fucking kid for crying out loud!"
"Hey, will you ladies keep it the fuck down already?! You made me miss a shot!" A rare large sinner shouted from across the room.
"MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS, ASSHOLE!" Both women exclaimed in unison, Loona even shoot him through the head for the interruption, quickly prompting the other demons to keep quiet. After which Loona responded.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm an asshole and dick." She acknowledged without a hint of trying to defend herself. "I'll be the first to admit that. Sure, I'm lazy, I drink at work, I don't like any of you guys most of the time and I'm tough and mean to your husband and Blitz. Even if they're assassins, and worse daily at the field." And then her frown deepened as she glared angrily at the imp. "But, I don't go around calling you all a bunch of lizards or vermin or greedy little gremlins or inbred hicks or dumb-as-yolk farmers. Know why? Because when you've lived your whole life hearing every insult and derogatory and racist shit that gets thrown our way, from xenophobic bastards who get off on picking on hellhounds because it makes them feel like a man and they can't fathom us being on the same level as them, we know just how much that fucking stings. How much it hurts to be constantly reminded of what you are, how other people see you, and how there's nothing you can do to change it. Sure, I'm a bastard, but I know where the line is. Unlike you apparently."
Millie clapped sarcastically. "Well congratulations, you're tolerant. Have a prize for basic fucking decency," She complimented sarcastically, before scowling again. "That totally makes up for the fact, that you're a lazy prick who doesn't give two shits about us most of the time."
"You forget the point. Just because I'm a horrible person to others, doesn't give you a free pass on being a racist prick," Loona pressed on, just as angry as her coworker. "Sure, I deserve it, but what about the other hellhounds huh? What about Cyra, who has to constantly listen to the shit that comes out of your mouth? Does she deserve it? Do you think, she likes it, when one of the people she's supposed to trust calls me and her racist shit, she gets from all the bullies at school and the other demons in Hell; knowing that for all your supposed kindness, you're just another one of the hundreds of prejudiced assholes who see her and all other hellhounds as nothing more than dogs; pets to be owned and trained?"
"Wha-how dare you. I ain't anything like those assholes yah hear?" Millie exclaimed furiously at the accusation. "I, know hellhounds are people! That you have rights and feelings just like other demons and deserve to be free, allowed to go where ever they want, and not bound to other people. You don't see me, sending strays back to the kennel just cause they don't like the people they work for or if they're not serving under someone. I fucking beat up that manager, for not letting you guys in remember? I'm nothing like the other bastards out there!"
Loona was not impressed and pressed on coldly. "A bigot is still a bigot. Just because you're slightly better than most of hell doesn't mean you're not prejudiced against us. The things you call us? The lack of care you have towards us? You may not be sending us to kennels, but you don't seem to care about hellhounds, given how you've been talking to us. Because here's a little tip, calling us strays is the last thing any of us want to be called."
"Okay, now you're just blowing this out of proportion. Of course, I see hellhounds as people!" Millie cried defensively.
"Okay, then answer me one question," said Loona calmly.
"Certainly," answered Millie determined.
"When was the last time you called me by name?"
"Easy. I did that just…" Began Millie. But as she tried remembering, she couldn't recall when she had last called her Loona.
"Well? When was it?" Loona coldly asked, after a long beat. The imp didn't respond as she kept on searching. "What's the matter? It's an easy question." It almost sounded like she was taunting her by this point."We've worked together for two or so years, right? Shouldn't be too hard for you to figure out."
"I-I…" The imp attempted to stall. Loona wasn't having it and repeated her question one last time:
"When. Did you last. Call me. By name? Mildred?"
The imp didn't answer, racking her brain to find any instance where she had referred to Loona, not as bitch or Blitzo's hellhound, but by her name. She couldn't think of one. Even during their first introduction, before she started disliking her, she had regarded her more as his dog than her person. The realization dawned on her, causing a shocked and somber Millie to look away in regret, admitting defeat.
"Yeah, that's what fucking thought. " Loona said, crossing her arms and with an accusing glare at the imp. She was not pleased with her small victory. Secretly, she had kinda hoped Millie would've remembered something she had not. The hellhound sighed, sniffed the air, and started to walk away. "I'm gonna go check on the kid. Smell's like she's alone in the changing room; gotta make sure there are no other pricks trying anything to her."
"W-wait!" Millie suddenly called out. "Let me do it." Loona turned to the imp annoyed. She thought of snarking back, but Millie looked at her pleadingly and still regretful as she sadly begged. "You're right. I've been awful. I've hurt her and you for so long, and even known. I have to make it up to her somehow. After all I've done, she deserves that at least." The hellhound looked at her tentatively, then once she was sure the imp was serious, she nodded. The imp ran towards the changing room, hoping it wasn't too late.
Millie found Cyra in the room, curled up by herself in the corner, back in her hoodie with her hood drawn over her face. Thankfully for both of them, there wasn't anyone else in the room at the moment, just the two of them. "Cyra?" Millie called out concerned. When she didn't respond, the imp tried again a little louder. "Cyra, can we talk?"
"Leave me alone," a quiet almost whisper responded from the corner, her voice sounding tired and hurt. Millie didn't come closer, but didn't leave either; the imp standing there quietly still determined to make it right.
"Cyra, please. I'm sorry. I so am sorry for everything I said," A Millie started to apologize, but still trying to defend herself. "I didn't think it was that bad. Or that it was so hurtful to you all. I never meant it like that honest. It's just…that's the norm down here. After a while, you stop noticing you're doing it-"
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT OKAY!" Cyra cried out in an angry scream, turning to the imp with a furious, hurt look, her purple eyes now a redder shade from crying. "Everybody in Hell treats me like that! Treats US like that! E-e-everyone thinks t-tha-that's all I am! A dumb mutt, a wild stray, a bitch, h-h-hellhound! And there's nothing I can do about it! D-do you think that too? I-I-I thought we were friends." The hellpup looked at Millie betrayed, her eyes starting to tear up at this point, before turning away.
"No! Nonono, of course, I don't! I-It's just…that's just-I mean…I thought I didn't." Millie tried to explain herself, but soon realized she had no good reasoning for what she was saying.
A choked sub escaped the hellpup's mouth. "I never asked to be a hellhound, okay? I never asked to be made."
The imp started in horror at hearing Cyra's words, her heart breaking in two. She felt disgusted with herself. At what she had done. All this time, how could she have missed this? It took a long while, to say anything again. "You're right. I've fucked up royal. I've hurt you and Loona. And probably some other hellhounds too. And…I'm sorry." The imp admitted sadly but sincerely, looking to the floor in shame.
Cyra didn't respond, continuing to bury herself in her hood, but the imp noticed her tail twitch slightly at her apology. Even the tops of her hood peaked up a little. Slowly Millie walked over to the hellpup. Cyra seemed to hear her but didn't make any moves to stop her. The imp continued, until she was almost next to her, crouching down to the pup's level.
"Can…can you explain to me, why you hate being called that? Hellhound I mean?" She asked the pup softly, before quickly clarifying. "I don't mean to be rude, I just wanna understand. Why does it hurt, when other demons call you that? I mean, you guys are hellhounds aren't you? You must've called each other like that at some point. Right?"
After a long beat of silence, Cyra explained. "…I…I think we do. But, usually, w-when imps and most other creatures call us that, it's because they think we're not like them. That we belong to other people. T-that we're not…really people. Just pets."
"That…that sounds, horrible," Millie said out loud. Cyra quietly nodded, "And, you've heard this a lot? From who?"
"Everyone!" Cyra cried out frustrated, finally turning to Millie again. "All the kids at my school except Abby. All the other teachers, except Ms. Mayberry. People on the street. In shops and other places. Everyone who tried to adopt me. And everyone from my old orphanages. They all thought I was going to bite them or hurt them…and the ones that didn't were always calling me those horrible things and pretending I was a dumb animal. Just someone else's pet. Even the grown-ups didn't like me. They didn't do anything to stop it! I just…" she stopped to fight back a choke, tears slowly falling before continuing: "No matter where I go, it's always the same."
"Oh my Satan, Cyra. I'm sorry, I…I never realized. Why didn't you do anything sooner? I said so many awful things to yah," Millie said guilt-ridden.
"I wanted to. But whenever I tried the last time, they always hurt me. Until, Mr. Blitz, and big sister Loona, and Mr. Moxxie, and Mrs. Mayberry, and Abigale and her family, I didn't have anyone who cared about me. Who didn't see me as an animal, but as a person," Cyra answered quietly, slowly turning to face Millie, but not looking her in the eye.
"Well, for what little it's worth right now, I never thought you were an animal. You're a good kid Cyra. A smart, kinda, wonderful girl. And I'm sorry that for so long, I've made you think otherwise," Millie told her sincerely.
Cautiously Cyra finally turned to look at her. The hellpup's expression was still sad, but not as hurt or angry as it once was. Which made Millie just the slightest bit hopeful. "But, then why did you keep doing it?" She asked the imp confused. "And why do you do it to Loona?! She hates it when you do that! I've seen how angry she gets."
"I don't have a good excuse for that," Millie admitted guilty. "Honestly, most of the time, I didn't think I was doing it just cause of prejudice and the like. I mostly just did it, as a payback for how she treated us; and especially Moxxie. She was always yelling at him, disrespecting him and unlike your dad, it didn't seem as playful. More spiteful. I couldn't exactly punch her, being the boss' daughter and all, so when I noticed she disliked being called that stuff, I did it as a small payback for her attitude. Just a bit of pettiness, to get back at her. And, I guess I never realized how awful that was…or how much I was doing it more casual-like, so I never stopped. It just…stuck. Until now."
"I…I guess I can understand a little," Cyra answered, before frowning back at her. "But that still doesn't make it okay. You can't just say stuff like that to her. You're supposed to be her friend! And you call her those bad things!"
"I know and all but-you see we're not-Loona and I-" Millie tried her best to explain herself in a good way, before finally taking a breath and being completely honest. "Kid, I hate to tell yah, but your sister's kind of a piece of shit, most of the time," said the imp bluntly. "I mean, I know she's your adopted sister and all, but you can't not notice how she treats you and everyone else most of the time, right?"
Cyra took a while to answer, thinking on the imp's word, eventually shrugging and answering: "I mean…Loona is pretty mean towards Mr. Moxxie a lot. And sometimes she's mad at Mr. Blitz. And I guess she's not always the best big sister," the hellpup said the last part with a disappointed frown before she smiled a little. "But…Loona's also nice to me. You know, when I was first adopted she brushed my hair? She spent like an hour on it. She even cleaned it, got rid of all the knots, and made it look and smell really nice and soft." Cyra grabbed a hold of her hair and brushed it happily. "No one ever did something like that to me before. At least…not since mom and dad…"
She shook away her brief sadness and she continued. "And it's not just that. She helped me how to escape those bullies at my school. And that's how I met my best friend Abby! And she plays with me at home, along with Mr. Blitz." Cyra continued listing the very few but fond memories she had with Loona. All the while Millie just sat by and listened quietly, learning about this new, rarely seen side of Loona, which made Cyra so happy. "Loona my sister. The first sister I've had. I want her to like me. I'm sure she will. She's just not used to me is all."
"I don't know," Millie sighed unsurely. "I've worked with her for years now, and I've never seen her attitude improve in all that time. Except when it's a hot boy."
"Maybe, you two just need to hang out more?" Cyra suggested innocently, like that would fix everything. "You might like her a lot more. And, maybe realize she's better than you think she is. I know she's mean, but try to give her a chance okay? I think you two would get along if you did."
Despite it being a very childish and naive idea, Millie considered it in her head. She had to admit until Cyra came along she and Loona hardly ever interacted much. The imp had considered maybe getting coffee with her when she & Moxie were first introduced, but those plans had dashed after she noticed her attitude. After that, the two had just been angry and cold to each other during work hours, without trying to learn more about the other. The imp doubted it would work, but she could try and give it a shot. If only for Cyra. "Okay, I'll try." She chuckled lightly. "May as well start now." She turned to the door. "Loona! I know you're out there. Come on in, I've got something I need to tell you both."
Sure enough, the older hellhound stepped through the door, a blank but curious expression on her face as she walked towards the pup and imp. Millie rose to her feet and cleared her throat.
"Alright, before I start, I have to admit, I ain't too fond of you. I think the way you treat everyone, especially your family is absolutely unacceptable," The imp stared out harshly, before she turned guilty and ashamed as she then continued softly: "But I realize now, I haven't been too kind to you either. And to Cyra as well. I've said a lot of bad, offensive, racist shit I shouldn't have, and in doing so I've hurt you both in various ways."
"Wow. It only took hurting a child's feelings for you to realize that. You aren't very bright are you?" The hellhound laughed bitterly.
Millie wanted to break the hellhound's teeth at the remark. But thankfully, she felt a supportive hand hold her own, which helped to calm her down. It was from Cyra, the hellpup looking at her to go on. With that the imp said, starting with an apology: "Loona, I'm sorry." The older hellhound paused, taken by the imp's use of her name. Millie continued with absolute sincerity, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "And I'm sorry to you too Cyra. I'm sorry for the things I've said and the way I've treated you both. For making you feel like pets or some kind of animal. For making you feel you were anything less, than what you were. There's no excuse for what I did and for how long I've been doing it. I understand if neither of you wants to forgive me; Satan knows I never would if that shit ever happened to me. But for whatever little amount it is worth…I am so sorry. And I promise going forward, I'll never let it happen again. And I will do whatever it takes, to make it up to you both."
Loona didn't say a word at first, just staring at the imp in disbelief at her very sincere apology. The hellhound didn't know what to say, she was so caught off guard. Finally, with a small frown, she firmly spoke: "You better mean that part about it never happening again, or I'll never fucking forgive you for it. Those were some nice words, but they mean all of jack and shit if you don't put the effort into actually improving yourself. And you have a lot of improving to do." And then, her anger melted into a tiny but soft look as she gave Millie a nod in approval. "But, I guess this is a good start so far, so thanks for the apology. I'm not fully forgiving you yet, but I'm glad to hear that shit's over."
"I understand." Millie smiled back with her own soft look, all the while Cyra sat behind them with a sad smile as she wiped away her tears. "But, you know that swings both ways right?" Millie then said with a small frown to Loona. "I still don't like you, but that's because of how you treat other people. Like my husband, your sister, and especially your dad. You deserve to be treated like a person with feelings and wants, and so do they. And if you care even the slightest bit about us, I hope you'll try to improve too."
The hellhound wanted to argue but stopped as she knew the imp was right. So she nodded and agreed. "…Alright, fair enough. I promise to try my best to be less of a dick to you and your husband…and the kid and I guess Blitz from now on. I'll just target that asshole by the coffee place, who keeps looking at my ass."
"Glad to hear it," Millie said happily, offering Loona her hand. With a roll of her eyes, the older hellhound shook it, sealing their unspoken agreement. After which, Millie turned to Cyra, the hellpup still sitting on the ground, and extended her hand, with a small hopeful smile. At first, the imp was worried Cyra wouldn't take it and that she had ruined things, but as she wiped the last of her tears, the hellpup tentatively accepted it, climbing back up to her feet. Then, with one final sob, she involved Millie with a thankful hug. The imp stood there surprised, not expecting the sudden weight of the larger Cyra on her, but it didn't take long for her to return the gesture, with a soft, tearful smile.
"Come on girls, let's get showered and head home."
When the trio exited the locker room, they were tired, and worn out but also refreshed and mostly satisfied with how everything turned out. It was right as they exited the building, that Millie turned to Cyra. "H-hey, one more thing Cyra. I'm sorry, if I was a bit too hard on you, during the training. I guess I don't know when to reign in my Wrath roots after all. I should've noticed, you weren't enjoying it."
"It's okay, Ms. Millie. You were just trying to help and I should've said, I was enjoying it," Cyra answered calmly. "Sorry, I wasn't so good at the fighting stuff."
"What? No, kid don't you dare say shit like that about yourself. You did great for your first try," Millie insisted with a proud look.
"W-what?" the hellpup said confused. "But-but, I-I-I couldn't even touch you; you were easily dodging my punches and I kept falling over and you were always beating me!"
"Well, of course, I did. I've been fighting since I was four years younger than you. And look where I am now! And imagine where you'll be, after a few more sessions like this." Millie insisted with excited and prideful encouragement, even taking a moment to quote her own Pa. "This'll all be rough at first cause your new and all, but as you go one, you'll get used to it. And as you do, you'll only grow stronger, tougher, and much bigger ass kicker and murder machine!" It was then Millie realized she was starting to get a bit carried away, reeling in her excitement, and continued more calmly. "I mean…if you still want to. I know you didn't enjoy my training style. I promise to try and reel it in next. We can start with dummies or punching bags as you asked. Or if you don't want me training you anymore, that's fine. I won't blame yah, one bit. Not after a day like this."
Cyra thought about it, still, a bit confused but blushing from the praise. She hadn't enjoyed Millie's training style. It had been way too rough for her liking, and she felt like a failure by the end of it. Almost enough for her to wanna quit fighting altogether. But, a part of her, mostly from Abby's previous encouragement from before, still wanted to try and learn more. And Millie had promised to be more gentle with her. She seemed to know a lot, and now that she wasn't going to say all that mean stuff about her and Loona, maybe things would go better from now on. After thinking about it for a while, the hellpup made up her mind. "I…I think I wanna keep training," she said, making Millie thrilled. "Just, promise me you won't be so rough from now on, okay?"
"Of course." Millie happily agreed. It was then, that a thought popped into her head. "You know Cyra, we still have a lot of time to ourselves before the boys finish up work and the day's over. How do you wanna spend the rest of it? It can be anything you want. All my treat."
Cyra beamed up instantly. She already had the perfect idea in mind.
"Awwww, ain't you a good little hog? Yes, you are. Yes, you are," Millie cooed, as she happily rubbed the belly of the fat feral hell hog, as it deeply squeaked under her touch. Millie had to admit, this wasn't usually how she'd spend her time for fun, but she was enjoying herself. It reminded her of the hogs she'd pet at her old farm…before she pierced their skulls and hacked them up for dinner.
A few feet away from her, was a very annoyed Loona, on her phone while swatting away at the nearby grizzly bear lazily chewing on her tube socks with a growl: "Of all the places the kid could've picked…and she went with the Satan-forsaken petting zoo! Ugh, these were my favorite socks."
"Oh come on Loona, would it kill you to lighten up a bit?" Millie rolled her eyes, as she turned to the third member of the group, with a small smile. "After all, she's having the time of her life. Ain't that what's important right now?"
The young hellpup was out inside an accessible enclosure, with the group of Thylacines inside. Cyra gently stroked the back of the stripped marsupial, while she feed one of them some raw cat meat. The young child didn't say a word but just beamed as bright as the sun; having spent the latter part of the day with the animals at the zoo. It was like being in Heaven.
Loona's mood didn't seem to change at the sight, simply turning to her phone with a small: "Whatever." She pulled the phone up close, to try and hide the microscopic upward turn of her frown.
Millie just ignored her as she smiled fondly at the sight, content to watch the young girl being so happy after a long, hard, stressful but still fruitful start. It had gone pretty rough, but today had been a good day.
Ever since chapter 5, I really wanted to give Millie some time to shine. Despite her slightly negative portrayal here, I do honestly love her. I love the idea of her being the heart of the team, being the one to keep everyone together despite how much they all hate each other. And I adored the idea of making her Cyra's other mentor besides Abigale, teaching her stuff the young imp cannot. But I also wanted to give her some flaws, like making her a bit oblivious in her excitement and Wrath upbringing and mostly her tense relationship with Loona.
I always took notice of how Millie never called Loona by her name, simply referring to her as "our only hellhound" or "his hellhound." I don't know if it's just me reading too deeply into things, but I always read that as her being, at least unconsciously, racist towards her seeing her as more of a pet than a person. And I wanted to explore more of that here. I actually had planned something similar to this way back in Chapter 5. But I didn't want to drag things out and wanted to give it the full focus it deserved, so I made it its own chapter. I hope I did a good enough job, exploring the subject with enough tact. I wanted to try and treat it as best I could, without basing it on any real-world prejudices. Hopefully, I didn't offend anyone.
