Chapter 2

She hated going to grown-up parties. They were just so boring!

She was sneaking off to one of the balconies at the royal palace, leaving all of the stiff adults behind her. They seemed to completely misunderstand what a party was supposed to be. Everybody knew that parties were about singing songs, and eating lots of cake and cookies and opening presents and drinking punch. There weren't even any clowns!

No, instead they just stood around talking about boring things, drinking boring drinks and dancing boring dances while she was forced to stay still and act all 'lady-like'. Fooey! The clothes made it even worse, as she was realizing trying to not make any noise.

Oh, it wasn't that she disliked the pretty dresses that daddy would pick out for her. He would always help her tie her sashes and put on her makeup. "You'll be the cutest thing at the Ball, my little owlette!", he'd say as he booped her beak.

But they were always so big and heavy! She always felt like she was being crushed under a big heavy blanket. The skirts were so big and wide that she could barely fit through a door (especially now), and there were so many kinds of lacing and patterns in the fabrics that she felt like she was swimming through a pile of leaves.

It was all far too exhausting for a little girl like her to handle! Even daddy didn't have time to play with her, spending all his time with her aunts and uncles and talking with the King and Queen.

And mum...well, she was hardly in the picture at all. After talking to the Queen she disappeared with Uncle Andrealphus and her friends. And grandpa was even more invisible.

But at least outside, by herself, she could maybe get some air. Maybe play shooting star and whoosh around the balconies.

She'd love to see the actual stars…

She slowly pushed open the patio door and slowly slid through as big a crack as she could make...or at least, that was the plan.

But she didn't plan on the small bell that was attached over the door's threshold chiming as she opened it.

She also wasn't planning on seeing someone else.

"Hmmm?"

On the balcony, her head resting on her elbows leaning on the balcony rails, was a tall girl with blond hair tied tightly into a bun. She had big eyes, rosy red cheeks, a little black button nose and black painted fingernails on her white hands. She was white all over, from her skin to the dress and tiara she was wearing. A pair of long white gloves that she had presumably been wearing that evening were slung haphazardly over the railing.

Her head turned to the source of the noise.

"Oh, hey! You're….Octavia, right? Uncle Stolas's little girl?"

She walked towards her, her slippers clacking against the marble. She bent down to look at her.

The little owl's eyes grew big. "You...you're Princess Charlotte!".

"Um...yeah. I suppose I am." The tall girl blushed lightly, which made her cheeks even rosier. "But, what are you doing out here sweety?"

The little owl blinked. Then she irritably puffed up her feathery cheeks.

"I'm so bored!", she nearly cried. "Daddy is so busy talking with everyone and he won't play with me! He keeps telling me to stand still and be lady-like! How can I be lady-like when…"

She was interrupted by the tall girl's laughter.

"My goodness! Well, we seem to have that in common don't we?", she said.

"Your daddy won't play with you either?", the little owl asked.

"Well...in a way. Being a Princess can be pretty boring too. Dad has always wanted to dote on me, but being King can be…"

She sighed a little before clapping her hands together. "Anyway, this won't do! We deserve to have a little fun, don't we?"

The little owl laughed. "Yeah! Phooey on those grown-ups!"

She smiled. It was the warmest, most comforting smile she had ever seen….well, compared to daddy's.

The tall girl extended her hand. "Come on, let's go to my room. You want to see my dollhouse?"

The little owl cocked her head to the side. "What's so special about a dollhouse?"

The tall girl's smile extended even further. "It's almost as big as this house.", she said. "I even have some stuffed animals you'll love to meet. They can play the piano!"

The little owl blinked her big eyes. She grinned as she reached up and took the tall girls' hand as they made their way back inside.

And that was how Charlie, nee Princess Charlotte Magne and daughter of Lucifer Magne the First, had her first meeting with…

"Octavia, sweety! How are you?!"

The owl girl wasn't able to respond. She was too busy being smothered by Charlie's kisses.

"For fuck's sake, Charlie! Let the poor girl breath!". Vaggie said, trying to contain her giggling.

The Princess gave the owl girl one last extended smooch on the forehead before finally pulling away. "Oh my gosh! Just look at you! Look at how you've grown!"

Octavia was a young woman, a Goetian, of roughly late teens or early 20s. Like many of her family, she was a Bird-demon with gray feathers and a white, mask-like face and black beak. She was wearing a black shawl over a pink dress that was marked with yellow stars, along with black leggings and black-heeled boots. She wore a black beanie on her head, with what appeared to be a tiara-like pattern stitched on it. In her right arm, she held what appeared to be a large, leather-bound book.

Octavia awkwardly answered back. "Yeah, and you…"

Her bright pink eyes looked the grinning Princess over.

"...haven't changed a bit. Amazing."

"Whoa whoa, hold the fuckin' phone here…"

Angel Dust charged in between the two and pointed a finger at Octavia. "Octavia? As in Octavia Goetia?"

She raised a curious eyebrow. "...Yeah?"

"As in Octavia Goetia, daughter of motherfucking Prince Stolas Goetia?"

Vaggie grinned. "And I thought you weren't big on politics, Angel."

He sneered at her. "First of all Vags, go fuck yourself. Second of all…", he gestured wildly in Octavia's direction. "...What the fuck?!"

"What's the big fuckin' deal?", Husk said from behind the bar. "She's pretty normal as far as this place goes."

It was Vaggie who suddenly realized the implications.

"Wait, he's right." She stepped forward and put a hand on Octavia's shoulder. "Octavia, what are you doing here? Don't you have a security detail? Does your father even know where you are?"

She looked down at the floor, her beak irritably grimacing.

"I'm going to take a wild guess that the young lady has gone rogue, my dear!", a staticy voice announced.

From a nearby wall a green portal opened, with Alastor emerging from within, cheerily twirling his cane as he went.

Octavia's eyes shot wide with panic. "Oooooh no." she said as she slowly backed away, a finger pointed accusingly at him. "No no no, you stay far away from me, Radio Demon!"

Charlie rushed to separate them. "It's OK! He works for me!".

A staticy groan was heard.

"...OK, he works with me. Same difference. However…"

She put her arm around Octavia. "They do have a bit of a point, sweety. Are you OK? Is everything alright at home? I know you and your folks have been having some issues…"

The owl girl snorted angrily. "That's putting it bloody lightly."

Charlie sighed, still keeping the warm smile on her face. "I figured as much. Being the children of royalty is always so much drama, as I know all too well. So...what happened? They yelling at each other? Fighting over possessions?"

"My mum tried to have my father assassinated."

Charlie's eyes dilated.

"...Oh. Well then...that's….new."

"Ya sure about that?", Angel interjected. "Seems like something Hell royalty would do for fun."

"You're not helping, Angel", Vaggie answered irritably.

Octavia took a deep, soothing breath. "But that's not why I'm here. I had to sneak away because my father has other big issues...and he'd never let me come here with the Exorcism so close to happening."

"He ain't lyin', princess.", Angel said. "Ya really shouldn't be walkin' around dis city without some kind of guard."

Via held up the book. "I didn't walk, I teleported."

"Ya what now?"

Charlie snickered. "She is her father's daughter, I suppose. I guess you've learned to control it better."

Via grinned. "This one is my own personal grimoire. My father gifted it to me when I turned eighteen. He also taught me how to use it after an...incident a while back in the human world."

Angel poked his head in. "Say what?"

"Long story.", Charlie said, pushing Angel's head back. "But with all of that said: why did you come here? I mean, I'm happy to see you again…"

She looked at the grinning, big-eyed owl girl.

"...Oh who am I kidding, I'm very happy to see you again. I missed you so much!"

She embraced the young owl girl again, gripping her in her arms so strongly Via's eyes nearly buldged out of her head.

"Yes, yes, I'm also very happy to see you again…", Via managed to respond out of her squeezed windpipe before Charlie relented. "But the reason I'm here is because I need to speak with someone."

Charlie raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh, really? One of the guests here? We have quite a few."

"I'm...aware.", she said, looking around the lobby. By this point many of the other guests had wandered downstairs to see what the commotion was about. Lucille, Fern, and others had begun crowding around them. "But I'm looking for someone who worked for my father previously. She helped us find some stolen property?"

Lucille and Fern looked at each, before slowly looking over at Chay.

Shakie grinned as she touched Chay's shoulder. "That's your cue, detective.", she said.

Deep underneath Hell, beneath the shale, the brimstone, the rock and ash, the sewers of Hell carried its waste and refuse out of the city and into its bowels. Some of it would be picked apart by parasites, digested by mutated fish, and ultimately vomited out into the infernal seas.

Most of it, however, simply seemed to disappear, and no-one knew where exactly. Many of Hell's most devious counted on that.

It was down in these sewers, on a rickety catwalk, where two Sinners stood conversing while plucking objects from the corpses of mechanical Imps.

"We really should have gotten some of my men to do this themselves, Mr. Flynn", one said as he yanked a glowing shard from an abomination's neck and pushed the refuse into the abyss below. "They are more than capable, I assure you."

"I am sure they are, Mr. Bodfish.", said another Sinner as he plucked out yet another shard. "But I cannot trust anyone but ourselves for this task. Not this close to victory, and especially not with Vox's minions combing the city."

"You're not afraid of being caught, sir? I know we can hide from Vox, but your other operative was captured…"

"He had outlived his usefulness, Mr. Bodfish. We had already gotten the data necessary through his phone. The fact that his handler was also captured killed two birds with one stone."

Bodfish looked down at the abyss as he shoved another Imp corpse over the catwalk. "You don't think they'll talk?"

"They are thoroughly indoctrinated with The King In Yellow, Mr. Bodfish. But even if they did, it would be for naught. We hold all the cards now."

The Sinner reached into his pocket, and juggled around the small rock in his possession.

"It's going to be a full moon tomorrow, Mr. Bodfish.", he said grinning, his prickly teeth shining off of his orange skin.

"Indeed, Mr. Flynn.", said the other Sinner, smoothing out his black wool. "It will be glorious."

CHAPTER 2 END