It took a little while, but eventually, Mick managed to finally take off the last of his disguise and replace his mask before anyone else realised he had been missing. After finally managing to slip away without being spotted, the Cat Demon felt his heartbeat so hard, he thought it may actually burst out of his chest. What the hell was he THINKING!?
It all seemed so simple. Just a simple, impulsive idea that he came up with without thinking it all the way through. From the moment he saw that drunken guest stagger his way out of the ballroom, everything Mick did afterwards was the product of improvisation. From following the guest out to knocking him out with his drink tray and pulling him into the nearest coat closet, all of it seemed like a great idea at the time. After that, all he had to do next was make himself LOOK like he belonged in that ballroom.
Hiding his tail was a simple enough task, after all, he's had a few years of practice in that particular department due to having to slip past Mrs Deagle once or twice. All he needed to do was wrap it around his torso a few times and hey presto, no tail and an instant bit of padding around the waist to make himself look weightier than he really was. The main challenge, of course, was finding a way to hide his face, seeing as how he couldn't use the Noble's mask due to the inevitable number of questions that may occur if he looked exactly like him. Thankfully, Buzz once again came through with his pile of junk, allowing the Cat Demon to find a suitable mask and wig for him to wear. After that, all that was needed was to take the drunk Demon's clothes, replace his mask and stuff all of the incriminating evidence in the closet with his supposed victim. Thankfully the idiot Noble was still so black-out drunk, he didn't even make a sound.
Once the deed was done, all that was left was to go back out into the ballroom, make himself known to the Princess and give her a reason to actually smile tonight. Was it risky? Sure. Would Stella or Stolas severely punish him if they ever caught on? OBVIOUSLY! But at the time, Mick didn't care. Seeing the happy smile on Octavia's face was completely worth it.
Alas, now the dance was over and Mick needed to take off his disguise before his employers managed to catch on to what he had done. The second he managed to get his original mask back on, Mick quickly rushed over to the nearest elevator and stashed the Noble's clothes and the mask he wore back in his quarters, with the intent of disposing of them later… Hopefully, the Noble won't mind walking home in his boxers after he sobers up.
Well, whatever the case may be, what's done is done. Now all that was left to do was wait for Octavia to read the little note he managed to slip her after their dance.
When Octavia finally managed to break away from her father's overbearing protective instincts, she was finally able to make the excuse of needing to "powder her nose", an excuse that thankfully managed to get her out of the ballroom without anyone asking questions. Eventually, Octavia managed to sneak into the nearest guest bathroom and take out the folded piece of paper Mick managed to slip her, before smiling in delight as she began to read Mick's handwriting scrawled all over it.
Octi,
If you value your sanity and would actually like to enjoy your night, tell your parents that you would like to retire for the evening, and meet me at the 3rd Servant's Elevator 1 floor up at 11 sharp.
Hope to see you soon,
Mick
P.S.: Get rid of this note as soon as you read it, best not leave any clues for your parents to find.
As soon as she had finished reading, Octavia wasted no time in disposing of the evidence. All she needed to do was rip up the note and flush the pieces down the toilet, before making her way back out.
As soon as she was back in the ballroom, the Goetia Princess immediately checked the large clock situated just above the doors. Seeing that it was around 10:15, she had just over half an hour to stick around and keep up appearances before she had to make an excuse to leave and meet Mick for their scheduled rendezvous. To that end, she chose to simply grab another glass of champagne from a passing Imp and decided to mingle with someone… tolerable. Unfortunately, in her opinion, someone fitting that category was far too rare for a crowd like this. There was always Charlie and her girlfriend, but the Owl Demon didn't want to draw her mother's attention. As luck would have it, someone she did actually like suddenly came walking up to her
"Ah, Via, there you are,"
Turning her head, she saw her Uncle Malphas and Duchess Gremory smiling back at her.
"Uncle Malphas, Your Grace," Octavia greeted, bowing her head respectfully and earning a small giggle from Gremory as a result.
"You know you don't have to call me that, sweetie," she said. "Technically speaking, you and Malphas here do outrank me."
"Not that anyone would ever be able to tell with how you carry on," Malphas commented with a slight chuckle.
"Hey, if you got it, you flaunt it," Gremory retorted, shamelessly spanking herself to emphasise her statement.
Unable to resist the urge, Octavia released a small laugh at that.
"So how's dad doing?" she asked her uncle, remembering how he was the one holding Stolas back after he tried scouring the ballroom, looking for the stranger who danced with his daughter.
"Oh, he's… fine," Malphas replied, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
Octavia instantly gave him a deadpan look at that.
"What happened?" she asked bluntly, knowing exactly what her father was like and how Malphas usually dealt with him on certain occasions.
"Might as well tell her, Mal," Gremory pointed out with an indifferent shrug.
"Alright," Malphas sighed defeatedly. "He was getting a little too worked up so… I MIGHT have crushed a Valium and put it in his drink."
Her eyes snapped wide open in surprise, Octavia quickly scanned the room, looking for any sign of her father. Sure enough, she soon found him being escorted out by Ipos, who had his arm over his shoulder while Stolas just flopped over him like a deboned fish.
"Excelsior!" the Owl Demon exclaimed, his voice incredibly slurred as he tried in vain to lift up his head.
Seeing her father in such a state, Octavia couldn't help but cringe.
"Ooh."
"Yeah, he'll be out for the rest of the night, I'm afraid," Malphas sighed guiltily, not liking what he had to do to his brother in the least.
"Well… had to be done, I suppose," Octavia replied, shrugging her shoulders and finding no other words to say on the matter.
"Better than the alternative, eh?" Gremory added, still trying to stifle her laughter upon remembering Stolas's reaction to the whole scenario.
This was great. If Octavia could just keep talking with these two, that would take up more than enough time to make herself look busy before she had to make an excuse to leave… Unfortunately, life is NEVER that easy.
"Octavia!"
A sudden chill running down her spine, the Goetia Princess winced as she turned and saw Stella walking up to her with a stoic expression on her face. Seeing that cold look aimed directly at her, Octavia was really wishing that her uncle gave HER a Valium too.
"Oh, mum," she greeted, politely bowing her head to keep up appearances. "Good evening."
Of course, Stella didn't give her daughter the same courtesy by greeting her back. Instead, she remained stoic and kept herself calm, her mind still fresh with memories of what Octavia allowed herself to be part of on the dance floor. However, that wasn't to say she didn't speak to her daughter at all.
"Come, dear," she said, tilting her head over to the other side of the ballroom. "A few of the guests would like to speak with you."
No! Not now! If Octavia didn't think of a way out of this situation soon, who knows how long it will delay her!? No! She had to nip this in the bud before it was too late.
"Uh… actually mum, I'm feeling a little woozy," she quickly said, feigning a migraine as she placed a hand to her temple. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure I can handle many more guests."
"Can't say I'm surprised," Gremory added, unknowingly helping Octavia with her charade. "That last dance must have taken it out of you."
As if Gremory's words weren't helpful enough, Octavia mentally cheered after her Uncle Malphas threw his own opinion into the mix.
"Perhaps it would be best if Octavia retires for the night, Stella," he added. "After all, it would be unhealthy for her to be so overwhelmed in one evening."
As much as Stella wanted to protest and have her daughter carry on with the banquet, she knew that causing a scene now wouldn't do her any good, plus, Malphas did have a point.
"Oh… very well," the Owl Demon eventually sighed, before turning away. "In that case, I bid you goodnight, dear. Be sure to get yourself to bed promptly."
Of all the fortuitous luck! This had to have been the best outcome Octavia could have asked for. Not only was her mother actually allowing her to leave, but she's also doing it without so much as an argument. In all honesty, it took every ounce of willpower for the Goetia Princess not to so much as smile in delight at such a result.
"Thank you, mum," she said, once again bowing her head. "Goodnight."
And just like that, Stella was walking away, leaving Octavia free to do whatever she pleased, something that she intended to take full advantage of… after she showed her appreciation for those who helped, of course.
"Thanks, guys," she said, giving them both a grateful nod.
"Anytime, my dear," Malphas chuckled, giving his niece a small pat on the back. "Now, off you go."
With that final word, Octavia turned and walked away from the two elder Demons, the pair of them looking quite intrigued as they watched the Princess leave the room.
"You saw that too, right?" Gremory whispered, leaning into Malphas's ear. "The girl actually smiled again."
"Something must have happened to lift her spirits as of late," Malphas said in agreement, a small smile creeping up across his beak. "I imagine it'll be fun to find out what."
Unfortunately, Malphas and Gremory weren't the ONLY Demons to watch Octavia walk out. Peering over his shoulder as he pretended to listen to his fellow Noble chatter away, Seth's eyes locked onto the Goetia Princess as she left. With a sneer spreading across his face, his mind quickly began to fill with suspicion, unable to shake the feeling that something he found disgusting was happening right under his bill.
It took a little while, but eventually, Octavia managed to give any members of staff the slip as she made her way upstairs. Though it was mostly guesswork, the Goetia Princess tried to remember the locations of all the servant's elevators, or at least those on the floor she was on in order to pinpoint the one Mick asked her to meet him at. It was at this point that she felt like kicking herself for not paying that much attention to those specific details during her mother's lessons through the years. Suddenly…
DING!
"First Floor: Bathroom supplies, Hardwood floors and Wayward Princesses."
The moment she heard that all too familiar voice, Octavia instantly snapped around with a smile on her face. There she saw Mick, now dressed back in his normal clothes and mask, giving her a playful bow from inside the opened elevator doors. As soon as she saw the Cat Demon step out, all of her anxiety seemed to just melt away.
"Well… if it isn't the Phantom of The Opera," she retorted, playing along with Mick's bit.
Mick, of course, let out a small chuckle at that.
"Oh come on, you can't tell me you didn't like it," he pointed out.
"Never said otherwise," Octavia replied, giving the Cat Demon a small shrug. "So what's this all about Mick? What are you plotting?"
If Octavia was able to see Mick's mouth at that moment, she would have instantly seen a wide Cheshire grin spread across it.
"If the lady would care to step this way," he said, putting on a posh accent while gesturing towards the elevator doors.
Seeing no reason not to trust the Cat Demon, Octavia felt no hesitation whatsoever in following his lead and stepping inside with him. As soon as the doors closed, she quickly felt the first true tinge of anticipation she could have felt for the entire night.
Back in the ballroom, the ball continued on, even without the host's daughter in attendance. Of course, that wasn't to say she wasn't missed. Ever since the masked stranger pulled Octavia into such a spectacular dance, the subject of it seemed to be the primary focus of discussion among a great many of the guests. None of them may have known who the stranger was, but he sure as hell managed to leave an impression.
Of course, while most seemed to be giddy, or at the very least intrigued with what happened, one particular Demon in the room remained furious and practically gave death glares to anyone who brought up the dance into a conversation. Sure enough, Seth was still feeling his blood boil with every moment he replayed the dance in his head. How DARE that fucker try to sneak his way into his woman's affections! Didn't he know who Octavia belonged to!? What's more, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something else was going on… and it had only gotten worse since he learned from Lady Stella that Octavia wasn't returning to the ballroom tonight. No! There had to be an explanation for this!
"Hey you, Imp!" he suddenly snapped, pointing his clawed finger to the nearest member of staff.
Hearing the Duck Demon's voice, Reginald let out an exhausted sigh as he walked over towards him with a tray of drinks in his hands.
"Yes sir?" he replied, hoping he wouldn't spend too long in this particular Demon's presence.
"I believe my fiancé may not be feeling too well," Seth said, not even bothering to acknowledge the Imp's confused expression. "I would like you to check on her for me."
Reginald didn't know which baffled him more, the fact that Seth was attempting to order him around despite getting scolded for talking to other Demons' staff not too long ago, or the assumption he was making that Octavia was already his betrothed.
"Your… fiancé, sir?" Reginald repeated, making sure he heard the Duck Demon correctly.
"What are you? Deaf?" Seth snapped irritably. "Yes, my fiancé! Now go!"
Not wanting to invoke the young Demon's wrath, Reginald quickly yelped and rushed away from the scene, leaving the ballroom, tray in hand. Whether or not he actually followed Seth's command, however, remained to be seen. Then again, if Seth had his way, and he usually did, he dare not disobey.
Even as the elevator doors opened again, the smile never left Octavia's face. Following the Cat Demon out, the Goetia Demon wanted to carry on talking with him for as long as possible. After everything she had gone through tonight and all the days that led up to it, she felt she was entitled to some decent conversation. True, Charlie and her girlfriend were surprisingly pleasant to talk with during dinner, but regardless, she still missed the casual talks she had with her friend.
"I never knew you were such a good dancer," she said, causing the Sinner to blush under his mask.
"Well, I wouldn't say I was THAT good," he replied bashfully.
Octavia couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Oh my Lord, he's modest," she said playfully, feigning surprise and causing Mick to blush even more.
"Shut up!" he exclaimed, with Octavia enjoying every moment of his over-exaggerated embarrassment.
It was only after the Goetia Princess had a good laugh that she managed to calm herself down long enough to get a little serious as the pair of them walked through the Servants' Corridors.
"All joking aside, Mick, why didn't you tell me it was you in the first place?" she asked, her mind reliving the circumstances leading up to their dance. "I mean seriously, I was actually going to consider calling 'stranger-danger' on you."
In response, Mick could only give an honest shrug.
"I was afraid someone might overhear," he admitted. "ESPECIALLY if said someone was one of your parents."
"Heh, fair point," Octavia replied, seeing the logic behind Mick's actions. "Still, I am glad you did all that, once again you really saved me there."
Had Mick's mask not obstructed her view on it, Octavia would have seen yet another smile across his face at that moment.
"Hey, I wasn't gonna let my friend be miserable all night now, was I?"
Once again, Octavia couldn't help but chuckle.
"You really are an odd one, aren't you?
"Oh, I know," Mick retorted, playfully swinging his tail around in his hand like a cane. "And that's what you like about me."
This, of course, earned the Cat Demon a small jab to his shoulder from the Owl Demon.
"Smartass!" she exclaimed, causing them both to share a laugh again.
After a few minutes of walking, the two of them eventually came up to the door leading up to the Staff Kitchens. The moment they arrived, Octavia could have sworn that she heard something muffled coming from the other side of the wood.
"M'lady…" Mick said, reaching his hand towards the handle. "Your true magical night begins here."
As soon as the Cat Demon pushed down on the handle and opened up the door, a large wave of light and sound washed over the Goetia Princess like a tsunami. Giving herself a minute to let her eyes adjust, Octavia found herself completely floored at what she was seeing.
What was once a busy kitchen preparing everything for the banquet taking place upstairs, was a party more lively than Octavia had ever seen. Everywhere she looked, the room was alive with music and cheers as Imps of varying shapes and sizes all drank, sang, and made merry. A large area had even been cleared for the Imps to create their own little dance floor as a small Imp band, accompanied by none other than the Chef himself, played what could only be described as "Pub Music" as the many servants danced all manner of jigs and reels to the happy tunes. Needless to say, Octavia couldn't believe her eyes after seeing such a scene.
Band
OH! You can search far and wide,
You can drink the whole town dry,
But you'll never find a beer so brown,
(But you'll never find a beer so brown),
As the one we drink in our hometown,
(As the one we drink in our hometown),
You can drink your fancy ales,
You can drink 'em by the Flagon,
But the only brew for an Imp like you...
Comes from the 'Red Dragon'!
"What the hell is this?" she thought aloud.
"This, my friend, is what a REAL party looks like," Mick declared, a small hint of pride ringing through his voice. "Courtesy of Miss Bloody Mary."
"Mary did all this?" Octavia exclaimed, wondering how the hell the Mirror Demon was able to accomplish such a thing while organising everything upstairs.
"Yep," Mick replied with a nod of his head. "She wanted to thank me for introducing her to your folks, so I suggested arranging something for the staff for all their efforts. And lo and behold, this is what we got."
"And it is totally fucking awesome!"
Hearing that particular voice, both Mick and Octavia turned to see Jessie, the Goetia's adrenaline-junkie Chauffeur, coming up to the pair of them with two glasses of what they could only assume was a type of beer, and a giddy grin plastered all over her face. After passing the drinks over to the two of them, the clearly drunken Hellhound slumped her arm over Mick's shoulder and giggled inanely.
"I tell ya, THIS guy… this guy is the fucking best!" she babbled. "He... he… heeeeeeeeeeroh! Fucking shit! It's the Princess!"
The moment the Hellhound said that, almost everyone within earshot was filled with a sudden surge of panic. The last thing any of the Imps needed was a Royal spoiling their fun. Luckily Mick was there to calm the situation before it turned into one.
"Woah! Easy Jes!" he said, raising his hands defensively. "It's cool, she's with me."
Unsurprisingly, such a statement only brought confusion to those who heard it, including the drunk Hellhound.
"With you?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow before her eyes shot wide open in utter shock. "Holy fuck, you hooked up with royalty!? Respect!"
Needless to say, Jessie's misunderstood reaction was instantly met with both Mick AND Octavia turning as red as a pair of beets before babbling like a pair of baboons.
"No! No! No!" Mick exclaimed, frantically shaking his head in denial. "We're nothing like that!"
"Yeah, I'm just here as a friend!" Octavia added, her own denial just as strong as the Cat Demon's.
At first, the pair of them thought Jessie was going to laugh or push her accusation further, however, not two seconds after Mick and Octavia denied her claim, the Hellhound seemed to lose all interest in a millisecond.
"Pfft! Whatever dude, I'm too pissed to care," she said, taking a swig of her beer bottle.
At that, both the Owl and Cat Demon let out a small sigh of relief. Despite the issue not being pressed, however, the very idea of the two of them "hooking up", as Jessie put it, did cause the pair of them to give each other an awkward glance in the other's direction, neither one of them unable to get the thought out of their heads. Luckily, Jessie was able to cure that with a sudden change of subject.
"Dude… you gotta have a drink with us!" she exclaimed, throwing her arm over Octavia's shoulder with an even wider grin. "Come on, live a little! We got a whole keg filled with some of the good shit."
As flattered as she was to be invited to something that, however, Octavia wasn't really enthusiastic about it. As far as social gatherings go, she had never been out drinking with friends or attended a party that her parents didn't arrange or were invited to first. As such, she had no real experience with just being casual with other Demons, especially those of the lower classes… of course it didn't really help when either her father smothered her, or her mother constantly tried to control who she spent time with. Bottom line: the Goetia Princess had no real confidence in giving a positive answer.
"Oh, I don't know," she said nervously. "I really shouldn't…"
Alas, the Hellhound wasn't going to let the Owl Demon off so easily.
"Oh I see," she said in a mocking tone. "The big, scary owl is really a chicken in disguise huh?"
…
"Where's that fucking keg?"
Octavia may have been nervous, but the one thing that can always be relied on was her temperament. Granted, she may have put on an uncaring facade, but even a Goetia can fall for teenage pressure from time to time… especially when they already had about 4 glasses of champagne before even coming down here. Before she knew it, Octavia was listening to Mick's laughter as she was led away by her Chauffeur towards a stack of metal kegs.
Seeing the look of confidence in the Owl Demon's face as she was away, Mick couldn't help but fall back on what Jessie said. Granted there was no truth to her choice of words, yet… Why did he feel so defensive about it? Was it because… NO! That's impossible. That sort of thing could never happen… right? Luckily the Cat Demon wouldn't need to ponder on that particular subject for long.
"Quite the social butterfly, ain't she?"
"Damn right," Mick agreed, his eyes suddenly widening in shock as soon as he registered the familiarity of the voice that spoke. "Hang on!"
Snapping his head straight to the right side of his feet, the Cat Demon was flabbergasted to see none other than his roommate looking back up at him with a beer in one hand, a ham sandwich in the other and a joint in his mouth.
"Hey, buddy!" the Imp greeted, shocking Mick even more.
"Buzz!?" he exclaimed, his tone turning slightly aggressive as soon as he noticed that two specific individuals weren't with him. "Where the hell are Snowflake and Damian!?"
Granted, he wasn't expecting Buzz to stay outside all night with the two pets, but the fact that he was here and not with them brought up some instant red flags as far as Mick was concerned.
"Hey, don't worry, I only left them in our room to grab a snack," Buzz replied, brushing off Mick's concern. "They'll be fine for a few minutes."
However, that particular revelation didn't make Mick any better… in fact, he was instantly horrified the instant he heard it.
"Wait… OUR room!?"
So many colours! That would be what Snowflake would keep repeating if she could speak. Neither she, nor Damian knew what the hell was going on, but boy did they LOVE it! One minute they were in Mick and Buzz's room, and the next, they were both flying through a swirling vortex filled with stars and all the colours of the rainbow! Everywhere she looked, the little Kitsune pup was met with constellations forming into her daddy, all of them giving her large plates of steak for her to eat!
… of course, this was only what SHE saw. To anyone else, she and Damian were merely laying with theirs back to the floor, their eyes swirling in a daze as they stared giddily at the ceiling with all of their legs wiggling in the air like an anemone. If one were to ask how the two got into such a state, anyone would instantly say it was all Buzz's fault! And all he had to do was rip off a few marijuana leaves from the walls and throw them into a bucket for Snowflake to light up with her flames, before he left the room, filling it with a thick cloud of the wonderful blue smoke… needless to say, Mick was NOT happy when he saw the two pets after opening the door.
"Oh, great!" the Cat Demon exclaimed, resisting the urge to smack Buzz upside the head. "You turned Duchess Gremory's pet into a stoner!"
"The hell are they even looking at?" Buzz added, scratching his head as he looked up at the leafy ceiling, trying to figure out what about it that's got the two so fascinated.
Back in the ballroom, Stella was on damage control. With her daughter retired for the night and her useless husband down for the count, it was up to her to make sure none of the guests left angry. Thankfully, it appeared that Bloody Mary was quite skilled in talking to Hellish Nobility, a talent she picked up in her past life, no doubt. As such, the Mirror Demon was able to assist the Lady of the House in explaining the situation regarding her daughter's whereabouts for the evening. Some of them taking it better than others.
"Such a shame your daughter wasn't feeling well, Stella," one such Demon commented. "Then again I suppose all that dancing must have taken it out of her."
Stella had to resist rolling her eyes at that. That had to have been the third time someone had made such a comment tonight. Though, of course, that also meant she had an answer already prepared.
"Yes I suppose that is true," she said in a refined tone. "I guess it goes to show how well she can handle events such as these. A true example of elegance and grace."
"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!"
Had Stella been able to witness what her daughter was currently up to at that very same moment, she would NOT have been able to say her last statement without sounding like a total liar. Before tonight, the Goetia Princess never would have imagined her night turning out like this, and now here she was doing a keg stand with a tap in her mouth, surrounded by a bunch of cheering Imps!
Before long, she eventually reached her limit and spat out the tap, allowing the two imps holding her legs up to lower her back down off the keg. As soon as she caught her breath, Octavia immediately shot her arms up and gave the sign of the horns.
"WOO!"
She didn't know whether it was because she was starting to get a little drunk or because she was enthralled by the incredible atmosphere, but the Goetia Princess just couldn't help but let herself cut loose like that, something which the surrounding Imps were all too enthusiastic about.
"Damn, this girl can DRINK!" one of them declared.
"Fuck yeah, she can!" Jessie cried out, giving Octavia a proud smack on the back. "Where the hell have you been all my life?"
"Practically dead," Octavia replied, her tipsiness leaving next to no filter in her speech.
"Well, you're living it up tonight, luv!" Jessie laughed, pushing past the Goetia Princess to reach the keg. "Step aside guys! It's MY turn!"
Soon enough, Jessie had taken her place on the keg, allowing Octavia to walk away while the Imps around her began to cheer on the Hellhound. As much as she enjoyed what she had just experienced, there was only one Demon she wanted to spend time with tonight. Luckily she didn't have to search for long since she spotted him walking back into the kitchen with the Gardener at his side.
"Okay, just make sure Gremory doesn't see him until he sobers up, alright?" he growled, still pretty ticked about seeing what he did in their room.
"Okay, okay, got it," Buzz retorted, rolling his eyes as he walked back into the corridor, hopefully, to do some damage control of his own.
As soon as the Imp left, Mick let out a loud groan of exasperation, as he took off his mouthpiece and lit up one of the joints he had in his pocket.
"Ugh… I swear I'm gonna kill him one of these days," he muttered, taking a long drag before suddenly spotting Octavia walking up to him. "Hey! Having a good time?"
"Surprisingly, yes," the Owl Demon answered, giving Mick a genuine smile. "Never knew our new driver could drink like that."
At those words, Mick let out a few small coughs of smoke as he replayed a certain horrible memory in his head.
"Well, if it's anything like her driving, then may Lucifer have mercy on us all!" He said, earning himself another laugh from Octavia.
She may not have known why Mick would say such a thing, given that Jessie seemed to be a decent Chauffeur whenever she dropped her off at school, but knowing him, he probably had his reasons. Either way, this brought about the start of a brand new series of conversations that she had been missing for the past month.
After a while, both Mick and Octavia found themselves leaning up against one of the kitchen walls, each with a lit-up joint in their hands as they enjoyed each other's company. Now that they had the chance to talk without worrying about the banquet or the subject of idiot suitors, the pair of them found themselves relaxing more than they had the chance to over the last few weeks.
"Hey Mick, can I ask you something?" Octavia asked, a sudden thought popping into her head.
"Shoot," Mick replied, taking another drag of his reefer.
"How the hell did you do all that with the fire and the lights?"
Blowing out a circle of smoke, Mick couldn't help but smirk. In all honesty, he was wondering when the Goetia's curiosity would eventually make her ask such an inevitable question.
"Well, when you're a Sinner like me, and if you spend a long enough time in Hell, you pick up a trick or two," he explained, trying his best to make his answer as clear as possible. "My friend Johnny has his cloning thing, Mary has her mirrors; me, I have the ability to do this…"
Snapping his fingers, Mick then gave a small demonstration of his ability by making a small flicker of blue fire appear at the tip of his finger before making it dance around his hand like a bouncy ball and reforming it into a little smiley face. After the little show was over, there was no denying that Octavia was somewhat impressed, however that didn't mean she didn't have a follow-up question.
"So if you could create those flames this whole time, why do you need a lighter for your joints?" she asked, earning herself a light chuckle from the Cat Demon.
"Fun fact about this Hellfire, Octi," he said, bringing the flame to one of his unlit joints to show her how it didn't affect it in the slightest. "I can't burn jack shit with it unless I'm extremely pissed off."
Hearing that, Octavia instantly raised an eyebrow.
"For real?" she asked.
"Yep," Mick replied, giving her a nod of his head as he snuffed the flame out in his palm. "Don't know why it works that way, but I stopped trying to question it years ago. In all honesty, it's only ever been useful if I ever want to entertain people at parties."
As much as she liked to have learned more about Mick's little parlour trick, Octavia understood completely about his inability to answer her question. After all, it would be unfair of her to demand something from the Cat Demon that he was unable to know about himself.
"I see," she said, looking around the room for a way to change the subject. Moments later, she suddenly found herself unable to hold back an amused snort. "You think SHE'S had too much to drink?"
Following the Goetia's finger, Mick quickly shared in Octavia's amusement as they both saw Jewel standing on top of one of the kitchen counters, seductively swaying her hips while being the subject of numerous catcalls from the small crowd of rowdy Imps at her feet.
"Come and get it, boys!" she called out, before ripping off her top, exposing her lacey black bra, before doing a small stage dive into the open arms of the small crowd of men.
"Believe it or not, I think she's sober," Mick commented, causing both himself and Octavia to start cackling like a pair of hyenas.
Indeed, this was turning out to be an amazing night, at last for the two young Demons, more so than Octavia could have hoped for… alas, even now, nothing could ever go so smoothly.
CRASH!
"PARTY CRASHER ALERT!"
Before either Mick or Octavia could even comprehend what was happening, Buzz suddenly came rushing back into the room, crashing into numerous objects while screaming his head off like a lunatic, so much so that even the band stopped playing due to the imp being so loud. Mere moments later the diminutive Imp ran into Mick's leg, his face still filled with terror even as he fell back to the floor.
"Whoa, Buzz, what's gotten into you?" Mick asked, helping the Imp back to his feet.
Unfortunately, Buzz would never get the chance to answer the question.
"What the devil is going on in here!?"
Instantly recognising the voice coming from the door, Mick, along with every other Demon within earshot snapped their heads towards the entrance to the kitchen. There they saw none other than the Butler of the house, his face all twisted with a mix of bafflement and anger, a rare sight given how expressionless he usually is. Given his reaction, Mick was also filled with confusion, so much so that his mind desperately tried to find some form of clarity.
"Did no one tell Reginald about this party?" he asked in a hushed tone, leaning into Buzz's ear hoping he could get an explanation.
"Hardly," Buzz replied, his tone also hushed. "The guy's a total snitch! As head of the household, he rats out everyone who steps out of line unless told otherwise by one of the Goetias!"
Now things were starting to make sense. If that was how Reginald responded to such things, then it's no wonder no one said anything to him about this party. After all, it's not like it was advertised to the Nobles upstairs, and obviously, they wouldn't hear the music from up there because of the soundproofing… but if Lady Stella were to ever find out that all these Imps were down here partying while they were meant to be working, she'll have ALL their heads!
"What are we gonna do?" Buzz whimpered, not liking the idea of the potential consequences one bit.
Seeing the same look of dread on everyone's face, Mick knew he had to do something before this situation became worse. After all, it was technically his fault for putting them in this scenario in the first place. Before anyone else could take a single step, the Cat Demon stepped forward.
"Relax Reginald," he said, quickly grabbing the Butler's attention. "Everyone here is off duty for the night."
Reginald immediately raised an eyebrow at that.
"Off duty, you say?" he asked.
"Mhm," Mick replied. "Everyone here has finished their jobs and was just celebrating a job well-done is all. If you wish to blame someone, however, I'm the one who arranged all this."
At those words, everyone, including Octavia, were shocked. Mick was actually taking the rap for this… voluntarily!? He did know that meant a severe punishment, right!? In any case, the confession caused Reginald to once again raise an eyebrow.
"Is that so?" he asked, his stoic expression quickly returning. "Well, while I'm sure your intentions were good, I shall still need to inform the family about this. And I highly doubt they would have-"
"The family already knows, Reginald,"
Hearing Octavia's voice, both Mick's and Reginald's eyes snapped wide open in shock. Though, while Mick was surprised Octavia was speaking up, Reginald was more surprised that the young Goetia was even down here.
"P-Princess!?" he exclaimed. "Wha… what are you-"
"That is none of your concern Reginald," Octavia interrupted, her tone practically oozing with a sense of authority that she hardly ever used. "As for this little soirée, you'll say nothing to my parents about it, nor of my involvement in it. Is that clear?"
Once again, the room was filled with shocked silence. Neither Reginald nor the other Imps knew why another Demon, much less a Goetia, would ever stand up for them, but the majority weren't exactly going to complain about it.
"But Miss Goetia-" Reginald tried to protest, only for Octavia to cut him off again.
"Is. that. clear, Reginald?" She repeated, before suddenly leaning in to whisper something in the Butler's ear. "Or would you prefer it if I tell everyone here about your little 'excursions' down in the Lust Ring?"
The moment he heard those words, Reginald's eyes instantly shrank with terror. Even though he knew that the other Imps couldn't hear what the Goetia had just said, the Butler was all too determined to make sure it stayed that way. The less anyone knew about what he got up to during his trips to Ozzie's, the better. Eventually, he sighed in defeat.
"Y-yes Miss, as you wish," he said. "I shan't say a word."
And just like that, Reginald turned and walked away, leaving the Goetia standing there to let out a heavy breath she didn't realise she had been holding. After about three seconds of silence, the whole room suddenly filled with the sound of numerous Imps giving the Princess a grateful round of applause.
"My hero!" one cried out.
"Give this girl another drink!" Jessie added.
As flattered as she was at receiving such appreciation, Octavia still couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Despite being royalty, she never was one who looked for the spotlight even if she was usually being thrown into it against her will. Still, at least this actually felt a little more tolerable than when she was put on display for Hellish Nobility. Plus, now she had a friend to help her through the motions, a friend that was now gladly wrapping his arm around her shoulder with a loud chuckle in his throat.
"Not gonna lie, Octi, that was fucking awesome!" he declared. "Who knew you could be such a badass?"
She didn't know why, but Octavia immediately blushed hard after hearing such a compliment.
"It wasn't THAT good," she said bashfully, causing Mick to chuckle again.
"Oh, NOW who's being modest," he retorted, earning himself another playful jab in the shoulder for his troubles.
"Oh, screw you!"
Despite their shared laughter, however, Octavia couldn't forget what happened before she decided to step in. Why would Mick willingly throw himself under the bus like that? And for a bunch of Imps he barely knew, no less? Granted, he may have been the initial instigator of this party along with Bloody Mary, but by the sound of it, it didn't seem like he intended on mentioning her name at all. So… why? If he had been any other Demon in Hell, he would have accused someone else in an instant, and yet he didn't. Granted, Octavia didn't let the Imps get punished either, but she was mostly following Mick's example. Just what kind of Demon WAS he?
"Hey, you okay?"
It was at that moment, Octavia realised that she had been staring off into space, thinking about the subject. Not wanting to spoil the rest of the night with her queries, she decided to postpone the questions she had forming in her mind and tried to play dumb for the time being.
"Oh yeah sorry," she said, putting her hand to her head to feign a migraine. "Just got a little light-headed is all."
Hearing that, Buzz couldn't help but cackle as he walked up to the two young Demons.
"Yeah, the idea of getting punished by Lady Stella would have that effect on anybody," he commented. "No offence but your mom's a total bitch."
While still somewhat insulted by the tiny Imp's comment, Octavia couldn't say anything to retort since she couldn't argue against it. Once again, however, Mick was quick to come to her defence.
"Hey!" he snapped, giving the Imp a warning glare before he said something worse. "Watch it, Buzz!"
Buzz, of course, merely brushed the warning off.
"Oh come on, Mick," he said. "You know she bitches about EVERYTHING!"
At that moment, the Imp's tail suddenly twitched in rhythm with the new music the band began to play. In fact, he got so excited his grin stretched out ten-fold before he began bouncing around the room, jumping up onto the counters and dancing like a monkey as he got into the beat. What's more, his little act quickly caught the attention of his fellow staff members, all of them looking at Buzz like he was a madman, before they too got into the music. Even Mick and Octavia couldn't resist tapping their feet to the tune, then before they knew it, Buzz and many of the other Staff members were singing.
Buzz:
Blunt the knives, bend the forks,
Jewel:
Smash the bottles and burn the corks,
Chef:
Chip the glasses and crack the plaaaaaaaaaaaaates,
All:
That's what Lady Stella hates!
Suddenly the music truly made the room spring to life, picking up the pace as every Imp in attendance started dancing like there was no tomorrow. Even Mick was unable to contain his excitement at the sudden musical number, in fact, he got so into it, he couldn't resist joining in on the fun that was now happening on the dance floor.
"Bahahahahahahahaha!"
Watching the Cat Demon do a little jig among the Imps, Octavia suddenly burst out laughing, once again allowing herself to fully relax in his presence. Suddenly she felt something soft wrap tightly around her waist. Looking down, the Goetia Princess gasped and saw that it was none other than Mick's exceedingly long tail, which he had wrapped around her like a lasso. Seeing Mick's beckoning smile before he replaced his mouthpiece, she allowed herself to be pulled onto the dance floor with no hesitation whatsoever. This time, she was GLAD to dance.
All:
Cut the cloth, tread the fat,
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat,
Pour the milk on the pantry flooooooooooooooooooor,
Jessie:
Splash the wine on every door!
Narrowly ducking to avoid the wine bottle being smashed against the wall, courtesy of Jessie throwing it, Mick and Octavia continued their dance without a care in the world. This time, there was no need for following ridiculous steps, no snobby Nobles to impress, it was just the two of them and this very moment.
All:
Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl,
Pound them up with a thumping pole,
When you're finished if they are whooooooooooooooole,
Send them down the hall to roll!
By the time the song began to draw to a close, Mick and Octavia were in the final midst of their short dance. Unable to contain his excitement, Mick once again wrapped his tail around Octavia's waist, allowing him to pull and spin her around like a top before taking hold of her hand and pulling her into a small dip. The moment the pair of them looked into each other's eyes, Octavia felt a strong drumming in her chest, whether it was because of the adrenaline or not, she couldn't tell, but for some reason… she liked it.
All:
That's what Lady Stella hates!
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The Featured Songs: Ol' Green Dragon + What Bilbo Baggins Hates - From the Peter Jackson, Middle Earth films