As Octavia slowly made her way down the stairs, she felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest. As much as she didn't want to attend this banquet, she had to admit to herself that now that she was on her way to it, she was starting to feel a massive surge of dread. With each step she took, she could practically hear her mother's voice whispering into her ear, telling her that if she didn't make a good impression when she inevitably met her potential suitors, there would be literal hell to pay. By the time she reached the bottom step, all the Goetia Princess wanted to do was just turn around and just run back upstairs and lock herself in her room. Unfortunately, she knew that if she actually tried, her mother would just storm up, kick the door down and drag her back down by any means necessary. In other words, it was too late to back out now.
Passing by a small number of Imps standing near the base of the stairs, she couldn't help but notice the number of mesmerised stares she was receiving, both from them and the guests crossing the foyer while traversing to the ballroom. Not that she couldn't blame them, of course. After all, the work that Mad Munn had done to what she once considered a nightmare of a rag, had turned it into what could only be described as a work of art.
What was once a three-layered dress with too many frills was now transformed into a sleeveless, maroon-coloured, high neck Mermaid Silhouette gown that hugged her petite frame while displaying the shimmering ruby embroidery that resembled thorned roses all over the darker fabric. On top of that, Octavia also wore the embroidered choker to complete the ensemble, while also showing off a new shade of French violet eyeshadow, making her eyes stand out a little more beneath the silver half-face mask she had on. Even her hair was nothing to scoff at. Gone was her usual beanie, and instead, she had each feature completely smoothed out and combed back, while her golden tiara held it in place like a headband. Sure enough, if there was one way that any Demon could describe how the Goetia Princess looked in that moment, it would most definitely be, "Elegance and Beauty incarnate".
"Do my eyes deceive me," said a smooth, deep voice, suddenly snapping Octavia back to reality. "Can that truly be my dear niece?"
As soon as her ears heard that voice, Octavia's head quickly snapped over toward the direction of the door as she suddenly found herself gasping in delight. There she was greeted by a towering Raven Demon as tall as her father, if not slightly taller, with bulging musicals, four burning red eyes, and wearing an elegant four-piece suit featuring a red textured mandarin collar jacket with matching waistcoat and cravat, along with a silver mask shaped in the style of a Victorian plague mask, that covered his entire face. The moment this Demon stepped into view, however, the Goetia Princess recognised him immediately.
"Uncle Malphas!" she greeted, almost tackling the large Demon into a hug.
At the very mention of his name, the Raven-headed demon chuckled and removed his mask, revealing a large, shiny, black beak and a large pair of feathery eyebrows, while also presenting the opportunity to give his niece a big smile.
"It's so good to see you, Octavia," he said, his deceivingly smooth voice being as gentle as a summer breeze as he bent down and gave his niece a small kiss on the cheek. "Have to say, you do look wonderful this evening, my dear."
"Thank you, Uncle" Octavia replied, feeling somewhat bashful at the compliment.
"A new ensemble, is it?" Malphas asked, genuinely curious as he looked over the dress his niece wore.
At those words, Octavia couldn't help but smirk in amusement.
"Believe it or not, no," she answered, catching the hulking Demon by surprise. "Actually, it's an old heirloom. It was just… tweaked is all."
Now it was Malphas's turn to smirk.
"That's some tweaking,"
Sharing a laugh with her uncle at that joke, Octavia almost forgot how much she was loathing being forced to attend this banquet. Somehow, Malphas always loved finding ways to make her smile, in all honesty, that's probably why she liked him so much. Sadly, this small reunion wasn't going to last long.
"Anyways, my dear," Malphas said, replacing his mask and straightening himself up with a slight clearing of his throat. "I better head inside. Wouldn't want to keep your parents waiting, would we?"
The moment she heard those words, Octavia let out a disappointed sigh.
"Indeed not," she said.
And just like that, Malphas turned away from his niece and made his way over to the ballroom with the rest of the guests, leaving Octavia alone in the foyer with only the Imps and other guests coming through the front door. This had to have been one of the few moments of the evening where the Goetia Princess was genuinely able to enjoy herself, so of course, she was going to try to hang onto it in her memory as long as she could. Who knows? Perhaps she'll get lucky and just hang out with her uncle all night? His sheer size alone might just scare the suitors off, and Octavia wouldn't have to deal with that bullshit at all… alas, despite how much she would have liked that, Octavia knew that was just wishful thinking.
All things considered, the Goetia Demon knew that whatever comes next, all she could do now was try to make the best of things. After all, if seeing her Uncle Malphas again could make this night a bit more bearable, then maybe there might be someone else who could do the same… then again, that might just be wishful thinking too. In all honesty, aside from her uncle and her dad, she couldn't think of many Demons here tonight that could possibly lift her spirits… except maybe one.
Catching a glimpse of Mick by the front door as he let another guest into the foyer, she couldn't help but smile as she gave him a small wave. Much to her delight, Mick was able to give the Goetia Princess a wave in return while none of the guests were looking, a gesture that Octavia was happy to receive. Sadly, that was all the two of them could do for each other at present, since there were too many eyes on pretty much everyone this evening, there was very little they could do in terms of socialising… at least with each other.
When Malphas stepped towards the entrance to the ballroom, he couldn't help but admire the atmosphere as he witnessed many members of Hellish Nobility and their guests filling the room just beyond the doors. While most were already clad in their masquerade wear, talking to each other while sipping on glasses of champagne, some were only just placing their masks upon their faces before entering the ballroom itself. Standing by the doors, Reginald stood at attention, announcing the names of the arriving guests, surprisingly doing a splendid job of it considering how rarely he raised his voice.
"Duke Eligos and Lady Edan!" he announced, allowing a sharply dressed Skeletal Demon inside, along with who appeared to be his wife.
Stepping up to the Imp, Malphas bleated his throat to grab his attention. Once Reginald saw who it was addressing him, he wasted no time.
"Prince Malphas of the Ring of Wrath!"
Hearing that, many other Demons turned their heads towards the ballroom doors. Being one of the highest-ranking Goetia Demons in Hell, of course, Malphas would be both well-known as well as respected among many of his peers. Strutting into the room with an aura of pride with each step, the Raven Demon scanned the room with invested curiosity, smiling in delight as the Demon he was looking for made his way through the crowd to greet him face to face, dressed in his finest royal suit as well as a golden mask that also doubled as a second crown with its spiked brow.
"Stolas!" he exclaimed, giving the tall Owl Demon a small hug.
"Ah, Malphas!" Stolas replied, returning the hug with a large smile of his own. "Dear brother, how are you?"
"Same as always, you skinny sod," Malphas chuckled. "Still devilishly handsome and looking for Mrs Right."
Stolas couldn't help but laugh at that, ignoring the numerous stares the pair of them were receiving from their fellow Demons. If there was one thing that was well known about both Stolas and Malphas, it was the fact that the two of them were as close as brothers could get, and as such, they had proved to be quite the strong pair whenever the two of them were forced into a fight. Needless to say, no one even dared to face the two of them when they were together.
"How's the Wrath Ring these days?" Stolas asked, placing a hand on his brother's back and ushering him further into the ballroom.
"Not bad," Malphas answered with a sigh of contentment. "Though I will admit, living in a castle instead of a saloon gives me a bit of an advantage against all those flaming twisters."
Stolas couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"Well, I imagine being Satan's second in command would have its perks," he commented, earning himself a second chuckle from his larger brother.
"So true, but let's not talk about work right now," he replied, quickly grabbing two champagne glasses from the Imp walking by with a drink tray and handing one to Stolas. "It's a party, is it not? Surely you have some gossip we can talk about instead?"
At those words, Stolas's smirk widened.
"Oh, I'm sure I can think of a few things,"
Back outside the ballroom, Octavia finally managed to work up the nerve to walk up to the doors. Noticing her presence, Reginald silently waited for her command, which he received in the form of a small nod.
"Okay," Octavia muttered, letting out a heavy sigh. "Here we go."
"Princess Octavia of the Ars Goetia!"
As soon as her name echoed throughout the ballroom, almost every single head turned towards the Goetia Princess, instantly making her feel uncomfortable. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn she was the only guest of honour at this gathering of Demonic Nobles.
As she felt each eye look back at her while walking into the ballroom with a nervous step, Octavia was practically trying to resist the urge to vomit. Not because she was nervous, of course, though that wasn't to say that she was, but mainly because she was unfortunate enough to spot a few of her potential suitors amongst the crowd, all of them eyeing her like a predator gazing at a slab of meat. The worst of which, however, had to have been the sultry stare Ipos's son was giving her. From the very first moment she laid eyes on him, Octavia knew that he wasn't someone she wanted to be within ten miles of.
"Mmm, yummy," the Duck Demon muttered, burning the image of Octavia's figure into his memory for as long as he could.
As much as she hated the stares, however, that was merely the first rung of the ladder Octavia had to climb to get through tonight. Feeling the need for some liquid courage, the Goetia Demon snatched up a glass of champagne from a passing Imp and quickly raised it to her beak. She may have only been 17 but let's face it, kids a LOT younger than her drank booze and worse down here in Hell, so it's not like anyone was going to judge her.
"Octavia,"
… except maybe her. Turning her head, Octavia quickly found herself looking up at her mother, having switched out her normal royal attire for a bronze-coloured gown that looked like it came from a Shakespearean novel, complete with a golden half-face mask that matched Stolas's in terms of doubling as a crown. Judging from the frown she was giving her, Octavia knew in an instant that she wasn't happy. At least she appeared to be keeping her temper under control this time.
"Evening, mum," the Goetia Princess greeted, trying her best to keep her own composure in check. "Everything okay?"
"I thought we agreed that you would be wearing the dress provided for you," Stella stated bluntly, not even bothering to answer her daughter's question first.
This, of course, earned a roll of Octavia's eyes as she let out a small sigh. Though in all honesty, she had expected such a statement from her, if not someone else. After all, anyone who KNEW about what the dress used to look like would ask questions. Luckily, it wasn't much of a hassle to come up with an answer.
"I AM wearing that dress," she pointed out. "However, you never said anything about getting it altered."
Obviously, she wasn't going to tell Stella that it was Mick who actually requested the alterations, nor that he did such a thing behind the Goetias' backs. After all, she didn't want him to get into trouble just for trying to help, and knowing her mother, she wouldn't care what his intentions were. Thankfully, Stella appeared to be too preoccupied with the rest of the banquet to worry too much about this particular issue.
"Very well, we'll say no more about it then," she said with a heavy sigh.
"So… are there any more to arrive?" Octavia asked, hoping to start up at least one decent conversation with her mother before she was inevitably forced to go speak with certain guests.
"We're only waiting on one more guest," Stella replied, her face riddled with impatience. "They should be arriving soon."
At that moment, as if reacting to Stella's words, Reginald suddenly made his final announcement of the evening.
"Princess Charlotte Morningstar of the house of Lucifer, and guest!"
The moment THAT particular name was called out, Octavia almost spat out her drink in shock and snapped her face towards the doors. Despite not seeing her name in the list of guests her mother gave her, there was no mistaking the pale skin, the flow of shimmering blonde hair or the perky smile. Sure enough, this was the daughter of Lucifer himself! What's more… She was also someone Octavia knew personally.
"Charlie?" she uttered, unable to believe her eyes as she snapped her attention back towards her mother. "You invited HER to this thing!?"
Stella, however, only frowned at that.
"Actually, I invited Lucifer himself," she corrected her daughter with yet another sigh. "However, he was unable to attend, so she came in his stead."
Well, that sure as hell would have been some nice information to know beforehand! If Octavia had known that an old acquaintance of hers was attending this banquet, then obviously she would have tried to prepare herself better. Needless to say, this news warranted a few questions the Goetia Princess had rushing through her mind at the moment.
"And she wasn't on the list you gave me, because…?" she asked, hoping her mother had enough decently to clarify that piece of info.
"Because she wasn't someone you needed to know about," Stella bluntly replied, not even bothering to try and hide her reasoning. "Ever since she started that little passion project of hers, she hasn't stopped trying to get other Demons to get involved in it. Obviously, we want nothing to do with it, BUT unfortunately, she's still the head honcho's daughter. So, she'll have to sit near the head of the table."
Needless to say, it didn't take a genius to know what passion project Stella was referring to. After all, even if she didn't catch the live airing of it on TV, the brawl Charlie had with the News Anchor, Katie Killjoy, was also live-streamed and went viral within the hour. Obviously, Stella was mostly speaking for herself when she said that she and the other Demonic Nobles didn't want anything to do with it, but that wasn't to say that she was wrong. Given the way most of Hellish Nobility acts, it wasn't a surprise that they found it laughable that the Princess of all of Hell was trying to establish a hotel that rehabilitates Sinners.
That aside, Octavia had to admit that Charlie did look like she was doing alright. Furthermore, she pulled off that lovely red dress of hers quite well. More than likely, it was because of the Sinner Demon she had brought along as her guest. A slim lady with muted lavender-coloured skin, long white hair that flowed down past her knees, along with a big pink bow on the back of her head, and a missing left eye that was replaced by a pink X on a slate-grey eyepatch. Given how long it has been since she and Charlie saw each other last, Octavia could only assume that this had to have been someone she had met between now and then. Either way, she seemed nice enough, considering how well she and Charlie appeared to be getting along, with the added fact that the pair of them appeared to be wearing matching masks. All of a sudden that particular train of thought came to a sudden halt by the sound of Stella clearing her throat.
"Well, don't just stand there, dear," she said in a hushed tone. "Go on and mingle."
It practically took every ounce of willpower on Octavia's part to resist rolling her eyes at that. Obviously, when her mother used the word "mingle" she didn't necessarily mean with any random Demon. Letting out a quiet sigh, the Goetia Princess reluctantly scanned the room in search of the guests with the gold stars… This was going to be a LONG night.
"Alright, people, the guests are all gathered and are awaiting dinner in 24 minutes!" Bloody Mary called out, checking her watch as she strolled through the busy kitchen. "Let's not keep them waiting, shall we?"
Needless to say, during the last few minutes before everyone upstairs was due to start eating, the staff working in the staff kitchen were at their busiest, all of them putting the finishing touches on one course before getting a move on with the next. Of course, the Demon in charge wasn't that happy with Mary's backseat command of his kitchen.
"Don't get yer knickers in a twist, lass," he snapped, pushing past many of the Imps as he taste-tested a few of the finished dishes. "These nibbles will be done soon enough."
While the pair of them bickered among themselves, the rest of the kitchen staff continued with their work. Before long, all of the appetisers were stacked up on small wooden trolleys, each one holding at least ten plates apiece, and carried away by the waiting staff. Among those particular staff members was Mick.
As soon as he had recovered from the overwhelming awe of seeing the Princess of Hell smile at him as she arrived, the Cat Demon's duties at the door were officially completed since she was meant to be the last guest. Therefore, Reginald had him put to work with those serving the food in order to keep him busy and not get into trouble with the Goetias or their guests. Pushing his own trolley down the wall, Mick followed the waiting staff into the servants' elevator, letting out an unnerved breath as he scratched at his mask, wishing he had smoked another joint as he felt a strong tickle against the left side of his face.
"Nervous?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Mick turned to see Jewel standing next to him with her own trolley, surprisingly being a lot more behaved than usual. Apparently, even casual perverts knew how to control themselves during events such as this.
"Pretty sure that's obvious," Mick replied, glad he was able to have the rare opportunity to speak to his coworker without her trying to cop a feel. "So they got you on the waiting staff too, huh?"
"Yep," Jewel replied with a nod. "I mean it was either this or going out into the garden with Buzz… and let's face it there's more eye candy in here than there is out there."
And there it is! Even when Jewel was being on her best behaviour, she couldn't open her mouth without making things sound dirty. One can only hope she didn't try anything with the guests later in the evening, otherwise, there was going to be a real shitstorm of trouble. Rolling his eyes at the Maid's comment, Mick followed her and the rest of the staff out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened.
Soon enough, they all found themselves standing just outside the dining hall where the guests were going to be seated. As they waited, practically everything was going through the motions, some feeling nervous, while others were downright terrified. Mick, however, was unable to get one particular thought out of his mind, one that he had pinballing through his brain ever since the first guest arrived.
"Tell me the truth, Jewel," he said, once again grabbing the Maid's attention. "Is this Seth guy REALLY that bad?"
The moment the Cat Demon allowed that question to leave his lips, almost everyone within earshot shuddered.
"You don't know the half of it," Jewel eventually replied with a nervous gulp. "I heard he once put a kid in a coma last year."
"Yeah, well, that kid shouldn't have been knocking on his door that night!" one of the other Imps pointed out, overhearing the conversation and adding his own opinion into the mix.
"He was a Carol Singer!" Jewel snapper, quickly rebuking her coworker's poor choice of words.
As Mick allowed this new information to sink in, he couldn't help but feel a little sick. Someone like THAT was attending this banquet? Granted, he had a gut feeling that he was horrible from the first moment he met him, and the stuff Buzz told him didn't exactly give him a better opinion, but still, hearing that he was willing to do such a thing to a kid was something that made Mick's blood boil! Worse still, he remembered seeing his face somewhere before… namely on a certain document that had a gold star on it.
Soon enough all the Demons in attendance were sitting around a large table in the Goetias' dining hall. Gone was the standard long table that the family usually had, which was now replaced with a large crescent moon-shaped table with a sparkling white tablecloth and numerous silver candelabras laid out all over it from end to end. In the very centre of it, Stolas sat in the largest chair, with Stella sitting at his left side while Octavia sat on the right. Next to her, Charlie sat with her white-haired guest on her other side, something which she appeared to be content with given how friendly her smile was as she looked in Octavia's direction. As drink glasses were filled and full-face masks were placed on the table, soon enough Stolas rose from his chair and used a fork to clink his empty crystal glass, allowing a few small chimes to ring throughout the room and gain everyone's attention.
"Quiet down now, everyone!" he announced, making sure the room fell into complete silence before speaking again. "Thank you. I, Stolas of the Ars Goetia, welcome you all to our home for this wondrous banquet. Needless to say, I'm so happy that all of you could make it."
"Pfft, that makes ONE of us," one of the guests muttered under his breath, clearly one of the guests who only came from the free food and liquor.
"Now that we are all gathered here, I invite you all to dine with us," Stolas continued, clearly haven't heard the comment. "Please, eat and drink to your hearts' content and later we shall proceed back into the ballroom for music and dancing. Enjoy!"
With that final word, the doors of the dining hall opened, allowing the waiting staff to walk in and serve the small plates of appetisers to the guests, which consisted of bacon-wrapped prunes or baked brie with caviar. As the dishes were being served, Octavia found herself actually smiling when she caught a glimpse of Mick serving a guest about 4 seats down from her, something which the Princess sitting next to her could not help but notice.
"Quite the spread, huh?" Charlie asked, hoping to start up a conversation with the Goetia Demon.
At first, Octavia couldn't give a response other than giving the other Princess an awkward glance. In all honesty, her mother's opinion aside, she had absolutely no idea of what to say to her. Hell, the last time the two Princesses met was at a social event Lucifer held at his palace quite some time ago, and even then it was just simple small talk… then again, the more Octavia spoke to HER tonight, the less she will need to socialise with those potential suitors her mother invited tonight. With that thought in mind, the Goetia Princess tried her best to keep the conversation going.
"You're not wrong," she replied, giving Charlie a forced, yet gentle smile. "Been a while, hasn't it, Charlie?"
"Yeah," Charlie answered back, happy that someone was finally willing to talk to her after having so little luck in the ballroom earlier. "How long was it? Two years?"
"Sounds about right," Octavia agreed with a small shrug. "How've you been?"
Charlie suddenly looked a little uneasy at that.
"Oh, you know, can't complain," she replied, trying to keep her smile despite not knowing how to give her a proper answer. "I mean I COULD complain, but that doesn't really help things, and I know that I shouldn't but-"
"Hun!" The Sinner suddenly exclaimed, cutting the Princess off. "You're rambling again."
At those words, the marks on Charlie's cheeks flushed an embarrassed shade of red.
"Oh right, sorry," she said bashfully.
Now that the Sinner had finally spoken up, Octavia's attention was now split between her and Charlie, which she was glad of since that meant more people she can talk to, thus delaying any potential discussions with her suitors. Luckily enough, she needn't bother asking for introductions.
"Oh, this is my girlfriend, Vaggie," Charlie spoke up, quickly recovering from her embarrassment and gesturing towards the white-haired beauty sitting next to her. "Sorry for not introducing you sooner."
"It's alright, Charlie," placing a comforting hand on the Princess's shoulder before bowing her head at the Goetia Demon. "Nice to meet you, Your Grace."
"Please, Octavia's fine," she replied awkwardly before a sudden thought flashed through her mind as she turned back to Charlie. "Wait… I thought you were dating that guy from the Von Eldritch family."
Of all the royal families in Hell, the Von Eldritchs were one of the most infamous in all the seven rings. The reason for this, of course, was because the head of the family, Leviathan, was one of the seven rulers of Hell itself, or as the common folk would call them, the "Big 7". While Charlie's father, Lucifer ruled over all of Hell, he, as well as the other six Kings serving under him, had their own domain in each of the rings. As such, while Lucifer resided in the Ring of Pride, Leviathan ruled the ocean-filled Ring of Envy that resided three levels beneath it.
His son, Seviathan, was around Charlie's age and the two of them dated for a few years, according to some Celebrity Gossip magazines that were sold throughout Hell. In fact, the pair of them attended their prom together if Octavia remembered correctly, it was something that Charlie herself told her when they last met… Now that she thought about it, Seviathan was there with her when she told her. Luckily, Octavia didn't have to wait long to find out the answer to the obvious question running through her mind at the moment.
"Well… no, not anymore," Charlie admitted, awkwardly running a hand through her hair. "Seviathan and I broke up some time ago."
Suddenly, Charlie's face switched from awkward to downright nervous.
"Wait… he's not here, is he!?" she suddenly asked, her eyes shrinking in fear as she got right into Octavia's face.
"N-no!" the Goetia Demon answered, awkwardly pushing the other Princess away from her face as she cleared her throat. "I don't think we invited anyone from that family tonight."
Technically, that was a half-truth. In all honesty, since Charlie's arrival, Octavia didn't know just how many guests her mother kept her from knowing about. Either way, Charlie seemed to accept the answer.
"Phew!" she sighed, placing her hand over her chest with relief. "Thank goodness for that."
Octavia couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that.
"I take it that it wasn't a clean breakup?" she asked, earning herself a small sigh.
"Not exactly," the other Princess admitted. "If it's all the same to you, I'll spare you the messy details."
As much as Octavia would have loved to keep the conversation going, she also knew not to pry too much into people's business if the subject matter was too much of an uncomfortable one, and clearly, Charlie's breakup was one such subject. Time to switch things up a bit.
"I see…" Octavia muttered, returning her gaze towards Vaggie. "So how long have you two known each other?"
At those words, both Charlie and Vaggie's smile came back faster than Octavia could blink, the both of them more than happy to share their story.
"Oh, Charlie and I have been friends for a long time," Vaggie explained, taking her girlfriend's hand in her own. "We don't really know who fell for who first but-"
"-But we're both really happy regardless," Charlie chimed in, caressing Vaggie's hand with a loving smile. "Actually, we're running a hotel together."
Octavia suddenly couldn't help but cringe upon hearing that.
"Yeah, I know," she said awkwardly. "Your fistfight with Katie Killjoy wasn't exactly subtle."
Then just as quickly as it came back, Charlie's smile disappeared once more and was replaced with an embarrassed blush. In fact, the Princess was so flushed, she suddenly tried to bury her face in her hair.
"Please don't remind me," she uttered, her groans clearly oozing with humiliation.
At that moment one of the waiting staff suddenly popped up from behind the three ladies and placed a small plate of Baked Brie in front of each of them… and as luck would have it, said staff member was someone Octavia knew quite well.
"How do you take your caviar, Ma'am?" Mick asked, holding a small bowl of the shimmering, full-bodied delicacy in one hand and a spoon in the other.
"No caviar for me, thanks," Charlie politely declined. "Never did like it much."
Receiving similar answers from Vaggie and Octavia, Mick soon bowed his head and took his leave. As much as he would have liked to stay and talk, he still had a job to do and he knew it wouldn't be proper for one of the staff to indulge in idle chit chat when he was supposed to be working… especially when Stella was watching him like the predatory bird she was. Letting out a small sigh as she watched her friend leave with the other waiters, all Octavia could do then was sit back and enjoy her food for what it was. Surprisingly enough, Charlie seemed to be interested in Mick's appearance as well.
"Huh… he's new, isn't he?" she asked, watching the Sinner leave the room with the rest of the staff. "One of your guys, Via?"
At those words, Octavia quickly found her smile once again.
"Yeah," she answered. "Mick's been with us for a couple of months now."
"Oh, is that his name?" Charlie replied, genuinely curious as she thought back to when she and Vaggie first arrived. "He did seem really nice when he met us at the door earlier."
Vaggie, on the other hand, couldn't help but roll her eyes at that statement.
"Charlie, he practically got down on his knees and kissed your feet," she pointed out, much to Octavia's surprise.
"Oh don't be so dramatic, Vaggie," Charlie retorted, trying to laugh it off. "All he did was bow… and said that he was unworthy… a few times."
Unable to hold anything back anymore, Octavia suddenly burst out laughing, trying and failing to regain control of herself. Of course, Mick would react that way! Undoubtedly he was just as surprised to see the Princess of Hell in attendance just as Octavia was, perhaps even more so. In fact, thinking back on how he reacted when he first met her dad, Octavia could just picture Mick turning into a blubbering mess before passing out on the porch… Unfortunately, while she was lost in thought, the Goetia Princess was left unaware of the number of stares she was receiving from the other Demons at the table.
"Well… this is interesting," Charlie commented. "No offence, but I never quite took you as much of a laugher."
It was only after she heard that particular sentence that Octavia suddenly stopped laughing and sank into her seat, only just now realising how much of a scene she was making.
"Oh, sorry about that," she said, feeling extremely embarrassed for acting so out of her usual character.
"No, no, it's nice," Charlie quickly replied, trying her best to sound reassuring. "Seriously, you should do it more often."
As much as she appreciated the effort, Charlie's words didn't ease Octavia's anxiety in the slightest. Still, it did get her thinking. In all honesty, she couldn't remember the last time she laughed so much. Now that she thought about it, she had been expressing herself a lot more as of late. Even Stolas, who had been listening in on the conversation between his daughter and the other Princess next to her, couldn't help but notice the change too. However, while he may be eccentric, the Goetia Prince knew better than to butt in on someone else's discussion when the situation didn't call for it. Luckily for Octavia, Vaggie was smart enough to take the hint, and choose to steer the direction of the talk to something else.
"Speaking of that Sinner," she said. "He wouldn't happen to be that Crazy Cat guy I've seen on Voxtube would he?"
...
"Maybe,"
The moment Octavia gave her reply, it apparently became Vaggie's turn to laugh.
"I thought so," she chuckled. "Santa meirda! Give the guy credit, he's one durable Sinner."
Her anxiety now somewhat eased, Octavia responded to that comment with rolled eyes and a shake of her head.
"Oh, you have no idea," she replied, causing Charlie to smile once more.
"So what's the story with him, anyway?" she asked, curiously. "How'd he end up working for you?"
At first, Octavia was hesitant to answer, not wanting to relive the experience of what happened that particular day. However, feeling a comforting hand on her shoulder, the Goetia Princess looked to see her father giving her a gentle smile and a nod of his head, silently telling her that everything will be okay even if she did. Eventually, with a small sigh of defeat, she began to tell her tale.
"Well… it all started during the recent Extermination…"
About four courses of food later, the banquet had finally started to get a bit more exciting. With many sheets of ice broken thanks to the abundance of booze and delectable food, the entire table was filled with heavy chuckles and boundless chatter. Some Demons were even feasting while smoking their personal cigarettes and joints, Count Ipos included. After serving the guests the various courses of roasted meats and vegetables, even the staff appeared to be more at ease. Now that the guests were all caught up among their own conversations and banter, hardly any of them paid much attention to the Imps, which meant fewer insults and demands.
By the time everyone had finished eating their fifth course and the Imps began to gather the plates to make way for the desserts, Mick suddenly noticed something quite peculiar. While it was expected for him and the rest of the waiting staff to serve the guests their drinks, the Cat Demon was surprised to see Stolas himself rising from his chair, going around the table and pouring a tiny glass of what appeared to be red wine to the guests.
"Hey Jewel," he whispered, getting the Maid's attention while she pushed a trolley of empty plates towards the doors. "What is that stuff?"
Curiously following Mick's thumb, Jewel let out a silent gasp as she looked closely at the strange bottle Stolas had in his arms. A large bottle made out of what appeared to be polished, red bone, carved into the shape of a reptilian skull of a gharial with the neck of the bottle opening up at the front of its teeth, making it look like it were the head a grotesque Hell-beast spewing blood every time Stolas poured. Needless to say, the very sight of it made Mick's fur stand on end, especially after Jewel gave her explanation of it.
"The Wine of Ages," she said, giving a name to the strange substance. "Very rare shit. Even the super-rich are lucky if they can get a single bottle once every decade."
"Seriously?" Mick gasped, unable to take his eyes off the bottle.
"Mhm," Jewel replied, nodding her head. "I hear even the Goetias need to be put on some kind of waiting list for it. I think the family only has like 10 bottles at the most in their private stores."
"Holy shit."
That was about the only thing Mick could say after hearing something like that. In all the years he had spent in Hell, he never realised such a beverage existed. What's more, if this wine was as rare as Jewel claimed, that would explain the small glasses. Naturally, Stolas and his family would want to conserve as much as possible. As such, they must only bring this wine out for a special occasion such as this, and even then, it's only a single bottle. Needless to say, Mick couldn't help but wonder what such a beverage tasted like if it was so valued.
Meanwhile, along the table, many of the guests were either finishing off their own portions or sitting back in their chairs to allow their food to go down.
"Are you gonna eat that?" One portly Demon asked, trying to reach for Duchess Gremory's leftovers… only to narrowly dodge a fork as it embedded itself into the table.
"Touch her plate, and all you'll be pulling back is a bleeding stump!" Verosika snapped, pulling her fork out and hissing as the scowling Demon as he pulled his hand back.
"Bah!" he scoffed. "So touchy."
That was but one of many interactions that were being exchanged among the guests, with many giving each other a few hard glares. While Verosika may be famous, aside from Gremory and a few other Demon Nobles, to most, her kind were no better than Sinners and as such, tended to look down on her. This treatment was, of course, no different for Vaggie. While she and Charlie were talking to Octavia, the white-haired Sinner still noticed the looks of disgust many of the Nobles gave her but chose to ignore them.
It was only when the final course of the banquet, a slice of Diamond Fruitcake and Devil Berries served with a light toffee sauce, that the Goetia Princess managed to finish her story of how she and Mick met and how he came to work for her family, and after hearing it, both Charlie and Vaggie were left completely in awe. Obviously, Octavia left out a few small details, like how he unintentionally got in the bathtub just before her mother did, or how they both encountered the Golgothan during their boat ride since both her parents were within earshot, but both Charlie and Vaggie seemed to get the basic premise of the story regardless.
"I can't believe you two had to go through all that," Charlie uttered, still unable to comprehend the fact that there was a river of blood just below the sewers of the Pride Ring.
"Yeah, talk about surviving by the skin of your teeth," Vaggie added, being practically on the edge of her seat ever since Octavia mentioned how she was almost killed by an Exorcist.
This was actually nice. That's the best way Octavia could describe this scenario. During the whole story, neither Charlie nor her girlfriend said anything aside from the occasional question. And even after hearing the whole thing, neither one of them scoffed, cracked a joke, or said anything remotely condescending. If anything, they both seemed genuinely concerned for Octavia's well being. It was just so… conferring.
"Pfft! How pathetic,"
…And then there was the asshole sitting a few chairs down who had been listening in on the whole conversation.
"I think it's a disgrace," Seth scoffed, not even bothering to hide his disgust, ignoring his father who sat next to him, giving him hushed signals to shut up. "Honestly, having to be saved by one of the Lower-Demons is one thing, but believing you had the obligation to repay him for it is just an act of lunacy."
At the very mention of the word "Lower-Demons", many of the waiting staff within earshot, along with Vaggie, Verosika AND Mick, gave the Count's son a hard glare. Verosika in particular had to resist the urge to hiss and spit venom in the little bastard's face. Out of all of them, however, Vaggie was the only one to give a verbal response.
"Yeah?" she growled. "Well, no one was asking you, Pene Penqueno!"
Seth, however, simply dismissed the Sinner's words as if she weren't there.
"Ugh… WHY are these plebeians even in the same room as us?" he continued, focusing his disgusted glare between Mick, Veroskia and Vaggie in particular. "It's bad enough that one of these pieces of Sinner filth is handling our food, but two of them have the nerve to sit at the same table as us."
"Excuse me!?" Verosika snarled, standing from her chair, only to be pulled back down by Duchess Gremory.
"Veroskia, calm down!" the Duchess scolded in a hushed tone, hoping to keep her friend from doing anything stupid by holding her hand.
Alas, once again, Seth ignored both Veroskia's words and the numerous irritated glares he was receiving from those at the table, more than likely believing himself to be above every one of them.
"Hell, that one even has the gall to wear a mask as we do for this banquet," he scoffed, pointing an accusing finger in Mick's direction.
The moment the Cat Demon was brought to the attention of many of the guests within earshot of Seth's rant, Mick tried his best to rise above the situation and carry on with his work, turning away from the table and pushing a trolley of empty plates out of the room as if he heard nothing from the Duck Demon… However, Seth wasn't going to let him off so easily.
"HEY, YOU!" he yelled, throwing his desert spoon across the room. "CAT!"
MRREEOOWW!
From the moment the spoon hit the back of Mick's head, forcing him to let out a pained feline cry, the blood in Octavia's veins went from normal to boiling point in a matter of seconds, so much so, that she dug her nails so deep into the table, they left claw marks as she gave Seth what could only be described as the hardest death glare in history. Alas, she couldn't really do much else, not with her mother watching the whole thing. If Octavia interfered now, she may unintentionally make things worse for Mick in the long run. Meanwhile, Mick himself had no choice but to respond to Seth's call. Now that he was called out, there was no way he could just ignore him with everyone watching.
"Yes, you!" Seth continued as the Cat Demon finally turned to face him. "Take off that mask at once! You're insulting everyone in this room by wearing it."
Hearing that, Octavia was left completely astounded. Of all things to demand from the Cat Demon, this was one of the most degrading things Seth could have chosen. After all, aside from his mouthpiece, not once did Mick ever seem to take his mask off in front of anyone, not even to her or the rest of the family. And given the Cat Demon's response, it was obvious he wasn't going to start now.
"As much as I would like to comply, SIR," he said, practically swallowing his own vomit at the idea of having to address such a prick. "I'm afraid I must decline."
As soon as those words left Mick's mouth, Seth was left completely dumbfounded. Judging from the look on his face, it was pretty clear that it had been a LONG time since anyone had ever said no to him. In fact, the confused look on his face was so sudden and ridiculous, almost everyone had to stifle their laughter, including Stolas, Gremory and Malphas. In all honesty, there were only a small few that DIDN'T think the situation was funny, Stella being among them. Of course, needless to say, Seth wasn't happy in the slightest after taking a moment to absorb what had happened.
"You dare disobey-" he tried to say, only to be cut off by Stolas smacking his hand on the table.
"MY employee has no obligation to obey you, young Seth," the Goetia Prince declared, asserting as much authority into his voice as possible. "Besides, the mask he wears is for medical reasons. Isn't that right, Via?"
The Goetia Princess may have been shocked to see one of her parents openly defend one of their employees at first, but nevertheless, she was grateful to her father for it.
"That's right," Octavia added, playing along with her father's statement. "And for the record, I believe it suits him well."
The moment she said that, Octavia could hear all sorts of murmurs from all along the table, while many of the guests were surprised, others were watching the scene with looks of indifference or disgust, Stella being among the latter… in fact, it took every ounce of willpower she had to not grab the nearest object and throw it at her husband for encouraging such unbecoming defiance in their daughter. To make matters worse, the flames of her anger were only fanned by Charlie adding her own voice into the fray.
"I actually would like to know where he got it, myself," she pointed out, receiving a smile of gratitude from Octavia for her trouble. "If that's not too much trouble, uh… Mick, was it?"
While somewhat surprised that the Princess of Hell knew him by his name, the Cat Demon was nonetheless grateful for the support, both from her and from Octavia and her father. As such, he felt it would be rude to not have the decency to answer.
"That is correct, Your Highness," he said, giving her a low, courteous bow. "To answer your question, I… Well, I made it myself. If I do say so, I have a bit of a talent for crafting."
Tapping the metal surface of his mask for emphasis, Mick couldn't help but mentally smile as he saw various looks of intrigue from the table. While Gremory and Veroskia looked at the Cat Demon with smiles of impression, Malphas looked him up and down, as if he were studying every inch of him. Even Stolas was leaning into the table with a fascinated smile. In all honesty, the number of looks he was getting was starting to make Mick feel a little bit awkward.
"Huh… what do you know," Vaggie chimed in. "He's creative AND polite. Unlike some men I know."
Once again, Charlie found herself trying to stifle a laugh. Knowing her girlfriend's general opinion on men, actually giving praise to one usually meant that Mick had to have been one of the few she was genuinely impressed by. More than likely, Octavia's story about him must have given her quite the first impression. Seth, on the other hand, mainly focused on the second part of the Sinner's sentence, which was obviously a jab at him.
"You shut your mouth, you filthy little-" he tried to snap back, only to be cut off by another loud slam of a hand on the table, courtesy of his own father.
"Seth, if you don't shut the fuck up, I'll shove this cig so far up your ass, you'll light up like a Chinese lantern!" he viciously threatened, emphasising by pointing his jade cigarette holder in his son's face.
Unable to come up with an argument on the spot, the Duck-faced Demon was left with no other choice but to shut his beak and back down. Sitting back in his chair, he gave Charlie and Vaggie a vicious glare before returning his attention to his dessert. After that, a small period of awkward silence filled the room, with no one able to figure out what to say. After a good minute, however, the silence was broken by Stolas clearing his throat.
"Well, shall we finish eating then?" he said, addressing all his guests. "I imagine some time on the dance floor would do us all some good, eh?"
It wasn't much, but nonetheless, the Goetia Prince's words did allow everyone to return to their previous state of eating and chatter. Taking this as a sign to leave, Mick wasted no time in returning to his duties and pushing his trolley out of the room. Watching the Cat Demon leave the room, all Octavia could do was let out another one of her signature sighs. Desperately hoping her friend was going to be okay after tonight.