When Shelly came walking back through the door of the Rustler's Retreat that evening, it was so close to closing time that there was barely another soul in the building save for the rest of the staff and a few lingering patrons. Looking around, she found herself amazed that she had been gone for so long… not that she would have come back any sooner given the circumstances.
Making her way to the bar, the Squirrel let out a heavy, blissful sigh as the events of the last few hours began to replay in her head. 15 years… to think it has been 15 years since she had last seen her son. And now that they were together again… it almost felt too good to be true. At some point, she had almost thought that this whole night had been a cruel dream trying to give her hope before turning into a frightening nightmare.
"Shelly?"
"GAH!"
Practically jumping out of her skin, Shelly yelped in fright, startling any remaining patrons within earshot. Upon seeing the face of who had just popped her head out from behind the bar, however, she quickly calmed down.
"Oh, Clara!" she explained. "You startled me."
Hearing that, the horned canine immediately blushed with embarrassment.
"Sorry about that. I was just checking on the pump," she quickly explained before standing up straight and greeting her employer properly. "How're you doing? You were gone for a while."
Quickly remembering that she had left the Retreat without so much as a word, Shelly immediately facepalmed herself.
"Right, sorry about that," she apologized. "Something important came up."
At those words, Clara immediately raised a curious eyebrow.
"Oh?" she uttered. "That big of a deal, huh?"
"Mhm," Shelly replied, her face suddenly the biggest smile Clara had ever seen her with. "I… just reunited with my son."
At first, Shelly had expected Clara to drop a glass in shock or at least drop her jaw to the floor… however, the reaction she actually got caught her completely off guard.
"Your son… Nick?" the horned canine asked, much to Shelly's unexpected unease.
Given what she had promised her son earlier that evening about exposing his real name, Shelly was, of course, planning on keeping it and reluctant to say anything. However, seeing as how Clara knew the name already, her curiosity quickly got the better of her.
"Where… where did you hear that name?" the Squirrel Sinner asked, resulting in an awkward glance from her employee.
"Sorry," Clara replied before giving her another explanation. "I was just coming back from the bathroom just before those three dragged you off, so… I kinda eavesdropped on the last bit of your conversation."
Knowing that, Shelly quickly surmised that there was no denying anything now. If Clara had heard that much, then there was no point in doing so. That said, as her employer, she could always swear this girl to secrecy about it if she wanted.
"I see," the Sinner uttered. "I don't suppose you would mind keeping all of that to yourself, would you? I don't want anyone getting too nosy in my personal business."
Given how valuable certain pieces of information were down here in Hell, particularly details of personal connections no less, it was no surprise to Clara that Shelly wanted to keep things close to the chest. Still, that didn't mean that she wasn't going to at least try to squeeze a little more info out of Shelly if she could… after all, she had a very good reason for doing so.
"Of course, but… could you tell me what happened?" the horned canine asked, causing Shelly to raise an eyebrow. "I know it's probably personal but if you need someone to talk to about this, maybe I can be someone you can confide in? Working as a bartender does tend to make one a good listener, you know."
As much as Shelly didn't want to betray her son's trust in her, she had to admit that Clara did make an enticing offer. Plus, it wasn't as if she had actually TOLD Clara that her son went by a different name, she just overheard the name that he originally went by as Shelly was leaving. Surely, her son would understand those kinds of circumstances, right? With that in mind, perhaps it WOULD be nice to have someone to talk to about this particular subject. What harm could it do, right?
"I suppose," she eventually uttered, albeit a little hesitantly. "But why the interest?
"Call it… curiosity."
Meanwhile, back at the Goetia Household, Stolas suddenly found himself in shock upon seeing none other than Shelly's son and his pet standing just a few feet away from him after his Impish lover dropped him back home.
"Oh, Michael!" the Goetia Prince exclaimed, understandably startled by the Cat Demon's sudden appearance. "H-how long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough, sir," Mick replied bluntly, seeing no need to beat around the bush.
"Oh… I see," Stolas sighed, immediately realizing that the Sinner must have witnessed everything since Blitzo's van pulled up to the house.
At first Mick thought that Stolas was going to berate him for listening in on a private conversation. However, despite opening his mouth, no words came out. Exhausted and disheartened by everything he had experienced that night, the Goetia Prince could only let out a heavy sigh as he buried his face in his palms, not even giving Mick or Snowflake so much as a second glance as he wallowed in his own misery.
Unable to bear the sight of his employer looking so… pathetic, Mick gave Snowflake a look of concern, who in turn gave him a solemn nod, basically ushering him to go ahead with what he was thinking. His mind made up, Mick then set Snowflake down and took a seat next to Stolas on the stairs before removing his mouthpiece, taking out his joint canister and proceeding to light one up.
After taking a few quick puffs of the flavoured smoke before letting it all out in a soothed exhale, the Cat Demon then brought the open canister closer to Stolas's face, offering him one of the sticks inside. At first, the Goetia Prince looked as though he was about to decline the offer, but eventually, he did take one joint out from the bunch, stuck it in his beak and ignited it with a single flame from his fingertip. Inhaling the smoke, he soon let it all out with a solemn sigh.
"Good shit," he commented, giving Mick cause to smirk a little.
"Best in the Pride Ring," he commented, albeit a little more smugly than he intended.
After taking a few more puffs from his joint in silence, quickly feeling the effects of the cannabis, Mick eventually scratched the back of his neck and decided to be upfront with what he had to say to the Prince sitting next to him.
"So… the head of I.M.P., huh?" he said, his words hitting Stolas like a brick to the face.
For a moment, it looked as though the Owl Demon wasn't going to give Mick a response. However, after tonight he wasn't in the mood for keeping secrets, especially when it was so blatantly obvious at this point.
"Are you surprised?" he asked solemnly.
Mick, of course, shook his head at that.
"I've seen my fair share of surprises down here, so not really," he replied honestly.
"I suppose you're wondering WHY though," Stolas pointed out, giving Mick cause to shake his head a second time.
"Oh, I can think of a few reasons," Mick retorted, his mind thinking toward a certain shrieking Harpy that Stolas had the misfortune of being married to.
After that, the two of them once again fell into silence, albeit only briefly. Watching the two of them smoke their weed, Snowflake soon walked up to Stolas before laying down and resting her head in his lap, seemingly hoping to provide the Goetia a little comfort. Seeing the soft smile spread across Stolas's face, he gratefully gave the Kitsune pup a small pat on the head for her trouble. Mick couldn't help but smile himself. With both the power of the Snowflake Snuggle and the effects of the weed lowering Stolas's defences a lot quicker than he originally thought, the Sinner then decided to dig a little deeper into the conversation.
"Sir," he said with another drag of his joint. "May I speak freely?"
"Go ahead," Stolas replied, not once taking his eyes off Snowflake as she purred into his palm.
"You… haven't been happy in a long time, have you?"
Hearing that question leave Mick's mouth, Stolas instantly froze, his defensive walls quickly starting to rebuild themselves as he turned his head away from his employee.
"W-what makes you say that?" He asked, awkwardly.
"I'm scarred, sir, not blind," Mick stated bluntly, tapping out his joint on the surface of his mask. "You may put on a smile and a laugh but we both know that's just a front to hide your pain."
Choosing to remain in silence, Stolas neither confirmed nor denied whether or not Mick's statement was true. Of course, that didn't stop the Cat Demon from believing in the latter.
"I don't mean to pry, sir," Mick continued. "But you're not exactly keeping your feelings close to the chest right now. Plus, with those antidepressants on your nightstand, it doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out what's going on… not to mention there's also all the therapy sessions with Snowflake."
Hearing that last part, in particular, Stolas gasped in shock, though he shouldn't be surprised considering who the Kitsune pup truly belonged to.
"Don't worry, I won't tell Octavia about any of it," Mick said reassuringly, giving Stolas some small form of relief. "That being said, it does make a lot of sense THAT would be the primary reason for what you've been doing."
At those words, Stolas's look of shock instantly turned to one filled with frustration and anger.
"You speak out of turn, Michael," he said defensively. "Keep in mind about who you work for."
Of course, despite Stolas's eyes glowing intensely with that threat, Mick wasn't going to falter if he could help it.
"I'm not speaking to you as a servant, sir," he retorted firmly. "I'm speaking to you as your daughter's friend… one who has grown quite fond of you, as it happens. AND someone who's also grown to worry about you."
Taken aback by such a statement, Stolas quickly dropped his angry face and hung his head with another heavy sigh.
"Why would you bother worrying about someone like me?" he asked. "Not a lot of Sinners would."
"I'm not most Sinners," Mick retorted bluntly. "So come on, let's have it. How did this start?"
Seeing that Mick wasn't going to drop the subject, and with him being too downtrodden to even bother getting any more defensive, Stolas eventually relented and soon enough began telling the Sinner everything. From meeting Blitzo during his childhood to seeing him again 25 years later, when he tried breaking into the mansion, which in turn led to the one-night stand that started the whole affair.
Now that Mick knew this, he was quickly starting to get a better picture of the whole situation. As such, he probably knows better than anyone how lonely Stolas must have felt for all these years. Between his father getting him engaged before he was even a teenager, and the verbal, and probably physical abuse from Stella long after his wedding… it would be enough to make anyone crave some form of real emotional connection… especially from someone he was clearly fond of from the very start.
"I see…" Mick uttered, almost scratching at his mask with anxiety. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that."
"Apart from Snowflake, you are the only one I've ever spoken a word of this to," Stolas pointed out, taking one final drag of his joint before stomping it out. "As such, I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak to Octavia about it."
"You have my word, sir," Mick quickly promised. After all, this wasn't his story to tell. "But… what are you going to do now?"
Stolas, of course, turned to Mick with a raised eyebrow at such a question.
"I don't follow," he said, much to Mick's mild irritation.
"Sir, you know you can't carry on like this, right?" the Cat Demon said bluntly. "Between you bringing Blitzo here every month and your wife taking her anger out on everyone around her, sooner or later, someone is going to crack… and I'm terrified that Octavia is going to be the one who ends up suffering for it."
Hearing the genuine concern oozing from the Cat Demon's words, Stolas instantly felt a guilty twist in his stomach. Despite everything, the Goetia Prince knew in his heart that everything Mick was saying was true. Yet at the same time, it was still nice to see that his daughter had someone who cared this much about her.
"I know you're right, Michael," he soon admitted with a sigh. "But frankly, I'm not even sure WHAT to do."
"Are you certain about that?" Mick retorted. "To be honest, given the circumstances, half the staff, myself included, are surprised you haven't kicked that witch out of the house by now."
"It's not that simple," Stolas argued.
"It's not?" Mick uttered, once again raising an eyebrow.
Shaking his head and pinching the bridge between his eyes, Stolas let out a small groan in frustration.
"Do you think I haven't tried to do something about this before now?" he pointed out, much to Mick's intrigue. "I KNOW what Stella is like, Michael. But I've tried to at least make the marriage work for Via's sake. And yet…"
"…Yet it was never enough for her?" Mick asked, earning a solemn nod from the Goetia.
"I'm afraid not," he admitted. "Even when the idea of divorce WAS brought up, the crazy bitch merely brushed it off, thinking it was just the ramblings of some pathetic weakling. You'd think the fact that I slept with someone else would be the sign to 'get out of Dodge', so to speak."
"But she STILL lingers around the house despite everything?" Mick blurted out, unable to keep himself from trying to work out the sheer insanity of that particular logic.
Once again, Stolas let out a groan as he buried his face in his hands.
"Yes," he uttered. "Though for the life of me, I haven't the foggiest idea why. What's more, all the arguments from then on only got worse… and Via is now caught in the middle of it all."
At this point, Mick could hear Stolas's voice begin to break, so much so that the Sinner thought the Goetia was about to have an emotional breakdown right there on the steps.
"I want so badly to make things better for my family, Michael, myself included," the Prince continued. "But at the end of the day, Stella is still Via's mother… and I have to live with that."
"I see…" Mick said with a sigh, now starting to see the WHOLE picture.
"Via's one of the few lights in this miserable life of mine, Michael… I daresay she's one of the few things that keeps me going," Stolas said with a tear in his eye. "For her sake, I'll suffer through anything to make sure she has a normal life."
So basically he feels trapped… a bird in a cage, so to speak. Despite his misery, Stolas is still willing to put up with it all for the sake of his daughter… Honestly, Mick couldn't help but feel a lot envious of his crush right about now. Undoubtedly, his affair with Blitzo is probably one of the only things he has left to enjoy in his life… because aside from Octavia, he was the only one to show him any true love.
"I… understand, sir," he eventually muttered. "A lot more than you realize."
Of course, Stolas was immediately sceptical of such a claim.
"How could you?" he asked.
"Well, I can't say I know EXACTLY what you're going through specifically," Mick elaborated with a sigh. "But for a long time, I went through a similar pain."
Hearing that, Stolas couldn't help but feel a little intrigued. However, this feeling quickly turned into sympathy the more he listened to the Cat Demon's words.
"The misery, the loneliness… it just keeps eating away at you, no matter how much you try to get through it," he continued, causing Stolas to actually feel a sense of familiarity. "In all honesty, I can't tell you how many times I've considered taking a blessed bullet and putting the pistol in my mouth during the last 7 years alone."
…
"Oh…" Stolas uttered, having no other words to say to such a shocking revelation.
However, surprisingly enough, Mick's tone suddenly shifted to something more hopeful and filled with relief.
"But you know something?" he asked. "I'm glad I didn't… because I would have missed out on so much. Meeting my friends, getting the chance to work here for you and Octavia… and… reuniting with my mother."
Had Stolas been sipping a drink, he would have immediately spat it out upon hearing that last part. Reuniting with his mother? When did THAT happen!?
"You… you what?" he uttered, unbelieving of what he was hearing.
"Guess even in Hell, there are SOME silver linings, eh?" Mick replied with a light chuckle, the memory of his mother's visit to the mansion still fresh in his mind.
However, as baffled and intrigued as he was, Stolas quickly felt that this conversation was starting to get a little too off-topic.
"I assume you are coming to a point?" he asked, giving the Cat Demon a stern gaze, one which Mick immediately returned with vigour.
"My point, sir, is that while things can be terrible at first… they can also be better if given the chance," he declared, emphasizing every syllable with certainty. "You just have to take responsibility for your life and be willing to let the path go in the right direction."
After a brief moment of silence, Stolas couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"Since when have you become a philosopher?" he joked with an amused tone, unable to resist seeing how poetic Mick's words were.
Hearing that, Mick couldn't help but smirk himself.
"What can I say?" he asked. "I've had a lot of reasons to look at different perspectives lately."
Though the mood had been lightened, however, Stolas was nonetheless quick to return to his solemn state immediately afterwards.
"Be that as it may," he said. "No matter what perspective one takes on THIS matter… There are going to be consequences I can't avoid."
As much as Mick wanted to argue, he had to admit that Stolas had a good point. Regardless of what he decided to do now, a backlash was inevitable. Still… better to ride out the storm than to sink beneath the crushing waves.
"Well… in that case, I can only say that you now have to ask yourself only one question," the Cat Demon sighed, choosing to hit the conversation with one final strike. "What's more important? Normalcy… or happiness?"
Obviously, Stolas was taken aback by such a question, but regardless, it gave him something to think about. However, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to answer this question with one of his own.
"I suppose it depends," he said. "To whose happiness are you referencing?"
At those words, Mick once again let out a sigh with a light smile on his face.
"I'm afraid only you can figure that one out, sir," he said, finally rising to his feet and stretching out his back before turning towards the front door. "After all, Octavia's not a kid anymore… it's time to finally start looking at things from THAT perspective."
Immediately falling silent at that last statement, Stolas could only sit there and contemplate the Sinner's words as they began to sink in. Seeing that his point had been made, Mick then gave the Goetia one final glance before heading back inside the house, saying only one last thing before he left the Prince to his own devices.
"Goodnight, sir."
Unable to say much else Stolas could only let out another sigh before the Sinner disappeared back into the house.
"Goodnight," he said, catching one final glimpse of Mick's tail before he slumped down, burying his face in his palms as he turned his attention to Snowflake who had chosen to stay behind with him. "I MAY need another session, little one… after I find the absinthe."
"i'LL boOk yOu in 4 TOmorrOW… AfTErnOOn,"
Horrible grinning faces… that was all that Mick could see in the dark void as he waded through a shallower version of the river of blood he and Octavia had encountered when they first met, his clothes sticky and smelling rancid as he forced himself further and further as he tried to find a way out. Around him he could see the faces of wolves, rabbits and sheep, their grins twisted and crooked as their teeth shimmered red in the darkness, blood dripping from their eyes as the rest of their features remained hidden in shadow.
ZEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Screaming in terror as the faces suddenly began to edge closer to him, practically giving chase as they all eerily cackled at his expense, Mick desperately tried to escape them to no avail. Suddenly, he lost his footing and was swept away by the sudden current that had appeared out of nowhere. Thrashing against the blood that carried him away, Mick could only cough and struggle as he just as suddenly found himself being thrown over the edge of a huge waterfall… right into the open jaws of a gigantic rodent, his foul breath burning Mick's face before he snapped his jaws shut.
SPLASH!
Once again screaming as he found himself covered in darkness, Mick then collided with what felt like yet another pool of blood… only this time it felt as cold as ice. Breaking to the surface, the Cat Demon struggled and struggled until finally, he felt himself heading towards a strange light shimmering in the otherwise empty void. Daring to hope, he swam towards it, soon finding himself crawling up to a beach consisting of tiny shards of glass. And then… he stopped.
Seeing the pair of armoured boots shimmering in front of him, Mick could only tremble as he dared to look up, the left side of his face burning like Hellfire. With tears of terror flowing from his eyes, he whimpered like a frightened puppy as he locked eyes with the horrible smirking face of an Exorcist as they raised their spear above his head before suddenly-
"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
His screams echoing throughout the room, Mick immediately fell out of bed, thrashing violently as he got tangled up in his bedsheets and collapsed into a heap on the floor.
"Oof!"
"Mick!" he heard Linda yell from the adjoining room. "Are you okay!?"
"Don't come in yet!" the Cat Demon snapped, frantically reaching for his mask on the bedside table.
Once his mask was safely placed on his face, only then did Mick give the okay to come into the room. Once she did, however, nervously wandering towards Mick's sleeping area while wearing her blue kitten onesie, she found herself shocked to see the state her friend was in.
"Oh, my goodness, Mick!" she exclaimed. "What happened!? You're shaking all over!"
Seeing how scared Linda appeared to be for him, Mick was all too quick to try and calm her down despite the state of his nerves.
"I-I'm fine," he insisted. "It's just a nightmare is all."
Hearing that, Linda quickly calmed down, though that didn't mean that she was any less concerned for her friend.
"Given how happy you were when you went to sleep last night, that must have been some nightmare," she commented, having no clue just how much she was underestimating the truth.
Of course, with Mick being the caring Demon that he was, he didn't want to burden Linda with his problems, so naturally, he was quick to brush the whole thing off.
"I guess," he said, trying to play his troubles off as nothing to worry about. "To be honest, I'm already starting to forget it. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Needless to say, however, Linda was a little sceptical of the Cat Demon's claim. But given the circumstances, she chose to respect his privacy and not press the matter any further.
"Alright then," she said hesitantly before turning back towards her own sleeping area. "But if you do need to talk about it, you can come to me, okay? You're always helping me so I'd like to return the favour somehow."
Mick, of course, couldn't help but smile at that. Despite her current situation with Octavia, it was nice to see that she was still such a sweetheart.
"Thanks, Liddy," he said gratefully, seemingly putting Linda's worries to rest for the time being as he watched her disappear back through the doorway.
Once he was sure that his fellow attendant had gone back to bed, Mick then let out a heavy sigh and climbed back into his own. Lying face-up on the pillow, staring blankly at the ceiling as his heart rapidly beat like a bongo drum, his mind soon went back to the vivid nightmare that he clearly had NOT forgotten. After all, given how often he has had it over the years, it was no surprise that it would still linger with him. What's more, for some reason it was always easier to remember one's scariest nightmares than the most incredible of dreams. That being said… given how he hasn't had that particular nightmare since before he came to work for Stolas, it still came as quite a shock.
"Those faces," he uttered under his breath. "Why can't they just leave me alone?"
Given the early hour his nightmare had awoken him, Mick didn't bother going back to sleep. Instead, he used the extra time to recollect himself and prepare for Octavia's return to the mansion. After a hearty breakfast, he quickly began grooming himself in the bathroom, feeling the need to look especially nice for his crush's arrival.
As he stood there in front of the bathroom mirror, snipping away any loose strands of hair and polishing an extra shine into his mask, the Cat Demon's mind immediately began to plan out his confession. After all, when one is offering their heart, they can't just do so out of the blue. Being spontaneous may work in fairy tales and MAYBE 10% of the time in real life, but most of the time that usually ends in the crush either freaking out, fainting, or even running away. And Mick just couldn't afford that… not now. As far as Mick was concerned, he had already taken too long to grow a spine and make this decision, so there was no way he was going to risk anything going wrong.
The plan will be simple. First, find an opportunity to get Octavia alone without anyone else around, ESPECIALLY her parents. After that, simply usher her into a casual conversation that would eventually lead to the subject of dating, and then… ask her out. Maybe she'll play it off as a joke, but that will be when he will need to stand firm and show her that he was serious, and then… pray she'll say yes.
It was a decent plan in theory, definitely… however, executing said plan is what will REALLY be the big challenge. No worries, all he had to do was stay calm and confident. After all, it's Octavia, there's no way she'll shoot him down… right?
BEEP! BEEP!
Later that morning, though still relatively early given how much Pringles appeared to be yawning as he stood outside the house with Mick and Linda, along with Snowflake, who sat at their feet, waiting for the limo carrying Octavia and her mother back to the mansion. By the time it had arrived, however, he quickly straightened himself out and became just as stoic as ever as he went to reach for the passenger door.
"Welcome back, Lady Go- Oof!"
Alas, the Butler never got the chance to finish his sentence due to having Stella's fur coat thrown in his face the second she stepped out of the vehicle.
"Save it, Imp!" she snapped, looking to be in one of her particularly sour moods this morning.
Needless to say, upon seeing this, both Mick and Linda thought it would be in their best interest to avoid Stella like the plague so long as they could help it. Octavia, however, was a more welcome sight as Mick helped her out the other side of the limo.
"Welcome home, M'lady," he greeted, happily taking the Goetia Princess's hand and helping her out of the vehicle.
"Good to be back, Mick," Octavia greeted back with relief before she felt something familiar brush up against her leg. "Hey, Snowy!"
With a happy yip, the Kitsune gleefully accepted being scooped up by the Goetia before she buried her in a warm embrace.
"Did you miss me, girl?" Octavia giggled, brushing her beak against Snowflake's nose in THE cutest way possible. "Oh, yes, you did. Yes. You. DID."
Seeing the gorgeous Owl Demon fawn over the little fox, Mick immediately thanked his lucky stars that his mask prevented anyone from seeing him bite his lip due to how precious a scene this was… alas, reality once again decided to be just as big of a bitch as the shrill woman aiming her voice in Mick's direction.
"You, Cat!" Stella snapped. "Here! Make yourself useful!"
"Oof!"
Before he even realized it, Mick had a small, yet surprisingly heavy suitcase tossed into his chest, causing him to be knocked over the moment he caught it.
"I want that and my other bags brought up to my room!" Stella continued before turning away and heading inside. "And be quick about it!"
Once again, Mick found himself grumbling with heated anger, for once more Stella seemed to forget that he was supposed to be Octavia's Bodyguard and NOT her errand boy.
"Jeez, what crawled up HER ass and died?" he said with a huff before Linda helped him to his feet.
At those words, Octavia let out an annoyed sigh.
"Sorry, guys," she said. "Mum's been a bit… frustrated this last week. You see, the bank called her a few days ago and told her that someone stole her credit card and maxed it out. Spent everything on a stay at the Triton Resort, half a dozen porno mags, spare parts from Carmilla Carmine and 2 tonnes of churros."
Had Octavia turned around, she would have then seen Buzz step out of the house with a half-eaten churro in his hand, before suddenly hearing the words come out of the Goetia's beak. Nervously shifting his eyes and stuffing the last pieces of churro in his mouth, he then dove into the bushes before anyone spotted him.
"Yeah… bit of a mystery, huh?" Mick commented, not even planning on touching that particular subject if he wanted to keep his sanity.
Meanwhile, Linda took the opportunity to gather Octavia's belongings from the trunk. Despite how she currently felt, she still had a job to do. After taking out a single travel bag, she then gave the Goetia Princess a simple nod.
"M'lady,"
There were only two words to describe Linda's tone the moment she said that, professional… and cold. In fact, the instant the little Imp let that greeting out of her mouth was like an icy knife driven straight into Octavia's stomach. Watching her attendant walk away to carry her belongings inside without so much as another word, the Owl Demon let out a saddened sigh.
"She's still mad at me, huh?" she asked, causing Mick to awkwardly scratch the back of his head.
No, mad wasn't the right word to use, more than anything Linda looked… disappointed. Frankly, Octavia didn't know whether or not seeing her like that was even worse than if the little Imp had just been angry at her. At least then she might be more willing to talk to her.
"Just…give her some more time," Mick eventually said, trying his best to help Octavia's feelings on the matter. "I'm sure she'll be okay."
"Will she though?" Octavia retorted, sighing deeply as she lowered Snowflake to the ground. "I mean I played with her life like Seth would have. I've basically confirmed that how she originally felt about all Royal Demons was true. How could she ever trust me again after that?"
"Because, unlike those other Demons, she KNOWS you," Mick pointed out, hoping his efforts would at least lighten Octavia's mood. "Look… Linda's too kind-hearted to be upset with you forever. True, it'll take some time but I promise… she'll come around eventually."
Hearing that, Octavia gave the Cat Demon a brief, yet grateful smile before her saddened face returned.
"I hope you're right," she said, gripping her shawl with anxiety. "I just really want my little sister back."
A little while later, after Linda had brought her belongings back to her bedroom, Octavia soon found herself emptying the contents of her travel bag onto her bed while Snowflske watched from her basket on the floor.
"Come on… come on," she muttered. "Where is it!?"
Upon realizing she didn't have her Hellphone charger on her person, Octavia had hoped that she had put it in her bag before she and her mother left for home. However, so far, she was having no such luck in finding it.
"Aw, fuck," she eventually exclaimed. "I hope I didn't leave it at my Uncle's place."
Snowflake, of course, couldn't help but tilt her head with curiosity, just as Octavia let out a defeated sigh.
"Well… maybe Mum has seen it,"
Meanwhile, in another part of the Mansion, Mick was struggling to carry multiple suitcases at once, something Stella was insistent on considering how much she couldn't stand waiting a few measly minutes.
"Make yourself useful, Cat… listen to ME, Cat… bend over and assume the position, Cat!" Mick grumbled as he dragged and carried everything through the corridor towards the master bedroom. "OOH! I swear one of these days… POW! Right in the kisser!"
Of course, simply due to the need for self-preservation, Mick would never actually say such a thing to said Goetia's face. He already had one reason for wearing a mask, he didn't need another. Soon enough, he eventually made it to Stolas and Stella's bedroom, quickly noticing that the door was already slightly open. Was someone already in there? Probably best to knock and make sure just in case.
"… I cannot do this anymore!" Mick suddenly heard from inside just as he raised his fist to the door. "I want you out, now!"
"Hmm?"
Choosing to forgo the knocking for a moment, Mick immediately dropped all the suitcases and pressed his ear closer. Sure enough, that was Prince Stolas just now, and by the sound of it, he was definitely a lot more upset than he was the previous night. Seems like having a terrible hangover on top of seeing his wife after having such a bad night seemed to make things a lot worse. Not that Mick was surprised, given how he heard from Jewel that the Prince was downing Absinthe like a sailor since their talk… What DID surprise the Cat Demon, however, was what he heard next.
"What do you mean 'out'?" Stella's voice snarled, giving Mick a rough picture of the argument going on on the other side of the door.
"I mean out!" Stolas snapped. "Out of this palace, out of my life! We are getting. The. Divorce!"
The moment that last word rang in his ear, Mick's mouthpiece dropped from his mask in shock.
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, suddenly feeling a great surge of shock and awe flow through him all at once.
He did it… the old bird actually went through with it! He's really kicking the bitch out… oh boy, this was probably going to get ugly fast… and yet Mick couldn't help but continue to listen in.
"How DARE you!" Mick heard Stella snap back, sensing the growing tension with every syllable that followed. "What do you think the rest of the Goetia Family will think? Andrealphus will-"
"I don't CARE what your arrogant brother thinks!" Stolas countered, his voice sounding more forceful than Mick had ever heard him speak. "And the only thing the Goetia family wanted from our marriage is already 17, so it's over. I'm DONE!"
Once again, Mick found himself in shock.
"Holy. fucking. shit!"
Suddenly he felt something give way and he found himself accidentally pushing the door forward and stumbling into the room. Seems as though he got a little too into listening in on the argument, that he failed to make sure he didn't lean on the door too much. Thankfully, the two arguing Goetia Demons didn't seem to notice him entering… but someone else did.
There… trembling in the middle of her parents' bedroom while the pair stood upon the balcony, her Hellphone charger in her hand and tears in the corner of her eyes… was Octavia. Of all the Demons to silently walk in and witness this divorce in the making, no one could have felt more of an impact than she could have at that moment. What she thought would be just a simple reclaiming of her personal item, turned out to be one of the hardest moments of her life… and Mick was there to see the moment her world began to crumble.
"Octi?" the Cat Demon uttered, the Owl Demon's sorrowful eyes bearing into his very soul.
Before Mick even had a chance to say anything further, Octavia immediately ran towards him, pushing her way past until she was back in the corridor outside. However, Mick wasn't going to let her run away like this, not when there was something he could do to help,
"Octi, hold up!" he called out after her, swiftly giving chase down the corridor and grabbing Octavia's wrist just as she was about to reach the staircase.
"Let me go!" the Goetia Princess snapped, refusing to even turn her head towards her bodyguard.
Of course, said bodyguard wasn't going to give up so easily.
"Octi… look at me."
Unable to refuse Mick's request, Octavia instantly stopped struggling to break free of his grip, and looked the Cat Demon in the eye, giving him a clear view of the tears now streaming down her cheeks. Without so much as another word, Mick then pulled Octavia into a comforting embrace, one which she melted into almost immediately.
As Mick stood there with the girl he liked in his arms, the latter crying into his shoulder as the reality of the situation began to sink in, any plans he may have had of confessing his feelings to her were quickly scrapped with the intention of being postponed until another day. Right now, Octavia didn't need a suitor… she needed a friend to help her through this hard moment… and Mick wasn't going anywhere.
Meanwhile, back at the Rustler's Retreat, another member of the Hellish Nobility was also overwhelmed with emotions. However, in Clara's case, her situation appeared to be a mixture of confusion, anger, and… relief. Ever since she talked with Shelly the previous night, the horned canine took the information her employer shared in a way that nobody could have expected. Even after everyone else had gone home for the night, Clara remained behind and sat at the bar all night while trying to process all that she had learned.
As she sat there at the bar well before the opening hours, her tears almost watered down her drink as she downed yet another shot of Vodka, her need for a good cry overshadowed only by her need to drown herself in the hardest of booze.
"I… I just can't believe it," she uttered, gritting her teeth and burying her face in her palm as her tears dripped through her fingers and all over the bar. "It was you all along… you're alive."