"…and now I gotta enter these Pain Games to get it back. Can't guarantee I'll win but at the very least, I can probably try to get it back from the winner afterwards."
When Mick eventually finished his explanation of what happened over the phone as he stood outside the Snakeskin Saloon, he could hear Octavia's sighs loud and clear.
"How do you always somehow manage to end up in the most fucked up situations, Mick?" he heard her ask, much to his chagrin.
"I suppose I must have black fur somewhere under all this chestnut because no amount of four-leaf clovers can fix MY level of bad luck," he vented with a heavy sigh.
"Well… I could ask dad if he could get your Rosario back," Octavia suggested. "If it's that important to you, you shouldn't have to go through with those games just to take back what belongs to you."
The Goetia Princess may not have been able to see it, but Mick couldn't help but smile a little at how kind she was trying to be.
"I can't ask you to do that, Octi," he eventually replied with another sigh. "He'll be too busy with his own thing tomorrow and if anyone in the ring found out the visiting Prince is giving away one of the prizes before the games even began, we'd have a full-scale riot down here… Besides, it's kind of a personal matter, you know? It'll be better if I get it myself."
Sensing the determination in Mick's voice, Octavia let out another sigh of her own.
"Seems like you made up your mind, so I won't try to argue about it," she said defeatedly. "But I'll fill my dad in on this, just in case. Just… just try not to get hurt, okay?"
Once again, Mick's smile returned beneath his mask.
"Do I ever?" he joked. "Don't worry, Octi. I promise I'll at least come back in one piece… or at least in the best-looking pieces."
As morbid as that joke was, it nonetheless brought another smile to Mick's face as he heard Octavia laugh on the other end of the call.
"You dick!" she blurted out through her chuckles.
"You know you miss me!" Mick retorted, resisting the urge to laugh himself. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Bye, Mick," Octavia eventually replied. "And good luck,"
With that final word, Mick hung up his Hellphone and rested his back against the railing. As bad of a mood he was in before, somehow speaking to Octavia, no matter what the subject matter was, always made him feel a little better. Such is the benefit of having such a dear friend one can guess.
"Got someone waiting for ya, huh?"
At the sound of that familiar voice, Mick quickly snapped back to reality and saw Ember standing by the entrance to the Saloon with a smirk on her face.
"Oh, hey Ember," Mick greeted, clearing his throat a little. "Yeah, I was just phoning a friend back in the Pride Ring. She tends to worry if I don't check in once in a while."
Of course, that explanation only made Ember's smirk grow.
"Friend, huh?" she asked, her tone giving Mick cause for a deadpan glare in response. "She pretty?"
"Yeah... FRIENDS," Mick emphasized, almost falling over his own words as he tried to recompose himself before muttering, "Though… I'd be lying if I said she WASN'T pretty."
Alas, despite trying to lower his voice, Ember heard that last part loud and clear.
"You know, you're kinda cute when you're flustered," she commented, immediately making Mick's face turn red beneath his mask.
"I'm NOT flustered!" he tried to deny, only for Ember to giggle even harder.
"Suuuuuuure," she said playfully as she leaned against the doorframe. "Because no one who has feelings for someone EVER gets flustered when they're teased about it, do they?"
As soon as those particular words reached Mick's ears, even his mask turned red from blushing so hard. No! He can't do that! Quickly shaking his head in panic, the Cat Demon tried to nip this conversation in the bud right here and now.
"Okay I'm just gonna stop you right there, hot stuff!" he stated firmly, pointing a finger in Ember's face. "There are no feelings, alright? And there never will be!"
However, Ember was more persistent than Mick gave her credit for.
"You know, they say denial is the clincher," she said, much to Mick's further embarrassment and annoyance.
"That's ridiculous," he scoffed.
"Oh yeah?" Ember retorted. "So yer saying she ain't good enough for you? She one of those gold-digging bitches?"
At that moment, Mick's embarrassment instantly turned into anger.
"You take that back!" he snapped. "Octavia is the farthest thing from that! She's kind, loving, a little moody at times but that's what makes her so alluring- Oop!"
Slapping his hands over the mouthpiece of his mask, Mick quickly realized he said too much.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ember teased. "What was that last part?"
"Nothing!" Mick quickly said, unfortunately to no avail.
Between the fit of giggles, Ember was spurting out, she soon said the three words that will bore themselves into Mick's mind for a long time.
"You LIKE her!"
"No, I don't!"
Alas, no matter how many times he tried to deny it, there was no convincing Ember now. It was too late for that. Mick had fallen into her verbal trap and she knew it. Now the Cat Demon will never hear the end of it.
"Aw, come on, kitty, don't be so embarrassed," Ember eventually said once she had her fair share of laughter at Mick's expense. "I think it's kinda sweet that you have someone so special in your life."
Hearing that, Mick let out a defeated sigh.
"It's not that simple, Ember," he said. "Besides, even if I did like her that way, which I DON'T, it… it can never happen anyway."
It was only then that Ember's amused smirk finally left her face in exchange for a confused frown.
"And why's that?" she asked.
"Well, she's Demon Royalty, and I'm… I'm just a…" Mick tried to answer, struggling to force the word out as he let out another defeated sigh. "I'm just a Sinner."
Ember, however, merely scoffed at such a statement.
"Pfft, so?" she retorted, much to Mick's bafflement.
"SO!?" he repeated. "Ember, we're talking about trying to date a Goetia here! If I ever tried anything, not only would I cause a scandal among the Nobility, thus ruining her life more than it already has been, but her mother would kill me… Hell, her DAD will kill me, and he actually LIKES me!"
But despite his determination to nip the conversation in the bud, not even Mick could fully believe his own words the more he thought about it. After all, Charlie Morningstar was the daughter of the head honcho of the entirety of Hell, and SHE was openly dating a Sinner, so it wouldn't be TOO out of the ordinary, would it? Then again, Charlie didn't have Octavia's parents, one being too overprotective, and the other being a murderous psycho who tried to marry her off. Of course, despite that particular lack of context from her point of view, Ember wasn't at all convinced by Mick's argument regardless.
"That's a poor excuse if I've ever heard one, sugar," she stated firmly. "I know the ways of the heart better than anyone, and I'm telling ya, you are pining HARD for this girl."
"Look, can we just drop the subject, please!?" Mick snapped, his patience wearing thin.
"Alright, alright, consider it dropped," Ember quickly said, not wanting to rile the Cat Demon up any further as she held up her hands defensively.
At those words, Mick let out a small sigh of relief.
"Thank you," he said, once again leaning back against the railing. "Sorry for snapping like that. I get a little testy at times."
In response Ember only smiled as she walked over and leaned on the railing next to him.
"It's alright. I get it," she said, placing a comforting hand on the Cat Demon's shoulder. "But for what it's worth… if her dad likes you, I think you have a good enough chance with her if you really wanted."
Mick immediately gave the Imp an annoyed glare at that.
"I'm just saying," Ember quickly continued, choosing to further elaborate. "Y'all have this sort of… approachability about ya, makes you likeable, ya know. Hell, even my Granny likes you, and she hardly takes a shine to anybody. If you ever pulled a move on ME, the worst she'd do is be givin' us both a scolding."
At that moment, Mick's glare instantly turned into a small laugh.
"Oh?" he chuckled. "Is that an invite?"
Despite meaning that as a joke, however, Ember's response wasn't at all what Mick had expected.
"I dunno…" the Imp said softly as she scootched closer and bit her lip. "You tell me… partner,"
All of a sudden, Mick felt the blood once again rush to his face. Never before had Ember acted like this with him. Was she… was she actually coming onto him!? He won't deny that she was pretty, drop-dead sexy even, but Mick never thought that she would actually put the moves on him! His heart racing in panic, the poor Cat Demon's mind was immediately sent reeling. As flattered as he was, this was happening WAY too quickly!
"Uh… I had better go check on those kids," Mick quickly said, his face blushing hard under his mask as he slowly backed away into the saloon. "Can't be too careful with a broken leg, am I right?"
With that final word, Mick gave a nervous chuckle and suddenly disappeared into the building, leaving Ember alone outside. Rather than looking dejected, however, Ember had only obtained yet another amused smirk.
"Oh, you ain't getting off THAT easy, little kitty," she giggled. "I LIKE a challenge."
Later that night, when the Snakeskin Saloon was once again filled to the brim with patrons, Ember once again found herself on stage performing for her adoring fans as they cheered at their tables.
Ember:
Baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't go down to New Orleans,
You know I love you so,
Baby, please don't go!
Baby, your man done gone,
Well, your man done gone,
Well, your man done gone, left the county farm,
He had his shackles on,
Baby, please don't go!
Woo!
Meanwhile at the bar, Mick sat on his usual stool with a drink staring back at him as he tried to get his head on straight. After everything that had happened today, not excluding Ember's "playful banter" as she called it, it was a miracle that he didn't decide to down 10 shots of Hellfire Whiskey and get completely plastered.
Suddenly, he was snapped out of his daydreaming by something brushing up against his leg. Looking down, Mick smiled under his mask as he picked up his beloved pet and proceeded to give her a cuddle.
"Talk about a hectic day, eh, Snowy?" he said with a sigh. "You don't think I'm an idiot for going through with tomorrow, do you?"
In response, the little fox gave her master a small lick on the front of his mask and nuzzled up against his neck, giving Mick cause to let out a small chuckle. If there was one cure for anxiety he could always count on, it was the Snowflake Snuggle.
"And that's how you do it, youngin," Granny Magma suddenly spoke up, placing a freshly mixed cocktail on the bar. "Now you give it a try."
From the other side of the bar, Mick couldn't help but stare with intrigue at the sight before him. For the last hour, Granny had been making good on her word and putting Champ to work in exchange for his and his siblings' beds for the night. It started with simple cleaning duties, wiping down tables and sweeping the floors and other things like that, but now she had seemingly moved the kid up to doing bar work. Now here Granny was, showing Champ how to mix up one of her signature cocktails.
"Okay… uh, two parts whisky, one part orange juice, one cinnamon stick and a small squeeze of lemon?" Champ listed off, trying to remember the ingredients Granny showed him as he put each one into a metal drink mixer. "Then throw in some ice and mix it all up, right?"
"Got it in one!" Granny chuckled, giving the Imp child a playful noogie. "We'll make a barman out of you yet."
Witnessing the exchange from his seat, Mick couldn't help but notice the small hint of pride in Champ's smile. What's more, the same pride could also be seen in Granny's toothy grin. It may have been a simple exchange on a basic term, but if the Cat Demon didn't know any better, he would have sworn that both Imps were actually enjoying themselves with this arrangement.
"Hope you're not planning on paying the kid IN booze, Granny," he commented, snapping the two of them back to reality with a light chuckle.
Granny, of course, merely gave Mick a playful glare at that.
"Oh, hush up and watch my granddaughter perform," she said, unable to hold back her own chuckles as she went back to tending the bar. "Free drink in it for ya,"
"How generous of you," Mick retorted sarcastically as the elderly Imp poured him Champ's little concoction, his attention soon drawing to the child in question. "Hey, Kid. How're your sisters holding up? They settled in okay?"
Though feeling a little awkward about suddenly being spoken to so casually, Champ nonetheless gave the Cat Demon a friendly smile.
"Y-yeah, they're doing just fine," he said, placing the drink mixer into a small sink behind the bar. "A little tired, but that's to be expected, right?"
Indeed it was. Since Chimp was still injured and Chomp was too young, both the girls were spending the night in one of the upstairs guest rooms while Champ was the one doing the work to keep their current roof over their heads. As bad as Mick's day was, it was no argument that Chimp had it way worse than he did. Between the broken leg and the obvious guilt she was going through, Mick wouldn't be surprised if she cried herself to sleep.
"Can't argue with that, kid," Mick sighed, agreeing with Champ's statement. "I wouldn't worry too much though. Your sister seems like a tough cookie so I'm sure she'll be alright."
Champ, however, didn't look the least bit convinced. In fact, the Cat Demon's words only seem to make him look even more regretful than he already was.
"Yeah… right," he said with a sigh before clearing his throat. "Look, um… sorry again about… you know stealing your cr-, I mean things and selling your-"
"You've already apologized, kid," Mick interrupted, raising a hand to stop the Imp child from saying any more. "There's no need to press the issue further."
As bad as Mick felt when he initially found out about the fate of his Rosario, so much so that he actually did have the urge to strangle the kids out of anger, after taking some time to calm down, he quickly realized that there was no point in dwelling on what had already been done. Right now, he needed to focus on just getting the Rosario back… and he was going to if it was the last thing he did. Of course, despite that, it didn't make Champ nor his siblings feel any less guilty over what happened.
"I know," the young Imp said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "But I feel like trash, Mr Nikos. Even after we stole your shit, you still saved my sister… I can never repay you enough for that."
"It was no trouble, kid," Mick insisted. "You don't have to trouble yourself over it."
"But I do, Mr Nikos," Champ retorted. "You see, after we lost our ma and pa to that flaming twister last year, we had to do what we could to survive. If it weren't for Chimp taking charge, I don't know what would have happened to us. Chomp don't remember it too much, but… we're all each other's got."
"Oh," Mick uttered, taken completely by surprise. "I… I'm so sorry."
"Hey now, it's alright," Champ insisted, putting on a brave face. "Y'all don't need to concern yourself with it."
Now it was Mick's turn to feel terrible. He had been so quick to allow his anger to take hold over him when in reality, these children were the same as he was many years ago… frightened and alone. The only difference between him and them was the fact that these three actually have the strength and support they needed to carry on, something which Mick lacked back when he was alive. Looking up to the ceiling, above his head, a determined glare suddenly burned in the Cat Demon's eyes.
"I'm... I'm just gonna head upstairs for a bit,"
Soon after, Mick found himself standing outside the closed door of one of the guest rooms on the second floor, specifically, the one Granny Magma had lent out to Chimp, Champ and Chomp for the duration of their stay. Looking down at the Kitsune pup at his feet, Mick let out a nervous sigh as Snowflake gave him a supportive nod. After a few seconds, Mick soon gave the door a firm knock.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
At first, Mick received no response, however just as he was about to knock again…
"Y-yeah?"
Hearing Chimp's muffled voice through the door, Mick thanked his lucky stars that he managed to catch her while she was awake.
"Can I come in, kid?" he asked, "I wanna talk to ya."
Once again greeted by the sound of silence at first, Mick wondered if the young Imp was still a little too traumatized by the events of the day. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case when the door suddenly creaked open.
"S-sure," the Cat Demon heard the kid say as she peaked her good eye through the gap in the door. "Come on in."
With that sign of approval, Mick and Snowflake slowly entered the room. Taking a look at the surroundings, the Cat Demon found that the kids' new accommodations looked pretty decent, all things considered. Granted, it barely had any furnishings save for one armchair, a bedside cabinet and one large bed in the middle of the room, but it looked somewhat livable for those who were in no position to be picky. Closing the door behind him, Mick couldn't help but smile beneath his mask as soon as he saw Chomp curled up in the middle of the bed, snoozing away without a care in the world. If he had to be honest, the very sight of it was absolutely adorable.
"S-so what can I do for you, Mr Nikos?" Chimp suddenly asked, snapping Mick back to reality. "Did you need something?"
Seeing Chimp struggle to stay on her feet, balancing herself on a wooden crutch while keeping weight off her busted leg, Mick's hidden smile quickly faded into a frown.
"Well, actually I-"
But then, Mick suddenly stopped himself mid-sentence as soon as he caught sight of the open window just off to the side of the bed. Seeing this, an idea suddenly came popping into his head.
"Snowflake, keep an idea on the little one, will you?" he suddenly asked, turning his head over to Snowflake, who only tilted her head in confusion. "Chimp, come with me."
Needless to say, Chimp was also immediately confused by such a request, especially when the Sinner started walking towards the window rather than the door.
"Huh?" she uttered, raising an eyebrow before she felt Mick's tail suddenly wrap around her torso for the second time today.
"Hang on tight,"
Those were the last words Mick said before he then suddenly climbed out of the window, taking an understandably fearful Chimp along with him and leaving Snowflake alone with Chomp. As baffled as the Kitsune pup was that her master had suddenly left, however, she nonetheless complied with his request. With one mighty jump, she soon got up onto the bed and curled herself up next to Chomp like a protective dog. Something which the drowsy child seemed to love considering how much she was smiling and muttering in her sleep.
"Mmm… fluffy… blankey,"
Soon after, Mick and Chimp found themselves on the roof of the Snakeskin Saloon, the latter looking scared out of her mind.
"W-why did you bring me up here?" she asked. "Y-you're not gonna throw me off over what happened, are you?"
Despite the morbid thought, Mick couldn't help but laugh a little.
"I believe I told you once before that I'm NOT that petty," he chuckled. "Relax kid, I'm not going to hurt you."
"Th-then why are we up here?" Chimp asked, her fear slowly shifting into confusion.
"Well, now and then I find myself in need of some alone time with my thoughts," Mick explained. "As such, I like to climb up on top of rooftops sometimes to clear my head… It's a cat thing."
However, that explanation only seemed to cause Chimp's confusion to grow.
"Wait, really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Mhm," Mick replied with a nod of his head. "Sometimes I find that sitting on the top of a roof can give me plenty of breathing room to gather my thoughts… And right now, my current thoughts are focused on you and your siblings."
As soon as Chimp heard that last part, Chimp immediately looked away in embarrassment, hugging both her knees to her chest.
"W-why's that?" she asked. "It's not like you need to-"
"Your brother told me what happened to your parents,"
With that one sentence, any words that Chimp might have said were instantly lost to the aether. Her good eye shrinking in shock as her body tensed up, the Imp child looked as though she was about to have a panic attack, something that Mick was quick to notice.
"He… he did?" she asked, hoping she had misheard even as Mick gave her a small nod. "That idiot."
"I've heard of flaming twisters before, but I've never had the misfortune of seeing one," Mick continued. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Chimp, of course, only responded to that question with an annoyed huff, turning her head away as if she had been given a terrible insult.
"Why should I?" she asked defensively. "And why would YOU care?"
Mick had expected as much from the young Imp. After all, this was a state of mind he was all too familiar with. However, that also meant that he knew how to respond to it. Some situations call for kindness… others call for a bit of tough love.
"Because unlike most other Sinners out there, I'm one of the few who DOES give a crap," the Cat Demon retorted. "AND I'm not going to let you off this roof until you start talking."
It may have been harsh, some would argue even cruel, but Mick knew the consequences of bottled-up emotions first-hand and he'd never be able to forgive himself if he let someone else go through such a thing without at least attempting to help. Thankfully, Chimp seemed to have taken the bait.
"You asshole," she muttered before letting out a defeated sigh. "It… it happened a year ago, alright?"
"Go on," Mick ushered, glad to see that he had made a start as he gave the Imp a reassuring nod.
"We… we didn't have much," Chimp began, her face softening with each moment she delved into her memories. "Me, Champ and Chomp, and our ma and pa… it was just us and our small patch of land perfect for growing alfalfa. It wasn't the ritziest of places but it was ours."
As soon as Mick saw the smile growing on Chimp's face, he knew that she was looking back on a life she held onto with great fondness, a life she had hoped would never disappear… yet another thing that Mick knew all too well. Soon enough, however, that smile faded into a distraught frown.
"But then the twister came," she continued. "At the time, me and my siblings were in the kitchen while our parents were tending the crops outside. Our pa ran to the barn to free the horses and our ma came back to the house… but it was too late. The twister came about too fast… Ma managed to make it to the house and get us all in the basement but then she… shut the door behind us and… and…"
After that, Chimp couldn't say another word through her own sobbing, the sting of such a painful memory bringing fresh tears to her eyes. Mick may have lacked the knowledge of what happened next, but he didn't need to know… given what he was seeing before him he can easily guess what happened. While she and her siblings were trapped in the basement of their home… their parents, their house and their land were all wiped out in a powerful gust of fire and wind, leaving nothing but ash in its wake. Unable to bear her pain, Mick immediately wrapped his arms around the child and gave her a much-needed hug.
"Shh! It's okay, kid, it's okay," he whispered, his eyes welling up fresh tears of his own. "I'm so sorry for making you relive that."
As startled as she was at first about the sudden embrace, Chimp made no effort to pull away from it. In fact, the hug gave her a sense of comfort that she hadn't felt in a long time.
"N-no, it's fine," she weakly protested, trying her best to wipe her tears and put on a brave face once more. "I'm just being stupid."
"No, you're not!" Mick snapped. "Don't you DARE fight your feelings, kid, you have every right to cry. I mean you're only 10, for fuck's sake! Just this once, let it all out."
With the last of her walls broken down with that one sentence, Chimp cried even harder than ever, not so much that she was wailing into the night, but enough that her tears would forever stain the roof of the Snakeskin Saloon. It was only after about 10 minutes of crying that the poor child finally managed to pull herself together as she wiped her eyes with her own ponytail.
"I'm… I'm alright now," she said, a small hiccup escaping her throat. "S-sorry you had to see that."
"Don't be stupid," Mick said with a sigh. "If anything, I should be sorry for forcing that out of you."
"Really, it's fine," Chimp insisted with a sigh of her own. "Actually, you were right… I… I think I needed that."
As regretful as he was about making Chimp cry, Mick was nonetheless happy that some progress was being made with her. However, this also brought about some hesitancy when asking his next question.
"So… is that what happened to your eye?" he asked, gesturing to his own right eye.
"Hmm?" Chimp uttered, wondering what Mick meant for a brief moment before reaching a hand up to her white eye in realization. "Oh no, I was BORN blind in this eye. I just wore the eyepatch to look more badass… it was the last thing my ma ever gave me."
"Oh, jeez…" Mick muttered, once again feeling like shit for bringing up such a painful memory for the poor girl. "She… she sounds like a great mom."
It was a weak attempt for words of comfort, but it nonetheless brought a smile back to Chimp's face.
"She did try her hardest," she said in agreement. "I mean, ma and pa weren't exactly the best, but what parent is? After they were gone… well, I guess y'all can say everything just fell apart."
"I can imagine," Mick replied with a nod. "Did no one else take you guys in after that?"
As Mick had feared, this question was met with a shake of Chimp's head.
"We didn't have many relatives down in Wrath, actually, both our parents immigrated from Imp City before they had us," she explained. "We tried asking for help but no one cared enough to pull their finger out… Eventually, we thought it best to just stick it out on our own."
Hearing that, the sudden familiarity made Mick feel a terrible tightness in his chest. It was like looking at a smaller version of himself when he first arrived down in Hell.
"So... where have you kids been staying?" he asked, practically dreading the answer as Chimp let out another sigh and wrapped herself in her own tail.
"J-just an abandoned shack near the edge of town," she answered hesitantly, fearing the judgment she might receive from her reply. "No one ever used it, shit, barely anyone notices it so… so we settled there."
Yep, it was as bad as he thought. True, the kids may not have been sleeping on the streets, but an abandoned shack was still no home for children all by themselves.
"You know, Granny told me she would have gladly taken you guys in if you had asked her," Mick pointed out, recollecting a small bit of gossip he'd heard from the aforementioned Imp after she was done splinting Chimp's leg. "But even though you asked so many other Imps for help, you never gave HER a chance. Why's that?"
Unsurprisingly, this question also came with a negative response, this time in the form of a scoff.
"You wouldn't understand," she answered, turning her head away.
"Oh, wouldn't I?" Mick retorted, giving the child a small roll of his eyes. "Tell me if this sounds familiar… You, the eldest sister of three siblings, are now left with no home and no parents, thus forcing you to take up the heavy responsibility of caring for your only remaining family. After so many wasted efforts, you no longer wish to accept nor ask for any help because you found that you can't trust anyone else in Wrath, a place practically infamous for being shoot-first, ask questions never. And despite the fact you're breaking apart on the inside, you force yourself to put on a brave face, be tough for the sake of your siblings, and fight your own battles... otherwise, this place may just chew you up and spit you back out… sound about right?"
As much as Chimp wanted to argue or even make a retort of any kind, her mouth could only hang agape at how accurate Mick sounded. With a single guess, he had figured out everything down to the last detail.
"H-how did you…?" she tried to force out, only to be cut off by the Cat Demon before she could finish.
"Because I lost someone I loved too, kid," Mick replied bluntly. "And that loss ended up leaving me drifting on the streets of Pentagram City for an entire year before I managed to pick up whatever pieces of my sanity I had left."
Chimp wanted to say something, anything that could bring the Cat Demon some comfort upon hearing that, but all she could do was sit there on that rooftop, too flabbergasted to even utter a word.
"I may not know exactly what you've gone through, but I might just be one of the few Demons down here who could relate," Mick continued, wiping away a few stray tears before they even had the chance to fall. "To lose someone you love… it hurts… god DAMN it hurts. But trying to tough things out and shoulder everything that comes afterwards only prolongs the pain… you can take my word on that."
At those words, all Chimp could do was hang her head and sigh.
"But… what else am I supposed to do?" she asked, her voice dripping with desperation as if she were praying for a solution.
It was a question Mick had asked himself many times after he died. One which had no proper answer given past experience. However, while it may have been a difficult thing to ask, the least the Cat Demon could do was try to be honest.
"I'm afraid I don't have the faintest idea, Chimp," he said. "But from my experience, sometimes you just gotta let other people in, people who genuinely want to help. I won't lie, it doesn't always work… and sometimes it makes things worse. But more often than not, if someone offers you their hand to help you… sometimes you just gotta roll the dice."
It may not have been entirely convincing, but nonetheless, Mick's words had at least given Chimp a reason to think it over… though, unsurprisingly, she remained uncertain.
"But how will I know I won't end up worse than before?" she asked, to which Mick had yet another blunt answer.
"You don't," he said. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try… all you need to do is ask the right guy."
At that moment, Mick offered out his hand to the young Imp, who only looked back at it with a raised eyebrow. Was he… was he really offering to help her? Even now? No matter how much Chimp looked for it, there seemed to be no malice or any cruel trickery she would normally see in other Demons… he was just too… nice. With a little hesitation, Chimp eventually took Mick's hand in her own in a small handshake, giving the Cat Demon cause to smile beneath his mask once again.
"Um… could I… ask somethin' else?" the young Imp spoke up, her head once again turning away awkwardly.
"Shoot," Mick replied, his curiosity piqued.
"You said you know what it's like to lose someone," Chimp continued, her throat feeling tight as she tried to force out her question. "Did… did that cross have something to do with it?"
At that moment, an awkward silence fell between the two, having been caught off guard by that inquiry, Mick wasn't sure how to respond at first. Given it was such a personal matter, he wasn't sure whether to say anything or not… no! Keeping quiet shouldn't be an option here. The pair of them had been honest with each other so far, it would be insulting to keep quiet now.
"Yes," the Cat Demon eventually sighed, keeping his answer short and vague and hoping that Chimp wouldn't ask any follow-up questions. "But don't worry, it's all water under the bridge now. Alright?"
Of course, Chimp didn't feel like she agreed with that particular statement. Given how Mick reacted when he found out about her siblings selling the Rosario earlier, she knew that cross was more important to him than he was currently letting on. Most likely he was trying to tone down his true feelings so that Chimp wouldn't feel any worse than she already did.
"O-okay," she said, choosing to drop the matter for the time being. After all, she didn't want to push her luck." So… uh, rooftops, huh?"
With that one question, all tension immediately faded and Mick let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, I know it's weird," he admitted. "But as I said, it's a cat thing."
"Well, that might be a good habit to have this time of year," Chimp pointed out, much to Mick's confusion. "After all, one of the best parts of the festival is that everyone gets a chance to see the real Harvest Moon. Y'all'll be able to get a great view of it from up here."
"The moon, huh?" Mick repeated, his tone softening to one that sounded almost reminiscent. "That would be nice… haven't seen that in over 14 years."
After spending so long under an empty red sky, staring up at nothing but the clouds and the giant pentagram that hung over the entire city carrying its namesake, it was amazing how a few small words managed to bring back memories Mick had thought to be long forgotten. After that, the two of them could only look up at the sky in silence, both of them having a new perspective and thoughts to look back on.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to either Demon on the roof, a certain country singer leaned against the open window of the guest room just below them and smirked as she finished listening in on their conversation. Ember may not have been able to catch the beginning of it, but she stuck around long enough to hear the Cat Demon say such sweet words to a crying child… and, in turn, earn Ember's respect and further admiration.
"Not bad, Mick," she said with a swooning sigh, being so lost in the moment that was completely ignoring the fact that Snowflake was now struggling to break free of Chomp's grip a few feet away from her. "Not bad at all."
When the early hours of the following morning arrived, more than half of the Wrath Ring Imps were already flooding the streets, all of them ready to begin the Harvest Moon Festival with a spring in their step. By the time it was 11 AM, the whole street was packed with Imps of all shapes and sizes, all of them either having fun amongst the crowd or selling their goods and/or hosting small games through their stalls.
Soon enough, Mick stepped out of the Snakeskin Saloon and stretched out his back. After getting a good night's sleep, he was finally ready for whatever the Pain Games threw at him, willing to plough through everything just to take back what was his.
"You ready?" he heard Ember ask as she stepped out of the saloon behind him.
"As I'll ever be," the Cat Demon replied, letting out a few nervous breaths.
"We'll see y'all at the games later, Granny!" Ember called out as she directed her voice back into the saloon. "We just gotta get Mick signed up!"
"Alright, y'all take care now!" they both heard Granny call back.
Smiling in delight, Ember turned and followed Mick as he walked out into the streets, choosing to stay close so they didn't get separated in the ever-growing crowd of Imps.
"Hey, shouldn't Granny be coming with us?" Mick suddenly asked as a certain thought popped into his head. "Wouldn't she need to sign up for the games too?"
Ember, however, merely smiled and shook her head at such a question.
"Oh no, she's actually one of the few locals 'round here who don't need to," she said. "Since she takes part in the games every year, she's automatically put on the list every time."
That made sense. Given how Granny reacted every time the games were brought up in conversation, one can easily tell that she LOVES them to a fault.
"Okay, fair enough," Mick replied with a shrug before turning his head back up to the saloon as they both walked further away from it. "You sure Snowflake's gonna be alright with Granny until the games?"
Once again, Ember couldn't help but smile, the way Mick fawned over his little pet was without a doubt one of the most adorable things she could ever witness.
"Don't worry, Micky," she said reassuringly. "She'll be fine."
Snowflake's napkin: entry 4
I. AM. NOT. FINE!
This is a goddamn outrage! How dare those two leave me behind!? Okay, sure I might have overslept a little, but how DARE they! I knew that hussy was trouble! She probably whisked daddy away before he even had the chance to say no! Ooh, those two are in for SO much pain when I find them. It's bad enough I had that Imp kid chewing my tail all night! I mean, do I LOOK like a chew toy!?
As Mick and Ember walked further and further away from the saloon, the Cat Demon once again felt the need to look over his surroundings, a regular habit he had developed a lot since coming to the Wrath Ring.
"Definitely a lot more Imps about than there were yesterday, eh?" he commented, noticing the hefty increase in the population since the last time he and Ember took a stroll through town.
"Eeyup," Ember said in agreement. "Hell, nearly all of Wrath tends to flock here just for the Pain Games alone. We even get folks from the other rings dropping by now and then.
"Makes sense," Mick commented with a small shrug. "You ever been to any of the other rings before?"
For some reason, Ember's smile dropped a little at that.
"Well… not really," she awkwardly admitted. "But believe me, I'd love to… it's kind of a dream of mine, actually."
"Yeah?" Mick replied, his curiosity once again piqued. "How'd you mean?"
"Well… I've always wanted to make a name for myself in the Pride Ring, ya know?" Ember elaborated, her smile growing the more she thought about the idea. "Get my name out there, sing for the big leagues, show them rich snobs that even an Imp can make it big."
Hearing all that, Mick couldn't help but look back at Ember with admiration.
"That's a good dream," he commented. "I imagine it would be difficult to achieve, but I've heard of impossible things coming true at some point or another. Plus, you definitely seem the type who won't let herself get beaten."
"Thanks," Ember replied with another smile, turning her head away to hide her flattered blush. "Doubt it's gonna happen though. As much as I want to follow my dreams, I just can't bring myself to leave Granny alone… she's a tough old bat but I'm kinda all she's got."
Mick suddenly felt a little awkward after hearing that.
"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that," he said, causing Ember to shake her head.
"Nah, don't be," she replied. "I'm a big girl, I can handle a little disappointment. Anyways, we're here."
Before he had even realized they had arrived, Mick found himself looking at a small wooden booth, where a slightly overweight Imp woman was taking names of the applicants for the Pain Games currently standing in line in front of her. With a nod of Ember's head, Mick wasted no time getting a place in line and waiting for his turn.
It was a simple process: Simply give the woman your name and she'd assign you a number in order to keep your score… and then there was, of course, the liability form afterwards, not that Mick was surprised, of course. Hell, he was more surprised by the fact the Imp in front of him wasn't shocked that a Sinner was signing up for the Pain Games, a statement she refuted by saying that she "wasn't paid enough to care". Soon enough, everything was in order and Mick was officially signed up for the games.
"Alright, all sorted," Mick stated proudly turning back to Ember, who had been waiting for him on the other side of the booth. "Now all I need to do is wait for-"
Suddenly Mick cut himself off mid-sentence as something caught his eye… or rather someONE. Just a few yards away behind Ember, a certain individual leaned up against another booth while browsing through her phone… only this individual wasn't an Imp… she was a Hellhound. One who Mick knew all too well.
"Wait... LOONA!?"
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The Featured Song: "Baby, Please Don't Go" - Sung by: Them