Soon enough, everyone who was invited to the banquet had all returned to the ballroom. After a brief interlude, Stella soon snapped her fingers and the lights dimmed save for the area above the dance floor, signalling Johnny and his band to start playing. About 10 minutes later, the ball was in full swing as Johnny and his clones played a swinging tune, led by him on a tenor saxophone. To the trained ear, and one that was familiar with music from the young Greaser's time, one would be able to recognize the beat and rhythm of the classic jazzy tune of Night Train.
Meanwhile, the guests all mingled about the ballroom, most either talking amongst themselves, mingling with other guests, or enjoying the music, swinging and swaying to the sound of the band. Some of them were even walking onto the dance floor, waltzing in pairs to the pleasant melody, Charlie and Vaggie being among them.
While this was happening, Octavia mostly stuck to the edge of the dance floor, watching the other dancers with a small drink in her hand and a heavy sigh escaping her beak. If she had her way, she could just stay there for the rest of the night, counting down the minutes until this nightmare of a night finally came to an end… alas, there was no possible way she could prevent the inevitable.
"It's time, Octavia," Stella declared in a hushed tone as she walked up to her daughter from behind.
"Hmm?" Octavia muttered, acknowledging her mother's presence with only a small tilt of her head.
"You know the drill for this, my dear," Stella continued, softly taking Octavia's drink from her and gesturing a hand towards the other side of the dance floor. "Take each of these young men and dance."
Looking over towards where her mother was pointing, the Goetia Princess had to resist the urge to shudder upon seeing the numerous faces of young Demon Noblemen staring back at her, all of which she had already seen on the documents her mother gave her that had gold stars pasted on them. Sure enough, THESE were her potential suitors… and worse still, Seth was among them.
"Do I really have to?" Octavia softly asked, practically relying on wishful thinking to get her out of this mess.
"Yes," Stella replied bluntly, instantly shattering any hopes her daughter had of a potential escape. "Now go."
After that, all Octavia could do was silently groan as she slowly walked onto the dance floor. Seeing her approach, half of the Goetia Princess's potential suitors practically climbed over each other to try and be the first to get a dance. Eventually, a tall, gangly-looking Demon with the half-masked face of a vulture and an oversized beak met Octavia in the centre of the floor. As per decorum, the pair of them gave each other a bow and curtsy respectively.
"M'lady," the Vulture Demon greeted… only to accidentally poke Octavia in the head with the hook of his beak after lowering his head too much. "Oh, I am so sorry! Do forgive me!"
As far as suitors go, at least this one didn't seem too horrible, if anything, he was more timid than anything else. However, that didn't mean that Octavia was just going to let him sweep her off her feet, or in his case, vice-versa.
"No, no, it's quite alright," she quickly said, not wanting to drag things out any more than they needed to. "Shall we?"
Soon after, the pair of them began to waltz along to the music. After many years of lessons that her mother insisted on, Octavia had been seen to be quite the elegant dancer when it came to events such as this, not that she would ever make it a habit, of course. As the two of them continued their dance, many eyes were soon drawn to their musical display, Mick's and Stolas's being among them.
After finishing up his duties with the waiting staff, Mick's final job of the evening was to serve drinks to the guests as they went along with their business in the ballroom. As such, he was able to get a good view of everyone, including Octavia. Meanwhile, Octavia's father kept a very watchful eye on her and her dance partner as he, Ipos and Malphas all huddled together in one corner of the ballroom, helping themselves to refreshments.
Taking a sip from his champagne, Stolas glared hard at the literal Vulture circling his daughter, his mind practically looking for any excuse to rip the little shit limb-from-limb for even coming near his little girl. At that moment, however, his concentration was quickly interrupted by the sound of irritating laughter from the edge of the dance floor.
"Your son seems to be as charming as ever, Ipos," he commented, taking another sip of champagne as he turned his gaze towards Seth, who appeared to be deep in conversation with a couple of his fellow Noblemen.
Had he said that to any other Demon, chances are that Stolas would have had his head bitten off for his snark. However, knowing exactly what his own son was like, all Ipos responded with was a heavy sigh of agreement.
"I have no idea what I'm going to do with that boy," he admitted, pinching the bridge beneath his third eye. "I try to discipline him and turn him into a respectable member of Hellish Nobility, but despite my efforts, he still turns into… that."
Between his behaviour during dinner and the pompous snark he appeared to be showing now as Octavia suddenly switched dance partners, only one thing seemed to be the most appropriate thing to say when Malphas added his own voice into the mix.
"My condolences," he said.
"To be honest with you, I blame his mother," Ipos continued, showing no sign of regret in his choice of words. "The stupid bitch was always spoiling him, especially behind my back."
Stolas couldn't help but roll all four of his eyes at that.
"Well, that's what happens when you marry your own cousin, Ipos," he said, earning himself a small glare from the Duck Demon.
"Oh, you're one to talk, Stolas," he bit back. "Word through the grapevine is that you've been playing around with something MUCH more demeaning these days."
As soon as those words left Ipos's beak, Stolas suddenly froze in shock. Granted he knew that rumours tended to spread amongst Hellish Nobility, but he was almost certain that his… exploits with a certain Imp was strictly between him and said Imp. Either way, he wasn't going to just openly blurt out his personal business in the presence of a fellow Noble.
"What I do in my own time is none of your concern, Ipos," he retorted with a hard glare. "You'll do well to remember that."
"Hey, I'm not judging," Ipos quickly replied, raising his hands defensively. "We all have our little secrets, don't we?"
Stolas may not have known what Ipos meant by that, however, he was left speechless nevertheless. Sensing that things were about to get awkward, Malphas quickly took it upon himself to change the subject.
"Via seems to be doing well, brother," he pointed out, knowing full well how quickly the Owl Demon's attention would be drawn towards the subject of his daughter.
Not failing to disappoint, Stolas's face quickly became plastered with a wide smirk as he turned back to Octavia on the dance floor, who had now switched to yet another dance partner.
"That she is, Malphas," he said smugly. "Doesn't matter who they are, my Owlette knows how to put those little twerps in their place,"
At those words, Malphas couldn't help but sigh in relief. If there was one guaranteed way to calm his brother down or cheer him up, it was to always talk about his special little Starfire… but then, Ipos had to ruin it by opening his big mouth.
"You know, I will say I am surprised you're so on board with this Stolas," he said.
"What do you mean?" Stolas asked curiously.
"Oh, you know," Ipos replied with a small shrug. "Just hard to imagine you'd be so willing to agree to an arranged marriage for your daughter is all."
Of course, that had to have been the absolute worst moment to say such a thing in front of someone taking a sip out of his champagne glass. One spit-take and coughing fit later, Stolas was staring Ipos down with a look of absolute horror.
"Wait, what!?" he exclaimed, instantly getting into the Duck Demon's face.
Ipos, however, just looked confused.
"Hey, why the dramatics!?" he retorted. "You DID know about my son being part of… oh sweet Lucifer, you didn't."
It was only then that Ipos realised how big of a mistake he had made by opening his beak. Now that he thought about it, he never once spoke about this arrangement with Stolas himself, not even on the phone… The only person he ever actually spoke to about this was his WIFE! Before the Duck Demon realised what was happening, Stolas had a very tight grip on the back of his neck before he was pulled away to have a little… talk.
"WHAT. Marriage?"
Meanwhile, Mick continued his duties throughout the ballroom. As to be expected with most of Hellish Nobility, most of the guests didn't seem to acknowledge his existence when he presented them with a tray filled with beverages. Rather they just accepted a glass or two and carried on with what they were doing while letting Mick carry on with his work. No matter what impression he may have made earlier, at the end of the day, to them he was only a servant of the house.
Soon enough, the Cat Demon came across a certain Mirror Demon overseeing the ball from the open doors leading out into the terrace with a content smile on her face, seemingly satisfied with how things appeared to be going. Knowing that this was one of the few Demons in the room who wasn't going to treat him like a ghost passing by, Mick felt no hesitation whatsoever when walking up to the former royal.
"Hey, Mary," he greeted. "Everything going okay?"
"So far, so good," Mary replied, practically giddy at her own handiwork. "Seems like everyone is getting into it, at least… for the most part."
Mick couldn't really blame Mary for hesitating with that last part, after all, he WAS partially to blame for what happened during dinner, even if he wanted nothing more than to walk away. Still, aside from that incident, the banquet did seem to be going rather well. However, there was something else that Mick wanted to ask the Mirror Demon about, now that he got the chance.
"So… is everything going smoothly with the… other arrangements?" he asked, causing a knowing smirk to appear on Bloody Mary's face.
"Like clockwork," she answered.
Of course, should one ask the Goetias or their guests anything about these "other arrangements", all they would receive in return is a confused glance and a raised eyebrow. If they were to ask the staff, on the other hand, they would receive a big surprise after hearing what was being cooked up. Something which Mick was seemingly quite excited for.
"Excellent," he softly chuckled. "In that case, I'll see you downstairs later."
Nodding with acknowledgement, the two Demons then parted ways and continued going about their business until their rendezvous. After that, not much else happened for a little while, giving Mick the opportunity to look over towards the dance floor again. There, he saw Octavia being led into another dance by another potential suitor, a stout Ram Demon with polished black horns. Seeing the look on her face, Mick could tell in an instant that despite putting on a brave face, she wasn't enjoying herself. No matter how upbeat Johnny and his clones made the music, she just couldn't get into it.
"Any more champagne left, sweetie?"
Suddenly Mick was snapped back to reality by the familiar voice from one of the guests. Snapping his head around, he found himself staring up at Duchess Gremory in all her sexy glory.
"Your Grace," Mick exclaimed, offering the tray while giving the Duchess a low bow of his head and causing her to laugh.
"No need to be so formal, Mick," she said reassuringly as she accepted one of the glasses.
It wasn't all that surprising that the red-haired Demon knew him by name at this point. After all, it was practically announced to all the guests during the incident at dinner. What was surprising, however, was the fact that Gremory was being so casual about using it… then again she did come here with a Succubus, so perhaps she's a bit more lenient with other Demons.
"Did you require anything else, Ma'am?" Mick asked, trying to stay as professional as possible just in case other Demons were watching.
"Actually, yes," Gremory replied, letting out a soft sigh. "I was wondering how my little Damian was doing, I can't help but feel a little worried."
Once again, Mick wasn't all that surprised by Gremory's choice of words. Obviously, she was worried about her little pet. Mick could certainly relate because he would be in the same state if Snowflake was being looked after by a random stranger. Unfortunately, as much as he would have liked to, despite their first meeting, the Cat Demon still had his duties for the night and thus, couldn't keep his attention on said pet throughout the night. After all, it's not like he could bring him to the dinner table with him while he served the guests. Luckily, he had already managed to come up with a solution beforehand.
"No need to worry," he said reassuringly. "I've made sure he was placed in the best care possible."
"Damn it!" Buzz snapped, throwing his cards to the ground. "Not again!"
Turns out, the best care possible was to leave Damian outside with Buzz and Snowflake, all three of which were now in the middle of a poker game for a small pool of pet treats.
"How the fuck am I losing to a dog!?" Buzz exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air only to cringe as he received an irritated growl from Snowflake, the game's current winner. "Sorry, no offence."
"I'm sure he'll be all tuckered out and comfortable when we return him to you," Mick stated with confidence, secretly hoping Buzz didn't do anything to fuck things up.
"Smashing," Gremory sighed, feeling a little more relieved than she did before.
Glad to see that he managed to put the Demonic Duchess at ease, Mick smiled beneath his mask. At that moment, the voice of Gremory's plus-one called out from across the room.
"Come on, Grem!" Veroskia called. "Are we gonna try to hook up tonight or what!?"
At those words, Gremory rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Alright, I'll be right there!" She called back. "Jeez, you're so impatient."
Mick may have only had a brief inkling of what the two ladies' intentions were for the night, but their words were more than enough for him to mutter two words under his breath that he knew felt appropriate for the scenario.
"Lucky bastards,"
Soon enough, however, he chose to ignore the two Demons' little tiff and returned his focus on the Princess on the dance floor, unable to shake the unnerving feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was about to get worse for her.
Back on the edge of the dance floor, the cause for such a feeling was glaring hard at Octavia and her dance partner. While he may have allowed the others dancers to have their turn before him, Seth only did so because he needed to save face after his outbursts during dinner. While he believed he was in the right, such a thing was still somewhat unbecoming of a member of Hellish Nobility, therefore he knew he had to be at least a little polite to his fellow guests… though that didn't mean that he was happy about it.
"Fools," he scoffed, looking at Octavia's latest dance partner in disgust. "They think they have a chance with her, well they have another thing coming."
Unfortunately, while he may have dabbled in some conversation with the Duck Demon up till now, the One-eyed Demon next to him wasn't of the same opinion.
"Now Seth, don't you do anything stupid," he warned, hoping to stop whatever Ipos's son was plotting before it began.
Had this particular Demon been one of his rivals, Seth would have wasted no time in putting the little upstart in his place, however since he wasn't, all he did was let out a scoff.
"I'm only doing what is necessary to make sure things go the right way, which is MY way," he stated bluntly, showing no hesitation or shame in his choice of words. "Mark my words, boys, Seth Ayperos will NOT be beaten."
With that final word, Seth ended the conversation and began walking across the dance floor towards a certain Princess, leaving the one-eyed Demon to let out a heavy sigh as he turned to the strapping young Fish Demon who came as his date for the evening.
"Oh, I think he WILL be beaten," he said. "…around the face and up the body with a chair leg if he pisses off any more people tonight."
"Agreed," his date stated stoically.
By the time the most recent song ended, Octavia must have finished dancing with at least six of her suitors, and quite frankly she couldn't stand a single one of them. First, there was the wimp, then it was a narcissist, followed by some smelly bastard who had clearly never heard of deodorant, and so on. After the third one, the Goetia lost any ability to care that she may have had and the entire room just felt like a complete blur… little did she realise, things were suddenly about to feel a lot worse.
"I believe it is my turn to dance with the lady,"
The moment Octavia heard Seth's slimy voice, a chill instantly ran down her spine. At that very moment, all she wanted to do was leave the dance floor immediately, before she was dragged into something she would consider a living nightmare. However, before she could even try to make an excuse for herself, all it took was a small glimpse to her side to catch her mother staring across the room towards her, her gaze hard as if warning her daughter not to do anything stupid. Unable to escape her predicament, Octavia sighed in defeat and reluctantly allowed Seth to take her hand and lead her into another dance just as Johnny and his band started up a brand new song.
As the music picked up and the dance continued, all that Octavia could think about was how horrible the entire experience was, believing that whoever said that seven was a lucky number was a fucking liar!
"You certainly look ravishing tonight, my dear," the Duck Demon stated, sending another chill down Octavia's spine as she felt his hand caress her waist.
"Please don't call me that," she retorted, her voice practically lifeless as her mind desperately tried to escape the reality she now found herself trapped in.
Seth, however, merely forced a chuckle at that remark.
"So cold," he said. "And after I came all this way just to see you."
If this was Seth's sad attempt to be charming, this was not working in the slightest. Any charm he MIGHT have had was instantly lost the moment he opened his fat beak during dinner. As far as Octavia was concerned, even while behind half a mask, she found him absolutely disgusting.
Of course, she wasn't the only one who had that opinion of the Count's son. Watching him force Octavia into a dance, seeing his slimy hands all over her, Mick just wanted to stomp over to them and stab his eyes out with a fork. Once again, he couldn't help but feel grateful to be wearing a mask, otherwise, everyone would have seen him bare his teeth in a low snarl.
"She looks so miserable, doesn't she?"
It was only then that Mick suddenly realised that Duchess Gremory was still standing next to him, causing his anger to suddenly switch to a small wave of embarrassment. Still, there was something about the Demonic Duchess's choice of words that the Cat Demon couldn't help but focus on.
"You… can tell that?" he asked, taking another glimpse over to the dance floor.
"Let's just say I have a… special talent when it comes to women," Gremory replied, giving Mick a small wink as she threw Mick's own words back at him.
After that, the Duchess left without another word, more than likely to join Veroskia on her little man-hunt. Once she was gone, Mick's focus once again returned fully to Octavia and her dance partner. Despite not needing to take Gremory's words into account, Mick could tell that she was indeed right. Despite trying to put on a brave face, Octavia was obviously miserable… and frankly, Mick just couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay, this has GOT to end," he declared, trying to rack his brain for an idea before one suddenly came staggering across his path. "Hmm…"
This was Hell! Despite where she lived, Octavia was now in her own personal Hell. Not only was Seth the absolute worst kind of Demon to be around, constantly talking about himself while also spouting out numerous insults towards the other Demons in the room, but he was practically refusing to let anyone else have a dance, having kept the Goetia Princess locked into the same waltz longer than he should have. With each step she took, Octavia felt like her feet were about to suddenly combust from being so sore, but of course, Seth didn't seem to care.
"Let us not beat around the bush, my dear," the Duck Demon said, once again causing Octavia to cringe. "You and I know what this banquet is really about."
"Oh yeah?" Octavia replied, trying to keep her face stoic despite wanting to vomit in Seth's vile mug.
"Of course," Seth chuckled, oblivious to Octavia's disgust. "After all, daddy told me all about it weeks before we arrived."
So this scumbag KNOWS about the arrangement with the suitors and he's STILL acting like a total dickhead!? Just how cocky is this prick!?
"Is that so?" Octavia asked, forcing herself to be polite despite wanting to knee him in the stomach for even trying to woo her.
Once again, Seth was oblivious to the Goetia Princess's true feelings. In fact, he practically ignored her last sentence and appeared to be in a world of his own.
"To think, an entire banquet just for the purpose of a Princess meeting her handsome suitor," he sighed, his beak twisted into a vile smirk as he moved his hand down to Octavia's hip. "And we both know who THAT is, do we not?"
If Seth dared to move his hand any lower then Octavia wouldn't be held responsible for her actions. She would have gladly grabbed the nearest sharp object and stabbed the vile Duck Demon in the neck with it… again, and again and AGAIN!
"Oh, true, there MAY be others hoping to snatch your hand, but we both know that all the others are simply here for show," Seth continued, somehow making himself sound even more pompous than he already was. "It's pretty obvious that WE are the most compatible."
"How do you figure THAT?" Octavia blurted out, unable to comprehend how this guy could believe something so stupid.
"We're both the only heirs to our families, we're both birds, and most importantly we're incredibly wealthy, what more can there be to make the perfect match?"
Of all things Seth could have said to validate his opinion, THAT'S what he went for? And her mum was expecting her to actually get along with this guy!? Seriously, is that all it takes to be a suitable marriage partner in Stella's eyes. If so then she seriously needs to get her head checked.
Needless to say, Octavia wasn't the only one to see how horrible Seth was. Dancing with each other just a few feet away, only just managing to overhear segments of the exchange, both Charlie and Vaggie looked at Seth with absolute disgust. It didn't matter whether they wore masks or not, nothing could hide the disdain they had for the Duck Demon. In fact, the only thing that eclipsed such hatred was the pity they shared for Octavia.
"Poor kid," Vaggie muttered with a sigh. "Could you imagine having to dance with that estúpido?"
"Almost reminds me of the balls my dad sometimes had in his palace… yet somehow this feels even more depressing," Charlie added, letting out a heavy sigh of her own.
Nodding her head in agreement, Vaggie gave Seth another glare towards the back of his head, almost baring her teeth like a wild animal as she remembered the way the bastard spoke to her earlier,
"You think I can hit him from here if I throw my knife hard enough?" she whispered into her girlfriend's ear, pulling out a small but sharp blade from beneath the bow in her hair.
"I still can't believe you actually brought that thing," Charlie replied, rolling her eyes at her girlfriend's behaviour.
"Hey, a girl's gotta be-" Vaggie tried to retort, only to cut herself off mid-sentence as someone suddenly walked by… all the way towards Seth and Octavia.
Feeling someone tap a finger in his shoulder, Seth huffed in annoyance, not finding this interruption at all amusing. Turning his head around, he almost gasped upon seeing who the perpetrator was. Even Octavia was somewhat surprised upon seeing the stranger making himself known, unable to make heads or tails of what she was seeing.
Dressed in a suit made of blood-red embroidered silk, this stranger gave off a strange, ghostly vibe that one would usually see from a character in a fantasy novel. Like everyone else in attendance, the stranger also wore a mask, one seemingly made of black porcelain and carved into the shape of a jackal's face. However, he seemed to have taken things a step further by adding a white powdered wig and white silk gloves. As strange as it was, Octavia couldn't resist admiring how much effort this particular guest put into his role in the masquerade theme of the evening.
"Mind if I cut in?" he asked, his voice deep and raspy behind his mask.
At first, Octavia feared that Seth was about to tell the stranger to piss off and mind his own business. However, luck finally seemed to be turning in her favour.
"Very well," the Count's son replied, finally letting go of Octavia's hand and brushing back his feathery hair. "I see no reason to protest. My work here is done."
Clearly believing he had nothing to worry about, Seth felt no hesitation in letting Octavia dance with this stranger. Whatever delusions he may have had, it was clear that in his head, his union with Octavia was all but assured. Octavia, on the other hand, couldn't be more relieved to see Seth walk away. However, now that this stranger had made his request clear, she still found herself trapped on the dance floor with no way out until the next dance was over.
"Alright," she sighed, offering the stranger her hand. "Let's just get this over with."
However, the moment the stranger took her hand in his own, the Goetia Princess felt something odd about him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she swore she could feel this Demon trembling as he placed his other hand on her waist. If this was one of her potential suitors, then he must have been the most nervous one out of all of them. Even the Vulture Demon was a LITTLE more confident than this guy… But then, after a few moments of stillness, something strange happened. With one quick stomp of the stranger's foot, every light in the ballroom suddenly went off, shrouding everything in complete darkness.
"Hey, what the fuck's going on?" one of the guests exclaimed.
"Who killed the lights?" Cried another.
Even Stolas and Stella could not understand what was happening. Even with their nocturnal vision, neither one of them could see their hands in front of their faces, as was the same with many other Demons in the room. However, not five seconds later, a new form of light illuminated the room. At first, it started out as a small flicker of blue flame, then it suddenly split into two, then into four and then eight, and so on the multiplying continued until finally the entire ballroom was filled with a gentle sapphire-coloured light.
"Woah… killer light show," Johnny chuckled, lowering his shades for a moment to admire the view.
However, that was only the first part of the display. With a second stomp of his foot, the stranger somehow made all the flames circle around him and Octavia like a horde of wisps in the air, what's more, they appeared to be circling each other in small groups, like stars dancing in the night sky. Needless to say, Octavia found the display to be quite mesmerising, to say the least.
Even those who were watching couldn't understand what was going on. While many Demons were left speechless at the display, others were trying to figure out just how this stranger was doing this. Of course, some weren't amused with the display at all. While Stella had to bite her own finger to stop herself from screaming about the sudden interference with her plans for the night, Seth was positively fuming at how he was being shown up not 10 seconds after he left Octavia on the dance floor. Even the musicians up on stage were left unable to fathom how to respond to this strange display. However, seeing the masked stranger nod his head towards him, Johnny quickly figured out exactly what to do.
"Let's kick it, boys!" he announced, quickly switching out his saxophone for an acoustic guitar.
Before anyone knew it, a brand new song rang throughout the ballroom, only this time, as the stranger held Octavia by the hand and waist, leading her into a slow waltz, Johnny added his own voice to the music, which was soon followed by those of the rest of his band.
Johnny:
The first time you see her, no bolt from the blue,
Just something so quiet, that's waiting for you,
Band:
With no one to tell you, where you've got to go,
Johnny:
The first time it happens, you know,
With each smooth, melodic word that came out of Johnny's mouth, the entire room felt a comforting wave of bliss wash over them. However, the Demons the music seemed to affect the most, were Octavia and her new dance partner. From the moment the music started to play, the Goetia Princess found herself pulled into a gentle, yet rhythmic dance that made her feel… lighter somehow. What's more, some of the flames lighting up the room were now suddenly dancing along to both her and the stranger's movements like a flow of water. In a way, they looked like the effects of a ribbon flowing around their dancers. It just felt so… magical.
Johnny:
The first time you see her, no magical change,
No angels appearing, no dreams to arrange,
Band:
Just warmer and colder than springtime or snow
Johnny:
The first time it happens, you know,
Octavia couldn't tell what was going on, but for some reason… she really liked it. For the briefest moment, her entire miserable world around her seemed to just disappear. With each flicker of the flames, the Goetia Demon was feeling more of the stranger's charms wash over her like the fire around her. She may not have known who he was, but she sure as hell wasn't complaining. If anything, anyone was a better upgrade than Seth was.
What Octavia didn't realise at the time, however, were the massive changes to her surroundings. Unable to find the drive to dance after seeing the flames make their appearance, most of the other dancers on the floor had chosen to clear the area and allow Octavia and the stranger the room they needed, Charlie and Vaggie being among them. In all honesty, the whole thing was just too mesmerising to ignore. They just HAD to watch.
Band:
And so you fall, and how complete it is,
And for each new moment that it lasts, how sweet it is,
Johnny:
The first time together, how simple, how rare,
And just when you thought, you'd forgot how to care,
Band:
And though you feel much more, than you'd dare to show,
Johnny:
The first time it happens, you know,
Suddenly the music started to pick up in tempo, allowing Johnny and his band to really cut loose with the music. Back on the dance floor, the stranger's movements also picked up the pace, unable to resist, Octavia allowed him to lift her off the ground and spin her across the floor, never once letting go of her hand as the flames around them danced around their feet. With each new step, tiny flickers of blue light burst from the bottom of their heels, providing an elaborate feature to their dance and even more entertainment for those who were watching.
"Incredible, aren't they?" Malphas chuckled, smiling in delight at seeing his niece move so elegantly on the dance floor.
Stolas, on the other hand, wasn't quite as enthusiastic.
"Maybe…" he admitted, before giving the stranger a hard glare. "But who the fuck IS he?"
Once again, Stolas proved how much of an overprotective dad he was by solely focusing on the scumbag who dared try to woo his daughter, rather than the fact that said daughter was finally starting to enjoy herself tonight. Luckily, his brother was near enough to try to calm him down.
"Easy brother," he said, placing one of his large hands on Stolas's shoulder. "He seems to be harmless enough, a lot more than Seth at least. Besides, Via's not complaining is she?"
Taking a moment to recollect himself, Stolas took another look towards his daughter. To both his surprise and relief, Octavia was actually… smiling. He may not have fully understood the reason behind it, but he wasn't going to complain about it.
"Yeah, you're right," he admitted with a small sigh, before giving the stranger yet another hard glare. "But I've got my eye on him."
Band:
The first time you see her, no magical change,
No angels appearing, no dreams to arrange,
Just warmer and colder than springtime or snow
The first time it happens, you know,
Before both dancers both knew it, the music had gotten so fast and upbeat, the both of them were completely enthralled by it, so much so that Octavia actually found herself LAUGHING with joy. In fact, she was so into the dancing, she didn't even notice some of the flames reshaping themselves into tiny silhouettes with fiery top hats, before dancing around them to the music like a group of stage performers. What's more, some of the flames beneath both dancers' feet actually began to lift them off the ground, making them look as though the pair of them were quite literally dancing on air.
To those watching on the sidelines, the entire display was nothing short of spectacular. In fact, some of them, Charlie, Vaggie and Veroskia included, had to resist the urge to cheer or else risk interrupting the pair of them. Even Bloody Mary was into the excitement.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Johnny Blues!" she announced, acknowledging the Snake Demon's part to the crowd.
Unsurprisingly, Johnny and his clones relished in the admiration the guests were giving them, bowing their heads in gratitude as they played the more upbeat music. Of course, despite the numerous clapping and murmurs of amusement, there were still some who refused to be intrigued so easily, Stella being among them.
"I don't know him," she growled, venting out her confusion and anger to no one be in particular. "I don't care how good he is, I don't remember him being on the guest list."
Hearing her mutter from just a yard away, Duchess Gremory couldn't help but chuckle.
"No offence Stella, but do you even know who he is?" she pointed out, causing the Owl Demon's eye to twitch.
"No… and THAT'S the problem."
Even Seth was still fuming at what was happening, so much so that when one of the staff offered him a drink, he only gripped it so hard, he reduced it to shards of glass in pure fury.
"Damn that little fucker," he muttered, witnessing all of his supposed efforts go to waste before him.
Meanwhile, back on the dance floor, Octavia's dance with the stranger grew wilder and wilder. Before she knew it, the Goetia Princess was flocked by the flaming silhouettes, all then acting as her backup dancers as the stranger released her hand, allowing her to spin so fast, it looked as though her dress was on fire.
At the same time, the stranger used the momentum to start performing some strange little tap dance number around the spinning Goetia, each step of his feet releasing a crackling spark as it made contact with the floor.
"AHA!" he bellowed, his voice openly declaring just how much fun he was having.
Before long, the stranger once again grabbed Octavia's hand, using the momentum of her spin to twirl her into his arms once more, bringing the dance to its final piece.
Band:
The first time it happens,
The moment it happens,
The first time it happeeeeeeeeeeens,
You knoooooooooooooow!
At last, with one final lift and twirl, the stranger launched Octavia into the air as all the flames in the room suddenly soared towards the pair of them, silhouetting her form as a large flower of light burst behind her, before she suddenly fell back into the stranger's arms, feeling herself feel one final spin before she felt his hand on her back and her head was dipped a mere foot from the floor. Finally, the dance was over.
Before Octavia even realised it, all the lights returned to normal and the entire ballroom was filled with boundless clapping and multiple cheers, courtesy of the many guests who found the entire display nothing short of amazing. Helping Octavia stand back up, the stranger gave the Princess a respectful bow, showing his respect and allowing her to notice that he was breathing just as heavily as she was.
"That… that was really something," she stated between breaths, her face slightly flushed as she couldn't figure out what else to say.
At that moment, the stranger did something that would shock the Owl Demon to her very core.
"One is glad to be of service… Octi,"
The instant she heard the stranger's voice suddenly change into one that was as familiar as her own, Octavia's heart practically stopped in her chest. Only ONE Demon called her by that nickname, and that very same Demon was the only one she knew who used such a phrase. Choosing to fully focus her gaze on the stranger's mask, Octavia looked into the eyeholes to try to catch a glimpse of his identity. Sure enough, that was when she noticed the two different-coloured eyes looking back at her… one red, one white.
"M-Mick?"
The moment she said his name, her disguised friend confirmed her observation with a small wink, causing Octavia to place a hand over her mouth to stop herself from gasping with a mixture of shock and awe. Before she could say another word, however, Mick once again took Octavia's hand and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"When you've grown bored of this particular scene, you should see what a REAL party looks like," he said, pulling his head back just in time to hear Stolas's voice breaking through the crowd of onlookers.
"Excuse me, move aside, out of the way, overprotective dad coming through!"
As soon as they both heard that, Octavia could have sworn she saw Mick's eyes shrink in horror.
"Oh shit," he muttered. "See ya later, Octi!"
And just like that, Mick quickly stomped his foot again, causing all the lights to once again go out, only this time it was merely for a few seconds. Just long enough for him to disappear, once again leaving the onlooking crowd in awe. AT that point, Stolas had finally managed to push himself through, walking straight across the dance floor and placing his hands on his daughter's cheeks.
"Are you okay, Via?" he asked frantically, checking her over to make sure nothing happened to her during her last dance.
"Yeah, dad, I'm fine," Octavia huffed, feeling a little embarrassed by her father's antics as she pushed his hands off her.
However, even as her father continued to talk, Octavia's attention was solely focused on something else entirely. Ever since Mick held her hand, the Goetia Princess felt something else in her palm, something that never left even as Mick removed his hand. Obviously, Mick had managed to slip something to her without anyone else noticing, something that, while still uncertain to Octavia of what it was, will sure enough, turn her entire night around.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The Featured Song: The First Time It Happens - from the film: The Great Muppet Caper