The Winged Wolf
Written by catsamurai16.
An Idea from TalosLives.
Chapter 11: New Days, Old Problems
Jericho was running out of time. He had to do something, anything! He was running out of options. He paced in his room and tried to think of some way out. It was hopeless! He groaned and dropped onto his bed. It's over. He was going to die. Then there was a knock on his door.
"Come in," he said, almost hoping it was Death coming to claim him.
No such luck. Octavia opened the door and stuck her head in. She was wearing a simple crimson dress that went down past her knees. She had black jeans on with black tennis shoes. And of course she had on her usual beanie crown.
"Hey, Jeri," she said, "Dad and I are headed out to spend the day together. Do you need anything?"
"A swift death," Jericho thought, but said with a grumble, "No."
Octavia raised an eyebrow, "You okay?"
Jericho said, "Yeah. I'm fine. I just gotta go to work soon."
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked.
Jericho rolled onto his side, "I don't want to talk about it."
Octavia came in and sat down next to Jericho. She nudged his side.
"Come on, Jericho. Maybe I can help," she said, softly.
Jericho laid still for a moment. Then he sat up and looked at her.
"I'm having a… problem at work," he said.
"Is Blitzø going to make you go on missions while Moxxie and Millie are gone?" Octavia asked, "If the… work is too much, maybe you shouldn't-"
Jericho shook his head, "No, it's nothing like that. Blitzø's planning to just take Loona on missions with him. He's calling it their 'daddy-daughter time.' It's about… Loona."
Jericho flopped back on the bed. Octavia did her best to stifle a giggle.
"I don't know how to deal with her!" he said, "I've tried being nice and she keeps throwing it in my face. You're her friend. How did you get her to like you?"
Octavia said, " Well, when Loona and I first met, things were kinda awkward. I was a mess and she actually gave me some good advice."
Jericho looked at Octavia, "Loona? Our Loona? The Loona that has a habit of getting daytime drunk? She gave you good advice?"
Octavia shrugged and said, "Weirder things have happened. Anyway, it's a long story, but the short version is that I did something stupid and Loona set me straight. After that, we just kinda started hanging out. Even when our dads were at their worst, we had each other.
"What do you mean, worst?" Jericho asked.
Octavia pulled her knees onto the bed and wrapped her arms around them and looked away and said, "Never mind."
She turned to him and asked, "But what's going on with you and Loona now?"
Jericho said, "Well, with Moxxie and Millie leaving for their second honeymoon tomorrow, that means it's going to be just Blitzø, me, and her."
"So?." Octavia asked.
"So for one whole week I'm going to be stuck without my buffer zone with two people that hate me," Jericho said.
"Jericho, maybe you've been looking at the situation wrong," Octavia said.
Jericho asked, "What do you mean?"
Octavia said, "Blitzø's a crude guy. He has absolutely no problem telling anyone off or saying what's on his mind."
"I've noticed," Jericho said, nodding.
"So, how does he treat you? Octavia asked.
"He yells at me, insults me, and has an odd fascination with my weight," Jericho said.
"And how does he treat, oh say Moxxie?" Octavia said.
Jericho said, "Well, he-"
That's when something clicked in Jericho's head. He sat up and looked at Octavia. She was giving him a knowing smile.
"He treats Moxxie the same." Jericho finished.
Octavia smiled, "See? Maybe he likes you more than you think. As for Loona-"
"She could be doing the same thing!" Jericho said with a smile, "She does the same things with me and Moxxie."
Octavia said. "No, Loona hates you and Moxxie. She told me."
Jericho flopped back down on the bed in defeat. Octavia giggled.
"But there may be more to her than that too," Octavia said, "You know Blitzø adopted her, right?"
Jericho looked up and nodded.
Octavia looked at the floor. She said, "Don't tell her I told you this. You see, Loona was raised in a terrible orphanage. She had a very rough life."
"What happened to her?" Jericho asked, sitting up.
"Honestly, I don't know," Octavia said, "Loona only told me she had no one to trust. Not even the staff of the orphanage. And even when Blitzø adopted her, it took a long time for her to trust him."
Octavia looked at Jericho and put her hand on his shoulder, "I've known Loona long enough to know that she has heart under all that anger. Just be honest with her and give her some space. She'll come around eventually."
Jericho smiled. Octavia stood and walked towards the door.
As she left, she said, "Either that or she'll kill you."
Jericho walked into the lobby of the office building. Normally, he liked to open a portal right to the I.M.P. office, but he decided to take things slower to get his thoughts straightened out. Octavia had given him a few things to think about. If Blitzø really liked him, maybe things wouldn't be so bad with Moxxie and Millie gone for a week. He walked to the elevator and pressed the up button. He crossed his arms and waited. After a moment, the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside.
"Hold the elevator!" a woman shouted behind him.
Jericho turned and saw a succubus and a large hellhound running towards him. Jericho stopped the elevator doors from closing as they both got inside.
"Thanks," said the succubus, sounding pissed off, "Fifth floor."
Jericho pressed the button for the floor and stepped back to give them both some room. As the doors closed, he glanced at the succubus. She looked familiar. Her long pink hair was done up in a ponytail. She wore a red dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She tapped her black thigh high boots impatiently as the elevator moved. Her make-up was flawless. Black lipstick and perfectly done mascara. Yet she had an ugly scowl on her face as she grumbled angrily.
"Stupid fucking asshole. Can't even…Grr!" she said to herself.
She tossed her ponytail in anger. Jericho looked her over again. Whoever she was, she was pissed off about something. Maybe she wanted to hire I.M.P. for a hit. Their business had gone up after the Radio Demons announcement. Jericho looked over at the Hellhound. He was buff and tall. He had a good two or three feet on Jericho. He wore a blue vest over a black shirt. One of his eyes was blinded and had a scar over it. Jericho couldn't put his finger on it, but he could swear he'd seen this Hellhound somewhere. The elevator doors opened and sure enough, the succubus went straight for the I.M.P. office. Jericho and the other Hellhound followed behind. She reached the door and pounded on it with her fist.
"Open up, you fucktard!" she shouted, "I know you're in there, Blitzo!"
Jericho couldn't help but notice that she said the "O" in Blitzø's name almost like she was antagonizing him by doing it. Regardless, he stepped forward.
"Blitzø's not here yet. I'm usually the first one here," Jericho said.
The succubus glared at Jericho. She grabbed him by the collar and with surprising strength, she pinned him against the wall.
"You tell that immature feather-munching asshole to stay away from me and my crew this week! If he steps on foot in my office, I'll shove my foot so far up his ass he'll taste my nail polish! Understand?!" she shouted.
Jericho nodded fearfully. The succubus let him got and went to the other door.
"Watch the door, Tex," she said as she went inside.
Jericho cringed as she slammed the door hard. Jericho straightened his jacket. He looked at the other Hellhound.
"Bosses, huh?" the Hellhound said with a shrug.
"Yeah," Jericho said with a chuckle, "How long have you worked for her?"
The Hellhound said, "Close to two years now."
The Hellhound stuck his hand, "Vortex."
"Jericho," he said, taking Vortex's hand and shaking it.
"Like the city?" Vortex asked.
Jericho said, "Yeah."
They both stood in silence for a while. Jericho kept looking at Vortex. He was sure he'd seen him somewhere.
He asked, "So, besides being miss prissy bitches bodyguard, what else do you do?"
Vortex laughed, "Mainly just this. I got a few odd jobs around. Collecting debts, repo shit, y'know. The usual. You?"
"Well, I mainly work here," Jericho said, pointing to the I.M.P. office, "Most of the time, I do paperwork. But every so often, Blitzø needs me on a mission."
Vortex nodded, "Cool."
They both stood in silence again. Jericho looked over at Vortex. No. He was sure he had seen him somewhere before.
Vortex asked, "You work with Loona?"
Jericho said, "Yeah, unfortunately."
Vortex laughed, "Yeah. She seems like a tough nut to crack. But something tells me she's worth the effort."
"If you say so," Jericho said, "I've tried to be nice to her and just seem to piss her off more."
"You can't really blame anyone for not trusting 'nice.' Most of the time, when someone's nice it's cause they want something," Vortex said, "My advice to you is back off a bit. Give the girl some space."
"Yeah. I guess you're right," Jericho said.
Jericho leaned back against the wall and thought. Maybe Vortex was right and he needed to back off. It would at least give his arms a chance to heal the bruises from Loona punching him in the arm. Jericho glanced up at Vortex again. Vortex's good ear twitched and he scratched it. Jericho couldn't help but think he'd met Vortex from somewhere. Vortex looked back at Jericho.
"What?" Vortex asked.
Jericho said, "I'm sorry to keep staring at you, but I'm curious. Have we met before?"
Vortex shrugged, "Maybe."
"No, I'm sure of it. I've seen you somewhere before," Jericho said.
Vortex looked over Jericho slightly. Then Vortex noticed that he too felt like he'd seen Jericho before.
"Now that I really look at ya, yeah. I get the same feeling," Vortex said, " Have you ever been to 36th and Graham? The Bulk Gym?"
Jericho said, "No. Have you ever worked for the Goetia families?"
Vortex laughed, "Fuck, no. Maybe at a hound party? My girlfriend always has one planned."
Jericho shook his head, "No, I don't thin-"
Jericho's heart dropped into his tail. His eyes shot open in shock. He suddenly remembered where he'd seen Vortex before. He was the Hellhound he had hit with the beer bottle at the hound party where he met Loona.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Jericho thought, "What do I do?! What do I say?! This guy looks like he could tear me apart! Shit! Did I do that to his eye?! Shit-fuck!"
Vortex noticed Jericho's sudden change in demeanor.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Fuck-wha-huh?" Jericho said, fearfully, "Yeah, no…. I… uh. I just remembered that Blitzø needed me to uh… file something!"
Jericho pulled on the door to the office. But the door was still locked. Jericho tugged and turned but it was no use. Jericho turned back to Vortex who was watching him curiously.
"Well, it seems the door's still locked," Jericho said trying to sound calm, "So, I'll just stand here and wait for the others to get here."
"Fine," Vortex said, shrugging, "But are you sure you're okay?"
Jericho coughed, "Uh well-"
Jericho was interrupted by the elevator opening up. The Hellhounds looked down the hallway and saw Blitzø and Loona walk out.
"Mornin' kid!" Blitzø called out with a wave, "Get your shit together cause we got jobs waiting on us."
"That's great, Blitzø," Jericho said quickly, "Now just come down here and open up the door!"
"Keep your shirt on, kid. Let me-" Blitzø said, but stopped when he noticed Vortex. He crossed his arms and asked, "Let me guess, the skank tank working here again?"
"Uh-huh," Vortex said.
Blitzø groaned, "I can't believe this. The bitch barely worked this much around me when we were dating."
"Blitzø! Door! Open! Please!" Jericho said, panicking.
"Argh, Satan's left nut, fine!" Blitzø said.
Blitzø grumbled and walked over to the door. Jericho tried to remain calm. His ears and tail lowered as far as they could be. Vortex watched as Jericho was practically sweating. Loona was watching too. She looked between Vortex and Jericho. She smiled deviously and slipped her phone into her pocket. Then Blitzø got the door open, Jericho practically bolted inside.
"Nice meeting you, Vortex! Bye!" he shouted.
Blitzø rubbed his head, "The fucks all that about?"
He went inside himself, intending to tell Jericho he needed to show more respect. Loona walked over to Vortex.
"So, you met Jericho," she said, "What do you think about him?"
Vortex shrugged and said, "He seems okay. Got kinda nervous during our talk."
Loona smiled wider, "Did he? Why don't I go see what the problem is?"
Loona walked into the office herself. She nodded to Vortex and closed the door. Vortex wondered why she seemed so happy with how Jericho was acting. Vortex thought about their conversation. He wasn't as sociable as Selene was. He had a few friends before he met her, but she was the one who introduced him to new demons. Normally, at one of the hound parties. Had he met Jericho at one and something had happened? Suddenly, a scream came from the I.M.P. office. It was Jericho! Vortex stared at the office in confusion. He heard talking from inside.
"No! Please, don't! I'll do anything you want! Just don't tell him!" Jericho shouted.
Loona said, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't."
Jericho said, "I'll keep doing the paperwork even after Moxxie and Millie get back."
"You do most of it now anyway," Loona said.
Jericho whined, "I'll let you get one free punch in every day."
Loona hummed, "Eh, tempting, but no. I like it more when you don't know they're coming."
"Well….uh," Jericho said, "I could-"
Loona said, "I don't want to hear a word out of you unless it's important. Got it?"
"Deal!" Jericho said quickly.
"And I want a shopping spree for me and Octavia," Loona said.
"What?! But Octavia can buy whatever she wants!" Jericho said.
"And thanks to you, I can buy her what I want her to buy," Loona said.
"No!" Jericho said.
"Fine," Loona said.
Suddenly, the office door opened with Jericho and Loona standing there.
Loona said, "So, Vortex-"
"No!" Jericho yelled.
He rushed around her and slammed the door. Vortex raised an eyebrow at the scene.
Jericho said, "Fine, Fine! I'll do it."
"Good," Loona said.
After a second, Vortex heard Loona and Jericho walk away from the door. Vortex shrugged. He guessed he wasn't going to get to hear what was going on. But that didn't bother him. He just…
"Octavia?" he wondered to himself, "Why does that… ?"
Then, his good eye shot open. He remembered where he had seen Jericho. He was the Hellhound he saw guarding Princess Octavia a couple of months ago. Vortex looked back to the I.M.P. office. He remembered that the job had paid pretty good. It had been a temp job. He pulled out his phone and began to text.
"Hey. Is this job still going?" he texted.
He waited for a moment to answer. Nothing came up. He started to put his phone away when a text message came in.
It reads, "Only text in authorized format. And confirmed."
Vortex smiled and texted, "Located Subject A. Discovered name and place of employment."
After a moment, another text answered, "Observe Subject A. Do not interact unless necessary."
"Acknowledged," Vortex texted and put his phone away.
He smiled and thought, "I guess I'll be able to get Selene her gift earlier than I thought."
After checking to make sure he had packed everything they needed for the trip, Moxxie and Millie had taken a taxi to the elevator system to go to the Lust Ring. There they made their way to the Lust Ring elevator. Moxxie set their suitcases next to their seats. Millie sat down and smiled at Moxxie. He smiled back and sat next to her. They pulled each other close and leaned onto one another. This second honeymoon was going to be amazing!
The PA system announced, "Elevator 653 arriving in Lust. Enjoy your stay."
Millie jumped up and grabbed her suitcase. Moxxie grabbed his and they walked arm in arm out onto the streets of the Lust Ring. The outlet was close to the sex shops and porno rental stores. It was the only one close enough to the Burning Floor Towers without getting close to Ozzie's. Once they were on the street, Moxxie started to look for the surprise he had arranged.
Millie pulled him close, "Oh, Moxxie, I can't wait! This is going to be amazing!"
Moxxie smiled and kissed her cheek, "Yeah, it will. Now, where is it?"
Millie asked, "Where's what, honey?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Knotlastname?"
Moxxie and Millie turned around and saw a lady imp with a red suit jacket with white trim. She had white stockings that went up under the red skirt she was wearing. Her solid black horns curled above her shoulder length black hair.. She was holding a large bouquet of roses. She smiled and handed the flowers to Millie.
"My name's Becky. I'll be your driver tonight. This way, please," she said.
Millie asked, smiling, "You rented us a car?!"
"For the whole week and not just any car," Moxxie said.
Moxxie took Millie's hand and followed their driver. They walked up to a fire red limousine. The driver opened the door for them.
"A limo?!" Millie squealed, "Oh, Moxxie!"
She practically tackled him into the limo and started kissing his face. Becky peaked her into the door. The flowers were on the floor and Moxxie and Millie kissed each other and rolled around on the seat.
"Our service has a strict rule. No fucking in the limo," Becky said, and whispered with a sly smile, "Unless I can play too."
Neither of them heard her. They were both too preoccupied with making out. Becky smiled. She closed the door, put their suitcases in the trunk, and got into the driver's seat. The drive usually took only ten minutes. But every so often, Becky would look in the rear view mirror and watch the sexy little pair making out. She was a little disappointed that it's all they were doing. When they pulled up to the Burning Floor Towers, Becky pressed a button on her dashboard that read, "End Sexy Time." A jet of freezing cold air blasted into the back seat. Both Millie and Moxxie screamed in surprise. Becky giggled.
"Even their screams are cute," she thought.
She got out of the driver's seat and opened the door for the chilled imps. Moxxie and Millie jumped out of the limo, holding each other close to try and warm up.
Becky said, "Sorry about that, dears. Company policy."
"Y-you're not going to d-do that everytime we st-stop, are you?" Moxxie asked, shivering.
Becky said, " It depends how hot n' heavy you decide to get."
Becky got their suitcases and flowers while Moxxie and Millie looked at the Burning floor Towers. It was a 25 story solid white building with red and gold pillars. The hotel had an incubus doorman in a dark red uniform. Demons of all kinds were coming and going. Two imps in hotel uniforms similar to the doorman came and took the suitcases from Becky. Becky gave the bouquet to Millie and gave them both a seductive smile.
She said, "Just call and I'll be back for you both. Later, dears."
The imp couple turned and followed the bellhops inside. The lobby had crystal lights hanging from the ceiling. The tile floor had patterns that looked like it was on fire. The walls matched the red and gold color of the outside. Several paintings of various landscapes around the Rings hung on the wall. Millie was awestruck by a beautiful painting of the Harsh Waste Land in Wraith. The whole thing was incredible. Mille smiled at Moxxie and held onto his arm. They followed the bellhops to the desk. The desk clerk was a thin, dark furred Hellhound who wore a black business suit.
The Hellhound smiled at them and said, "Welcome to the Burning Floor Towers. How may I help you?"
"A reservation for Moxxie and Mildred Knotlastname," Moxxie said with a proud smile.
"One moment, sir," the Hellhound said.
The Hellhound began typing on his computer. Millie nuzzled her head to Moxxie's and he interwove his hand with hers.
The Hellhound said, "Yes, sir Mr. Knotlastname. I have you booked in our 'This is as Close to Heaven as You'll Ever Get' suite for seven days and six nights. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that's right," Moxxie said, beaming.
The Hellhound nodded, "Very good, sir. If you'll wait here for a moment."
The Hellhound walked toward the desk phone and dialed in a number.
Millie said, "Oh, Moxxie, my sister's are gonna be so jealous when I tell them about this place!"
Moxxie said, "You deserve all this luxury and more, Millie."
Millie hugged Moxxie as the Hellhound came back to them.
"Your suite is ready, sir. But before you go, the owner and the manager would like a word with you," the Hellhound said.
Moxxie was confused.
"I'm sorry, but why would they want to see us?" he asked.
The Hellhound said, "I'm not sure, sir. But here they come."
The Hellhound pointed behind them. Moxxie and Millie turned and saw two imps walking toward them. One was a taller male imp in a uniform suit of the hotel. He had a tall and slender build with pinkish skin that gave the impression he was a hybrid incubus. He had a goatee and his hair was slick back under his circular horns. The other was another male imp. He was close to Moxxie's height. He wore a black suit jacket and button up shirt. He had a blue tie with a heart shaped tie clip at the top. He wore black shades that hid his eyes. A scar ran down the right side of his face that went over his right eye. His horns were slightly mismatched. The one on his right side had the shiney look of a prosthetic. His hooves clicked as he got closer to them. As they got closer, the imp with the prosthetic horn opened his arms wide.
He smiled, "Mr. Knotlastname. Mrs. Knotlastname. Welcome to the Burning Floor Towers. My name's Paul Fleshfire and this is my manager, Steve Gorger."
He took Moxxie's hand and shook it.
Paul said, "I wanted to meet the imp couple that reserved our finest suite. You're both the first demons to book it."
"Really? But this place is so popular," Millie said.
Steve shrugged his shoulders and said, "Many demons in the Lust Ring are used to cheap back alleyway sex motels. A classy establishment like ours is still growing."
"And we're always happy when someone comes from another Ring to our hotel," Paul said, "Where are you folks from? Mrs. Knotlastname has a Wraith Ring accent, but where are you from, Mr. Knotlastname?"
Moxxie said, "I was born in Wraith, but we moved to Greed soon after. Then I moved to Pride and met my Millie."
Millie smiled at Moxxie. She didn't notice that Steve was staring at her breasts. Paul quickly nudged him.
Paul said, "That's so sweet. Anyway, I won't take anymore of your time. Steve here will take you to your suite and give you a tour. I'd love to come with you and see how you like the room, but I'm needed elsewhere. Treat them nice, Steve."
Paul turned and walked to a door behind the front desk. Steve smiled at Moxxie and Millie.
"Follow me, please," he said.
Moxxie, Millie, and the two bellhops followed Steve to an elevator. Steve pulled out a keycard and slide it into a slot under the elevator buttons. After a moment, the doors opened and the bellhops went inside. Paul handed Moxxie the key card and stepped in himself.
"This key card is basically your room key. Slide it into any elevator and it'll take you directly to your suite," Steve said.
Moxxie and Millie went in as the elevator doors closed. As they went up Steve continued to ogle Millie. She was bouncing with excitement. Once the doors opened, the bellhops walked out and down a hallway toward a large door. A plaque beside the door read, "TCHYEG Suite." Steve walked to the door and Moxxie and Millie followed him. Steve opened the doors and lead them inside. The imp couple had stars in their eyes as they looked around the beautiful room. It had a lush carpet of deep red and pink mixed in swirls. The walls were white and had simple lamps high near the ceiling. There was a large flat screen TV on the wall with a complete entertainment center underneath. Steve moved to stand in front of the couple.
He said, "The bathroom has a shower with sturdy glass, handrails, and complete temperature control. The bedroom has several amenities, toys, and lubricants for you to use at your leisure with a queen size canopy bed. The kitchen is always open and room service is on call 24/7 for anything you could want or need. Mr. Fleshfire has told me that any order you place is on the house."
Moxxie turned to Steve, "Uh, Mr. Gorger, that wasn't a part of the package that I bought."
Steve smiled, "He said to consider it a gift for being the first to book the suite. If you need anything else, do not hesitate to call. Enjoy your stay."
Then, he and the bellhops left. Moxxie turned to Millie who was still in awe of the room. He took her hand and smiled at her.
"Come on, honey. Let's look at the rest of the room," he said.
But they didn't move far before Millie pulled him close and began kissing him. Moxxie kissed back and wrapped his arms around her. She guided them to the bedroom and pushed Moxxie onto the bed. He fell back and watched Millie take off her top. She slid onto him and straddled his hips. She bit her lip and started to undo his bowtie. He moved her hand away and started kissing and nibbling her neck.
"Oh, Moxxie," she cooed softly.
Paul Fleshfire was sitting at his desk in his office. He was watching a monitor that showed him everything in his hotel. Including what was happening in the suite. His horn stump burned under the prosthetic as he watched the bastard's wife take his shirt off. He growled and slammed the off button on the monitor. He couldn't watch that. He took off his sunglasses and ran his hand over the socket where his eye once was.
"Ten… fucking… years," he whispered to himself.
He remembered the pain. The fear. He ran his hand up to his false horn and clicked it off of its setting. He remembered hearing the buzz saw next to his ear. He could still hear that fuckers laugh over it. Crimson had a habit of taking his "trophies" while his victims were still alive. Paul shivered in fear.
"How could he find me? After all this time?" he asked, "And why did he send only his son? Or did he? What if there are other members of his crew here, just waiting for the signal to strike?!"
He started to feel waves of panic overcoming him. He slowly took a breath to calm himself down. He was overthinking this. It was an old weakness of his. He had changed. Got smarter. The old him would just… No. This wasn't the time to panic. This was good. He had money now. Connections. He'd clawed his way out of Greed and made it all the way here. If he was careful enough, this could be an opportunity for revenge. If Crim was coming for Ol' Paulie's blood, he'd get blood, all right. And if he played his card right, Ol' Paulie would send him his son and daughter-in-law's heads in a gift basket.
End of Part 11.