By the time Mick was ready to leave, he had a belly full of pork and a head filled with anxiety. As Hell's equivalent of night began to wash over the Wrath ring, the Cat Demon stepped out of the house with as much eagerness as he could muster. Ever since Striker brought up the subject of the injury behind his mask, Mick could practically feel everyone's stares burning into his flesh. Needless to say, it made the whole dinner feel extremely uncomfortable.
Still, now that he had some time to fill his stomach, the Cat Demon was able to regain his strength and be on his way. As much as he appreciated the hospitality, he didn't want to overstay his welcome.
"I really appreciate this, Lin, Jo," he said as the two Imps in question followed him outside to see him off. "Again, I'm sorry for all the trouble."
"Pft! Oh, think nothing of it," Lin chuckled. "It was nice to have a big celebrity stay for dinner."
"Darn tootin!" Jo added, unable to hold back his own chuckles.
Once again Mick immediately flushed with embarrassment.
"So… this place I'm heading to," he said, quickly regaining the Imps' attention. "It's called the Snakeskin Saloon?"
"Mhm, that's the one," Lin confirmed with a nod of her head. "The owner there owes me a favour, so just tell her to put you up for a couple of days and I'll call us even."
As it turned out, Lin and Jo had another daughter that they were expecting to come stay over the following night with a few friends, so as much as they would have liked to let Mick stay until the Harvest Moon Festival was over, there simply would have been no room left in the house for anyone else. Obviously, Mick didn't want to impose anyway, so he quickly stated that he'd try to find somewhere else.
As luck would have it, Lin had a friend in the local town area who ran a saloon with a couple of spare rooms, so as much Mick wanted to protest, she chose to be even more hospitable and recommended he try there for lodgings.
"Are you really sure it's okay for me to stay there though?" Mick asked, still feeling a little hesitant despite his gratitude. "I feel like I'm taking too much advantage."
Once again the Imp couple couldn't help but chuckle.
"Nonsense, my boy!" Jo declared. "We're happy to oblige."
Seeing that their minds were made up, Mick felt no more need to argue on the matter. With a small sigh, he then proceeded to say his final farewells.
"Well, I suppose I'd better get going," he said before turning his head in all directions to find a certain missing Kitsune pup. "Snowflake! Snowflake? Where is that-"
At that moment, the tiny fox in question came waddling out of the house with gravy smeared around her chops. Out of everyone in that house, SHE was most certainly the one who enjoyed their dinner the most.
"Enjoyed ourselves, did we?" Mick commented, unable to hold back his chuckles as his beloved pet let out a small burp. "Come on you greedy little minx."
Letting out a playful yip, Snowflake then ran up to her master and allowed him to scoop her up and place her on his shoulder. With that matter settled, the Cat Demon turned to leave.
"Bye, you two!" he said, giving both Imps a small wave as he left. "Thanks for dinner!"
"See ya around, partner!" Jo called back.
"Take care!" Lin added.
Once again making his way over towards the entrance to the farm, tilting his head to make sure he was finally out of earshot, Mick soon let out practically his hundredth sigh of the day.
"You think the other locals are gonna be as nice as they are?" he asked, shifting his gaze to Snowflake for a brief moment to see the tiny fox shaking her head. "Yeah… me neither."
It was hard to imagine that such a busy town was so close to Jo and Lin's farm, and yet here it was. Only about ten minutes walk and Mick suddenly found himself in the middle of an old-fashioned western movie. From the dirt roads separating the wooden buildings to the rustic aesthetic of the buildings themselves, everything about this place practically screamed the word "Cowboy".
It wasn't that big of a town compared to Pentagram City but no one could argue that it was just as lively. By the time Mick came strolling through, the early evening crowds were already pouring into the dusty streets or clambering into their favourite watering holes. Of course, there was only one building in particular that the Cat Demon was looking for out of all of them.
"Okay," he muttered, scanning each of the buildings as he passed by them. "Now where is... AHA!"
Soon enough, he spotted a small, two-story house with a tin roof, a pair of double-swing doors and a large wooden sign depicting a snake dripping venom into a shot glass just above the entrance. Sure enough, this HAD to be the Snakeskin Saloon. Glad to have finally found his destination, Mick didn't waste any time and made his way towards it.
SMASH!
… Of course, he had to stop himself just before a dishevelled Imp came flying through the window and landed in a heap at his feet.
"And don't come back until you got my money, you fucking cheapskate!" the Cat Demon heard from inside, grimacing as he took a few steps back to allow the dishevelled Imp to pick himself up.
"Oh yeah?" the Imp screamed back in through the broken window. "Well, fuck your saloon! Your drinks taste like horse piss anyway!"
BANG!
That, of course, turned out to be a huge mistake on the Imp's part since that earned him a near-miss from a shotgun. Not wanting to feel the sting of buckshot in the ass, the Imp quickly took off down the street in a panic, leaving Mick and Snowflake to stare at the scene with looks of utter terror in their eyes.
"I'm… starting to have second thoughts about this," Mick commented, earning himself a shivering nod of agreement from Snowflake as the terrible memory of their arrival to Wrath began flashing through their heads.
Alas, as much as he was hesitant to do so, Mick had no choice but to follow through with his decision to stay here, otherwise, he'd be sleeping in the streets tonight… and that would more than likely be a sure-fire way to get mugged around here. With a heavy breath, he slowly walked towards the swing doors and pushed his way inside. As soon as he saw the interior, the Cat Demon found himself in complete awe.
Having watched plenty of cowboy movies in his lifetime, Mick had always wondered what it would be like to step inside an actual saloon. Now that he had, he and Snowflake were instantly hit with a wave of sights and smells that didn't fail to depict the atmosphere perfectly. From the moment he walked in, the Cat Demon's nose was hit with the smell of chewing tobacco and whiskey, all the while he couldn't help but stare at the large bar built off to the side, which was paired by numerous round tables facing a small wooden stage at the back. Upon this stage, multiple musicians were, of course, playing country-style music, all the while the patrons of the saloon were either chatting among themselves or cheering for the performers onstage. As far as saloons go, Mick couldn't ask for a better example to experience.
Of course, the Cat Demon's moment of awe was short-lived when he soon noticed multiple Imps taking notice of his presence and giving him surprised stares. Given the reactions Daisy and Jo's family had when they first met him, it was almost surreal for Mick to see the reaction he actually expected when Wrath Ring Imps spotted a Sinner on their turf.
"Why not take a photo? It'll last longer," he snapped, quickly getting annoyed by all the staring.
Thankfully, no one appeared to be interested in responding to that… all except the one Imp who actually DID take a photo with their Hellphone. Choosing to ignore the stares with a deadpan look in his eyes, Mick soon made his way towards the bar and took a seat on one of the stools. Resting his elbows up against the wooden surface, the Cat Demon let out an exhausted groan.
"Rough day, sugar?"
Perking his head up, Mick found himself face-to-face with an elderly imp woman with white hair tied up into a bun, a gold tooth and a scar over her left eye. Judging from her gravelly voice, Mick immediately recognised her as the one who threw the other Imp out the window and as such, was nervous to respond.
"You… can say that," he eventually answered, earning a small nod.
"Say no more," the elderly Imp replied with an indifferent shrug. "I get a lot of folks coming into my saloon and it's pretty obvious that you're new in town, so it was easy to figure that much out."
Mick couldn't help but roll his eyes at that.
"That's one way of putting it," he commented, quickly feeling a little more comfortable in speaking to this Imp. "You run this place then? I assume that means you're Granny Magma?"
As soon as Mick said that name, the elderly Imp gave him a suspicious glance.
"Depends," she replied with a small glare. "Who's asking?"
In response to that, Mick quickly began rummaging through his pockets, pulling out a small slip of paper that Lin had given him before he left her house.
"Someone who would have her put a roof over his head until after the Harvest Moon Festival," he eventually replied, sliding the paper over to the Imp. "This is from Lin at the Rough n' Tumbleweed Ranch."
As soon as Lin's name was mentioned, the Imp's suspicion quickly turned into surprise as she picked up the paper and read the note scrawled across it.
"Hmm…" she muttered, instantly recognising the handwriting.
"If you ARE Granny Magma, then Lin says you two will be even if you do her this favour," Mick continued. "I'm not sure what she was referring to in that regard, but I wasn't going to complain about it."
At those words, the elderly Imp took a soft inhale before obtaining a smug smirk.
"Well then partner," she said. "If you're looking to talk to Granny Magma, then that is who I am."
With his suspicions confirmed, Mick let out a small sigh of relief. With any luck, Granny will be just as reasonable as Lin and Jo were… though given what he witnessed outside, the Cat Demon wasn't going to hold his breath.
"So Lin's rooming ya with me, eh?" the elderly asked, receiving a nod from Mick as confirmation. "Well, we got a room on the top floor, but you'll be sleeping in a hammock."
"I see no problem with that whatsoever," Mick replied reassuringly, grateful that he had anywhere to sleep at all. "I… um, I hope you allow pets."
Seeing Mick gesture to the little fox on his shoulder, who in turn gave her the biggest pleading eyes she could muster, Granny couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Hmmm… I dunno, sugar, that's a pretty tall order," she said before a large grin suddenly spread across her face. "But how about this? Beat me in an arm-wrestling match, then the fox can come and go as it pleases during your stay. I'll even throw in all your booze and meals for free."
Needless to say, Mick was instantly taken aback by this.
"For real?" he asked, unable to fathom why the Imp would make such a gambit.
"For real," Granny confirmed before resting her elbow against the bar and flexing her arm. "What? You afraid to show an old woman what kind of man you are?"
The more Granny Magma egged him on, the more nervous Mick began to feel. This Imp may be old but she sure as hell wasn't frail if she WAS the one who threw that cheapskate out the window… then again, it wasn't as if Mick was saying that he was weak. If he could take on a Demon Noble in a fight then surely a simple arm wrestling match shouldn't be too difficult. Plus, if he won and Granny Magma was an Imp of her word, he and Snowflake would be set up until it was time for him to return to Pride. After a little bit of thought, the Cat Demon finally gave his answer.
"Alright," he said, placing Snowflake down on the stool next to him before rolling up his torn sleeve and placing his own elbow on the bar. "You're on."
SMASH!
At that moment, an astonished gasp, followed closely by a shot glass smashing against the floor, rang in the Cat Demon's ears. Tilting his head over to the side, he saw an even older Imp with a large brown hat and overalls, a long white beard that reached down to his ankles and a crazy look in his eye staring back at him from his stool a little further down the bar.
"Y-you're… you're challenging Granny!?" he gasped, before suddenly cackling like a madman and running through the saloon with a jig in his step. "SOMEONE'S CHALLENGING GRANNY!"
The instant those words rang in everyone's ears, almost every single Imp in the saloon gasped in shock and awe before rising from their seats to flock over to the bar. Before Mick could even comprehend what was going on, a small crowd formed around him and Granny, everyone wanting to get a good glimpse of what was about to occur. Seeing Granny give him a knowing smirk, the Cat Demon gulped in suspense.
"I… just made a terrible mistake, didn't I?" he asked, earning himself a chuckle from the elderly Imp.
"Not chickening out now, are ya partner?" She asked, grasping the Cat Demon's hand tightly in her own. "Didn't peg ya for a yellow belly."
Mick instantly gave the Imp a hard glare at that. Strong or not, he was not going to back down from this challenge now. Besides if what Octavia said was true, then this would be a perfect way to earn him a little respect while he's here. If Imps down in Wrath valued strength more than anything, then Mick had only one thing to say.
"At the risk of sounding cliche... them's fightin words!"
As soon as both parties gripped their hands tight and gave each other one final challenging glare, the other Imps knew immediately that they were ready to begin. After that, all it took was the bearded Imp hacking a big chunk of chewing tobacco into a nearby spittoon, making it ring like an arena bell and starting the match.
Instantly feeling the force of Granny's arm push into his hand, Mick had to put all his strength into keeping her at bay… though that was proving to be somewhat difficult. As it turned out, Granny Magma was a LOT stronger than Mick first assumed. If anything she could probably give professional bodybuilders a run for their money. And of course, all the other Imps knew that considering most of them seemed to be betting money against her opponent.
"Come on, Granny!"
"Break his arm!"
Sure enough, Granny was the favourite to win if those cheers were anything to go by. Furthermore, she probably COULD break Mick's arm given how strong she was! At one point, the Cat Demon could have sworn he heard the bar creak from the strain.
"Not getting tired, are ya?" Granny taunted, seeing the struggle on Mick's face despite his mask.
"Not… a… chance!" Mick snapped, not wanting to give the old Imp the satisfaction.
"Aha, yeah! That's the spirit, boy!" Granny retorted, her toothy grin showing every ounce of excitement rushing through her. "Come on! Show me some REAL fire!"
Alas, no matter how much Mick struggled, he just couldn't move Granny's arm a single inch. Worse still, Granny finally seemed to be gaining the upper hand when she finally managed to start pushing Mick's hand further down. Was she holding back this whole time? No… worse, she was just toying with him! And now it appeared as though she finally had her fun.
"Sorry, kitty," she joked. "Nothing personal."
No! It can't end like this! After the day Mick has had, he can't afford to lose now! At that moment, all the pent-up rage and frustration he had accumulated over the whole day came rushing to the surface, taking the form of two bursts of blue flames erupting from the eyeholes of his mask.
"Woah!"
"Look at that!"
It wasn't surprising that the crowd of onlookers were awestruck by this, of course, especially when it was paired with what happened next. With a beastly snarl, the blood in Mick's arm boiled to the point where steam literally leaked from the pores of his skin, allowing him to finally push Granny Magma's arm back.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
WHACK!
…
The moment Granny's hand hit the bar, everything fell silent. With one final push, Mick finally managed to gain the upper hand and pin his opponent… he had won.
"Wow… holy shit!"
With those two words, the silence was immediately broken by the sounds of laughter and cheering… though some of that was quickly drowned out by the grumbling of many Imps who just now realized how much money they had lost. However, no one was more astounded than Granny Magma herself, who continued to stare at her own hand as the reality of what happened set into her mind.
"You… beat me?" she muttered, her look of shock slowly turning into a wide grin before she suddenly started cackling like a giddy witch. "Fucking shit! Y'all actually beat me! BAHAHAHAHA!"
Mick, of course, had no idea how to respond to that.
"Sooooo… no hard feelings then?" he asked.
"Hard feelings!?" Granny repeated with another hard laugh. "Boy, you just made my night! No other Demon has ever beaten me, save one!"
Once again, Mick was instantly taken aback.
"You're kidding," he said, unable to fathom such a fact.
"Nope. I shit you not, sugar," Granny insisted, unable to hold in her laughter as she began pouring two shots of Hellfire Whiskey from behind the bar. "Up until today, only Lin has ever beaten me before, and most of these chicken shits are too scared to try… though I suppose it may have something to do with the fact I once bit off a man's finger on a dare, but I digress."
Despite that horrifying last part of the sentence, Mick just couldn't stop feeling both astounded and amazed at the same time. Granted, he knew he could hold his own in a fight but he didn't think himself THAT strong. Taking this info in, Mick couldn't help but smile under his mask. Seems like this little ego boost was just the thing he needed to cheer him up after today.
"Here's to you, boy," Granny chuckled, sliding one of the shot glasses over to the Cat Demon. "Hope y'all enjoy your stay at the Snakeskin Saloon."
At those words, Granny instantly gulped down the entire shot, spewing out a small belch of fire immediately after, causing Snowflake to yip in delight.
Mick may not have fully understood how, but it would seem that arm-wrestling match had earned him Granny's respect, and if he guessed right, that automatically meant that he had also earned the respect of those she calls her patrons. Whatever happens now, it would seem that the rest of Mick's stay in Wrath may very well be easier than he initially thought.
Soon after, just as Mick was just about to take his first sip of Wrath Ring alcohol, another Imp came up to the bar and muttered something into Granny's ear.
"Oh, she's ready?" Granny replied, smiling at the news she had just received. "Fantastic."
Before Mick could figure out what was going on, Granny quickly left the bar and made her way over to the stage, where it would seem that some kind of house band was now beginning to set up for a performance. Once they appeared to be ready, Granny took centre stage and stepped up to the mic.
"Alright y'all, quiet down!" she spoke up, her smile instantly turning into a scowl when her customers ignored her and continued their mindless chatter. "I SAID SHUT IT!"
Only then did everyone in the saloon shut their mouths and allowed the room to go silent. Now that she had everyone's attention, Granny quickly cleared her throat and continued speaking.
"That's better," she muttered, putting a smile back on her face. "Well folks, y'all have been waiting for her all night. And now, here she is, ready to once again break yer hearts and pull at the strings! The only demon in hell with the true voice of an Angel. Allow me to present... the lovely EMBER!"
At those final three words, practically everyone in the saloon cheered and howled in delight, the only ones not doing so being Granny, Mick and Snowflake. Whoever this Ember was, she certainly was popular. Not only that, but it seemed like the Cat Demon and his pet happened to arrive just in time to see her perform. He may have been new to the whole thing, but as a fan of certain forms of music, Mick found himself intrigued… and then he saw her.
There, standing beneath the spotlight with a smile on her face and an acoustic guitar in her hands, was one of the most gorgeous Imps Mick had ever seen. With an hourglass figure covered in flawless skin, a cute, freckled face, a flow of long white hair and wearing a green flannel shirt tied up below the bust to show off her midriff, denim daisy dukes and a pair of knee-length cowboy boots, this Imp looked like the very definition of southern beauty. The moment his eyes fixated on Ember, both his mouthpiece AND his actual jaw dropped.
"Thank you!" Ember spoke through the mic in a smooth, country voice. "Well, I hope y'all are ready. Cause boy do I have a tale to tell."
At that moment, Ember began plucking the strings of her guitar, sending a rush of music through the saloon that was soon accompanied by the tunes from the other musicians. At that moment, Mick was able to hear Ember sing with her angelic voice for the very first time.
Ember:
I've played with all yer hearts, in every part.
From the Sloth ring to the Moon,
Played naked with the big boys in brothels and saloons.
In one town, there was Johnny, a Lust Ring Incubus,
But when I asked to settle down, that cock-muncher made a fuss!
I still have dreams of Jenny, she's a Hellhound from my past!
But that hussy ran twice as fast!
I'm feeling low, in the flames below,
No way to rise above,
It's just that burnin' situation in the firepit of love!
I'm slipping down the road of pain,
but it's not one I can be rid of,
My dreams are just a-burnin', in the firepit of love!
As the last few notes of the song rang through the saloon, the entire crowd was in an uproar of excited cheers and howls.
"I love you, Ember!"
"YEEHAA!"
Hearing the crowd praise her for her performance, Ember couldn't help but giggle in delight.
"And I love all y'all!" she called back through the mic, causing the crowd to cheer even harder.
Watching the entire performance from the bar, Mick found himself completely mesmerized not only by Ember's beauty but by her voice as well.
"God damn…"
Sure enough, the young Imp up on stage had found herself a new fan this evening… However, Snowflake didn't like how her master was looking at her right now.
Back up in the Pride Ring, Octavia let out a heavy sigh as she looked through the library window. After the phone call with Mick earlier, the Goetia Princess eventually grew tired of just sitting in her room worrying about him, so she decided to clear her head in her private corner of the library. Alas, even as she sat in her favourite chair, trying to take her mind off things with a good book, all she could think about was her missing friend.
Staring into the empty chair across from her, she soon began to miss the conversations she and Mick had every week while Snowflake snoozed at their feet. Granted, it had barely been a day since they were both sent down to Wrath, but even so, Octavia couldn't help but feel… lonely without them being under the same roof.
"C-coffee, M'lady?" a nervous voice suddenly squeaked.
Almost jumping out of her chair in surprise, Octavia snapped her head over to shockingly find a nervous-looking Linda staring back at her with a tray holding a mug of her favourite coffee.
"Linda!?" the Goetia Princess exclaimed. "How did you know I was in here?"
A good question indeed. As far as Octavia knew, she had been the only one to enter the library in the last hour. Just how long was this little Imp even in here?
"I… might have followed you in," Linda replied sheepishly. "But I wasn't stalking, I swear!"
Octavia couldn't help but laugh at that. If there was one thing that Linda could be counted on for, it was being so adorable when she was nervous. Accepting the mug and taking a sip, the Goetia Princess wasn't at all surprised at how good it tasted. Ever since Linda started working here, she always put in an extra effort to memorize Octavia's particular tastes. Whether it was because Linda was trying her best to make up for past mistakes, or because she really liked the Princess for who she is was anyone's guess, but regardless, Octavia always appreciated it.
"Come, have a seat," Octavia eventually said, gesturing towards the empty chair across from her.
"Oh no," Linda squeaked, her nerves immediately flaring up. "I really shouldn't!"
"Liddy, please," Octavia pleaded. "I… I just need someone to talk to."
Just like that, Linda's walls were instantly torn down. Whenever Octavia used the same nickname Mick gave her, it always meant that this was one of those times she needed a friend. Ever since that first night after the storm, the two of them had gotten pretty close. Not as much as Octavia and Mick were, of course, but over time, both she and Linda had gotten to the point where they felt they could trust each other with whatever was bothering them. Eventually, the small Imp nervously took a seat in the chair and looked straight back at Octavia with concern.
"Are… are you alright?" she asked, unable to ignore the solemn look on Octavia's face as she let out a small sigh.
"I don't know," the Owl Demon admitted. "I'm just worried, I suppose."
"About… Mick?" Linda inquired further, despite having an already strong suspicion of the answer.
"Obviously," Octavia answered bluntly. "I mean, I know he's tough enough to handle himself and it's barely been a day yet, but it's not like he's right across the street. You know?"
Seeing the way the Goetia Princess fretted over Mick like this, Linda couldn't help but smile a little as she bore witness to the rare moments Octavia actually showed her softer side.
"You really do care about him, huh?" she asked, suddenly gasping in horror when Octavia gave her a surprised stare. "S-sorry! That was too forward!"
Alas, despite her tension, Linda had nothing to worry about.
"No, no, it's fine," Octavia stated reassuringly. "You're not wrong, it's just that… well…"
"Yes?" Linda asked, raising an eyebrow.
After a few moments of confused and awkward silence, Octavia let out an exasperated sigh, choosing to forget trying to form the right sentence and just say what was in her mind without a filter.
"I don't know, I suppose I'm just confused," she admitted, leaning back into her chair and staring up at the ceiling. "I'm imagining things I've never thought before, I'm going through emotions I've never used to feel… and it's all because Mick came into my life. Now that he's not here, it feels… weird, I guess."
Blinking at the Goetia Princess's choice of words, a small giddy smile found its way across Linda's face. She may have been a nervous wreck most of the time, but she wasn't stupid. As far as she was concerned, there was only one reason Octavia felt like that.
"I understand, M'lady," she said with a respectful nod. "I somewhat feel the same way… but I think you may be feeling this stronger than I am."
Now it was Octavia's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, almost sounding defensive at the Imp's comment.
Quickly realizing that she may have actually overstepped this time, Linda nervously shook her head and cleared her throat.
"W-well, as far as I know, you weren't HAPPY before Mick came along, and now that he's not here you're missing him terribly because you don't feel the same without him," she quickly elaborated, easing her nerves a little as she noticed the Goetia seemingly accept her words. "I may not know Mick as well as you do, but if I may be so bold… I have a feeling that he feels the same way about you."
Understandably taken aback by that statement, Octavia's mind quickly flashed back to all the times Mick had come to her aid ever since they first met. Saving her from the Exorcist AND Seth, dancing with her at the banquet… and the way he looked at her with those kind eyes after each time. She may not have realized it at the time, but everything she thought back on immediately brought a small blush to her face.
"You… really think so?" she thought around, awkwardly scratching the back of her beanie.
"I… have my suspicions," Linda replied, mentally squealing in glee as she saw the Goetia's face turn red.
This was nice. It may not have been the same as the talks she had with Mick but it was truly nice to have someone to talk to like this. They may not have known each other long but it was almost like watching a pair of siblings confide in each other over a mutual interest.
"I don't suppose you have any advice for me?" Octavia asked, earning herself a playful shake of the Imp's head.
"I'm afraid you're asking the wrong Demon, M'lady," she said with a light shrug, wishing she could offer something for the Goetia's predicament. "Is there someone else you could talk to about this? Someone of high status who knows what it's like to feel so close to a Sinner?"
It was an oddly specific question, Linda realized that, but it was the only one that came to mind when she tried to provide some kind of answer. However, despite her uncertainty, little did she realize at the time that Octavia did know someone like that… someone who she had met up with quite recently, as a matter of fact.
"Hmm…"
Snowflake's D- Uh… Napkin:
Okay, so I don't have my diary right now, but I cannot let this go unsaid. We have a BIG ass problem down here! First, me and daddy get sent down to one of the lower pits of Hell, after which we got shot at, traumatized, and almost eaten by a bunch of fat-ass pigs! If it was only that, MAYBE things wouldn't be too bad, but now daddy has been seduced by an evil temptress!
Sure, she's pretty, has a great singing voice and a perfect ass, but my daddy's taken, bitch! No one takes Octi's man! I cannot let this hussy get her claws on daddy at any cost. This threat must be eliminated at once! Uh… I would say more but I'm literally running out of space on this thing.
Snowflake out!
When everything had finally begun to calm down for the night and the saloon's closing time drew near, only two other patrons remained, sitting at a corner table as Mick finished his third drink. Normally he would try to restrict himself when it came to booze, but it had been a rough day and it was free so he didn't give a shit at this point. Meanwhile, sitting next to him on the bar itself, Snowflake continued to hold a pen in her mouth and doodle on a small stack of napkins Granny had provided for her. The older Imp may not have had the faintest idea why the little fox would do such a thing, of course, but it kept her quiet while she finished wiping down the bar.
Having had time to sit alone with his thoughts, Mick eventually began to wonder what he was going to do now that he had a place to stay. Granted, he may have earned Granny's respect with that arm wrestling match, but he still didn't want to be a leech while he was here. Maybe Granny could give him some work behind the bar? Or maybe he can do a few other odd jobs? There had to be SOMETHING he could do to earn his keep. Just when he was mulling that subject over, however, the Cat Demon found himself caught by surprise when a certain singer walked out from backstage and took a seat two stools down from him.
"How 'bout a nightcap, Granny?" Ember asked in a cheerful mood.
At those words, Granny Magma looked up from the bar with a small smirk on her face.
"Coming right up, darlin," she said, grabbing a glass before pouring the younger Imp a strong drink and sliding it over to her. "Great work tonight, as always."
Ember, of course, couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Are you saying that because it's true, or cause you're paternally obligated to?" she asked, causing both Imps to share a laugh.
As it turned out, while most Imps in this Saloon referred to the owner as "Granny" because it was a nickname that stuck, Ember actually WAS the elder Imp's granddaughter by blood. Needless to say, this came as a surprise to Mick when Granny Magma told him THAT little detail, especially considering how different the two seemed to be in terms of personality. However, as far as the Cat Demon could tell, the two of them did seem genuinely close, so he didn't have any reason to believe they couldn't be related… especially now when he's watching her down an entire pint of severely hard liquor as if it was water. To Mick's further surprise, when she eventually finished said drink, it was around that moment that the Imp girl finally took notice of the Demon sitting at the same bar.
"What in tarnation?" she gasped, raising an eyebrow and giving Mick cause to let out a sigh.
"Yes, I know, I'm a Sinner in the Wrath Ring, might as well get it out of your system," he muttered irritably "Already had three other Imps ask me about it already."
Of course, Mick's annoyance was understandable, ever since he won the match against Granny, the stares he got from the other patrons only seemed to intensify, so much so that some Imps even walked up to him and started asking questions. If he was being honest, Mick actually preferred it when the Imps like Daisy and Jo's family DIDN'T make any big deal about his circumstances. Thankfully, this time Granny Magma was there to quell any questions before they even started.
"This young fella'll be staying up on the top floor for the next few days. Result of Lin cashing in on the favour I owe her," she explained, leaning close to Ember over the bar. "While he's here, he's to be treated like anyone else under this roof. Got it? No charging for rent, nor food or nothing."
Ember immediately raised a confused eyebrow at that.
"Since when do you give anything away for free, Granny?" she asked, wondering if she had just misheard.
"Since this fella won a bet and beat your grandmama in an arm-wrestling match earlier," Granny stated bluntly with a smirk.
Had Ember still been downing her drink, she would have instantly spat it out at that revelation. Needless to say, she was just as shocked as everyone else that such a thing was even possible.
"He did what now!?" she exclaimed, earning herself yet another chuckle from her grandmother.
"Ya heard right, sugar," the elder Imp stated as she gave Snowflake a quick scratch behind the ear. "First guy to beat me in years. And all because of this little darling."
The moment the Imp girl looked Snowflake in her big, blue eyes, her own eyes lit up with sparkles as she gasped in awe and delight.
"HOLY SATAN!" she exclaimed, suddenly dashing across the bar and scooping Snowflake up in her arms before snuggling her cheek against hers. "Oh my gosh, she is SO cute! Who's a widdle cutie? Is it you? Is it you!?"
As much as Mick wanted to laugh at how much Snowflake tried to wiggle out of Ember's arms, he knew immediately that if the Imp continued to smother her with affection like that, the little fox was going to get VERY upset.
"Wait, hang on," he tried to protest, already seeing the steam coming from Snowflake's mouth as she let out a small growl. "She's a little weary of Strang…ers?"
However, much to the Cat Demon's absolute shock, Snowflake suddenly began to calm down as Ember scratched a certain spot under her chin. One moment the little fox looked like she was going to burn Ember alive, the next she appeared to be in unbridled bliss as she stuck out her tongue and twitched her left leg.
"How did you do that?" Mick blurted out, understandably stunned that Ember was able to tame his beloved pet so quickly.
"When you wrangle your fair share of critters, you pick up a couple of things," Ember answered with pride and a small laugh as the Kitsune pup yawned, much to the amusement of her master. "So she's your little baby, huh?"
Seeing Snowflake calmly curl up in her arms, Mick couldn't help but smile beneath his mask.
"Damn right," he stated proudly. "I'd say I'd go to hell and back for her, but hey, already here, so…"
Ember couldn't help but let out another small laugh at that joke.
"That was pretty good," she commented, much to Mick's embarrassment.
"Oh yeah?" he replied, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "It's not one of my best lines."
Seeing Ember smile back at him like that, Mick had to remove his mouthpiece and light up one of his joints just to calm himself down. After today, he never would have thought that he would meet a Wrath Ring local who was not only pretty but also had a wonderful personality to boot. Hell, she even managed to calm Snowflake down almost immediately without much effort, and Mick only knew a handful of Demons who were ever capable of doing that, Octavia included.
Octavia… as soon as her face came to mind, Mick suddenly began to feel a little homesick for the Goetia mansion. Not for the house itself per se, but rather for the Goetia Princess herself. In all honesty, he had been thinking about her quite a bit over the course of the whole day, but in a situation like this, he couldn't help but wonder what Octavia would do in particular if she were here. Probably try to snatch Snowflake from Ember and squeeze her in a tight embrace with a jealous pout, no doubt.
What would she be doing right now? Mick couldn't help but wonder. Was she missing Mick as much as he was missing her? Wait… WHY was he missing her so badly? It hasn't been a single night yet! What's more… Why did he feel a small ache in his chest the more he thought about her? Could it be that-
SMACK!
"Hey!"
Suddenly, Mick was snapped back to reality when a small, red hand suddenly slapped Ember right on her left ass cheek, causing her to yelp and accidentally drop Snowflake. Luckily, the Kitsune pup was able to land on her feet and quickly jump back onto the bar with an irritated growl. Snapping their heads around, everyone saw that the culprit was none other than one of the two Imps that had been sitting nearby, both of whom were now staggering over the bar in a drunken stupor.
"Ooh… heeeeey baby… you sang one h-hic-hell of a song… like… like… alwaaaaaaays," the guilty Imp said in a slurred voice.
Mick may not have known who these two Imps were, but he immediately didn't like them in the slightest. Hell, never mind their actions, these guys even LOOKED like scumbags. The one who smacked Ember was a sleazy-looking fellow, with a large chin, a thin, oily moustache, and a lot of dark country clothes, including the black hat and boots. His friend was smaller by a head but looked much older, with a big, white bushy moustache and eyebrows that grew over his eyes. What's more, he appeared to have the same fashion sense judging from his getup. Perhaps they were both in the same gang? That was a thing with cowboys, wasn't it? Whatever the case, Mick knew that these Imps were clearly looking for trouble.
"Ya know, we… we were just talking…" the older Imp said, his voice just as slurred as his friend's. "And… we was thinking… howsa 'bout a… pro… private… performance, eh?"
As soon as the drunk Imp said that, Mick wanted nothing more than to stomp over and give him a good punch in the face. However, even though it was her own granddaughter being harassed, the Cat Demon couldn't help but notice how indifferent Granny Magma was about the whole situation.
"Y'all may want to stand back," she suddenly said with a heavy sigh.
"Huh?" Mick uttered, understandably confused due to having no idea what Granny meant by that.
After that, the next few seconds seemed to fly by instantaneously. With one swift twist of her slender body, Ember suddenly grabbed the elder Imp by the front of his shirt and LAUNCHED him over her shoulder! Within mere moments he was sent flying across the saloon, narrowly missing his friend as he smashed into one of the nearby tables. After quickly getting over the initial shock of how freakishly strong Ember was, Mick found himself staring in awe as she stood her ground and made sure the Imps knew their place.
"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU TWO THINK YOU ARE!?" she screamed furiously, her right eye twitching in fury. "This ass is for show, NOT for little pricks like you to smack and grab, you little pint-sized horse-fuckers!"
Smacking her own rear for emphasis, Ember glared venomously at the two drunks to make sure that her words were absorbed into their thick skulls. If Mick had any doubts that this was Granny Magma's granddaughter, they were instantly obliterated from that moment onwards.
"You… you little bitch!" the black-haired Imp snarled, the shock of what happened quickly sobering him up as he pulled out a knife from the holster on his hip. "Let's see you act so cocky when I mark that pretty face!"
However, before he could even take a single step, the Imp suddenly got smashed in the head with a flying whisky bottle, courtesy of Mick throwing it from the bar. Falling flat on his back, both he and the other Imps in the room gawked at the Sinner's audacity.
"I believe the lady told you to fuck off, asshole," Mick grumbled, taking a long puff of his joint.
Quickly wiping off the leftover drink and bits of glass from his head, the big-chinned Imp staggered back to his feet with a furious snarl before pointing his knife in Mick's direction instead.
"You stay out of this, asshole!" he snapped, causing Mick to scoff.
"Asshole, huh?" he replied. "Not the most imaginative insult I will say. Now I'm going to ask you again... Fuck. Off."
Alas, no matter how many times Mick gave his command, the Imp clearly had no intention of listening.
"Oh yeah?" he said, stomping over to the Cat Demon until he was right up against his masked face. "And what are you gonna do to make me... pussy?"
Seeing the mocking sneer on the Imp's face as he waved the blade of his knife near his mask, Mick let out a small irritated snarl as flames once again threatened to burst from his eyes.
"You know what?" he eventually said, taking one more long drag of his joint and blowing the smoke in the Imp's face. "I tried to be reasonable. But fuck it. I'm tipsy, high and tired. And now thanks to you. I am now also… very. Pissed. OFF!"
HSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" the Imp screamed, instantly dropping his knife and staggering back in agony. "MY FUCKING EYE!"
Before he even realized what had happened, Mick had let out his anger in the form of swiftly grabbing his foe by the head and shoving his burning joint stub into his left eye.
Witnessing all this happen in front of them, both Granny and Ember gasped as they found themselves both shocked and amazed at Mick's sudden act of violence. So much so that they wished they had taken a picture of it. However, Mick wasn't quite out of the woods just yet.
"You son of a bitch!"
As it turned out, the white-haired Imp wasn't quite as unconscious as he first appeared. Seeing his friend get his eye burnt out, he sobered up just enough to launch himself at the Cat Demon and clamber onto his back.
"Hey!" Mick screamed, trying desperately to throw him off as he felt the Imp's arm tighten around his neck. "Get off me, you crazy little bastard!"
Alas, no matter how many times he thrashed about, Mick just couldn't shake the Imp off him. That is until…
SMASH!
Thankfully Ember wasn't cruel enough to allow Mick to fight off two Imps on his own. With a little bit of quick thinking, she had managed to grab a nearby chair and smash it over the Imp's head, both reducing it to splinters and knocking the drunken fool out cold.
"That's coming out of your wages, hun," Granny commented, taking a swig of whisky from under the bar as if nothing was going on.
Meanwhile, though he was still in agony due to his now bleeding eye, the big-chinned Imp snarled like a wild animal and went to pick up his knife, however just as his hand was taking hold of the handle…
CHOMP!
"GAAAAAAH!" he screamed, trying desperately to shake off the ferocious animal that was now biting down on the end of his tail. "Get it off! Get it off!"
Turned out that Snowflake wanted in on the fun and decided to throw herself into the fight by chomping on the Imp's tail while he was distracted, something which Mick couldn't help but take delight in.
"Ha! That's my girl!" he exclaimed, quickly getting back into the fray before his pet got hurt.
Eventually, the big-chinned Imp managed to fling Snowflake off him, allowing Ember to catch her while she was flying through the air and allowing Mick to tackle the drunk to the ground. After managing to land a few punches to his face, only then did the Cat Demon decide that the fight had gone on long enough.
"Now I'm only going to tell you one last time," he snarled, pulling the Imp close by the scruff of his shirt. "Get. Out!"
Seeing that he was outmatched and outnumbered, all the big-chinned Imp could do was stagger back to his feet and run for the entrance. Just as he was bursting through it, Mick then suddenly wrapped his tail around the unconscious Imp's waist.
"And take your friend with you!" he yelled, swiftly twisting his body and using his tail as a sling to toss the Imp out after the one that just ran off.
"GAH!" he heard from outside. "My leg!"
Mick didn't know the extent of the damage he had just caused, but frankly, he didn't care. All that mattered now, was that the conflict was finally over. Soon enough, Mick's ears rang with the sound of Granny clapping her hands and Ember laughing in delight.
"Wow... Remind me to never piss YOU off," she chuckled, giving Mick a playful jab in the shoulder before a small blush appeared on her face. "Uh... thanks for that, by the way. Y'all didn't have to step in like that."
Hearing the pretty Imp show her gratitude like that, Mick couldn't help but blush himself.
"Oh, it's um... no problem, really," he replied sheepishly, giving Granny Magma cause to let out a small chuckle.
"Modest one, ain't ya?" she commented. "Ya know, I think I'm starting to like you, kid."
Though she didn't say it out loud, Ember was definitely of the same opinion as her grandmother. In fact, she couldn't help but find herself staring at Mick with a new keen interest… one that Snowflake immediately noticed.
Snowflake's napkin… again:
It's official. This Imp is good… I don't like that.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The Featured Song: A parody of "Tar Pit of Love" - from the show: Dinosaurs