"That bastard! That imp-fucking bastard!"
Those were the only words that rushed through Octavia's mind as she stomped into her room and slammed the door behind her. Between her father forgetting his promise and the Demon she liked seemingly shacking up with some Wrathian tart, the young Goetia's anger had reached boiling point in a matter of mere moments. Kicking over her telescope and ripping off her calendar from the wall before crumpling it up and tossing it across the room, it took every ounce of willpower she had not to start tearing up everything in her bedroom to shreds in a fit of rage.
Taking a quick glance at the door adjoining her bedroom with her attendants', her gaze quickly shifting towards her backpack on the floor, Octavia soon let out a huff and came to a decision. Her father couldn't be bothered to remember his promise? Fine! Her supposed friend wants to spend more time with some slut than with her? Whatever! She didn't need them! She could just as well see Azathoth's Tears without them! Hell, she'll probably have a better time that way!
Her mind made up, Octavia quickly snatched up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, taking one final glance at her crumpled-up calendar before she quickly made her way to the door. If she was going to see that meteor shower, then she was going to need to make a quick stop first. Without her father's magic, she was going to need an alternative method to get to Earth before tonight… and luckily for her, she knew exactly where to get one.
By the time the movers had finally loaded up the truck, mostly courtesy of his own Gardener taking a chainsaw to half the furniture they were loading, Stolas could only let out a sigh of relief as he watched them drive away. Alas, this was more than likely going to be but a small reprieve between each time those particular Imps moved between the mansion and Stella's new domicile in her brother's ice palace. On the plus side, it'll take a good couple of hours before they come back that afternoon, so the Goetia Prince seized the opportunity to relax a little until that time came.
Now dressed in his usual garb, he walked out of his personal kitchen with a mug of coffee in hand, letting out a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his eyes.
"Argh! I swear, even when she isn't here, that woman STILL finds a way to make my life miserable," he muttered, taking another gulp of coffee. "And fuck knows what this is doing to Via."
Only when Stolas said his daughter's name out loud did his eyes suddenly snap wide in realization and guilt. With how much he was ranting over the phone call earlier, he must have sounded terribly rude when his daughter tried to speak to him. Despite who he was talking to, it was no excuse to simply brush Octavia off like that. Making his way out to the main staircase in the foyer, he then looked towards the direction of his daughter's bedroom with a sigh.
"I suppose I SHOULD go and apologize," he uttered to himself. "Fuck knows I won't get another chance once these movers come back."
Just then, as though responding to his words, his daughter's attendants came from down the hall in casual wear, with Mick wearing his old hoodie and Linda wearing what appeared to be a bronze-coloured turtleneck sweater and a blood-red skirt.
"Oh!" Linda squeaked, suddenly noticing the Prince's presence and giving him a small curtsy. "Y-your Highness! Forgive us, we didn't see you there."
"Good morning, sir," Mick added with a small bow of his head.
"Ah, Linda, Michael," Stolas greeted back, happy to have a conversation with DECENT Demons for the first time since this morning. "You two are up pretty late."
"W-well, yes, we were given the day off, sir," Linda explained nervously, inwardly hoping that this wasn't a problem.
"Princess Octavia informed us about it last night," Mick elaborated. "Did… she not tell you?"
At those words, Stolas immediately began to scratch his chin in thought.
"No, I don't believe so," he answered, wondering if that was something Octavia wanted to tell him earlier. "Speaking of which, I don't suppose you've seen Via anywhere, have you? Is she in her room?"
However, the moment that question reached their ears, both Mick and Linda gave the Prince a confused glance.
"Huh?" Linda uttered, raising an eyebrow. "We… thought she was with you."
"Yeah," Mick added, feeling completely baffled. "Didn't you two have plans for today?"
Now it was Stolas's turn to be confused, however, it was for a completely different reason.
"What do you-" he began to say, only to suddenly be interrupted by a vibration in his front pocket.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
"Uh, hold that thought," the Goetia Prince quickly said before reaching into said pocket and pulling out his personal Hellphone. "Hello?"
"Hey Stolas," Blitzo's voice suddenly blurted out. "So… your daughter came by, took your book and teleported off to who the FUCK knows where! And we have no way of getting either of them back, okay!? Okay! Good talk, byeeeeee!"
The moment the phone call had ended almost as quickly as it began, Stolas simply stood there on the spot, his whole body frozen as his mind tried to register what was frantically yelled into his ear.
…
"Uh… sir?"
BOOM!
"YIPE!"
After that, it took all but two seconds for everything to suddenly go to shit. The instant Mick opened his mouth to get the Goetia Prince's attention, both he and Linda were blown back in a massive shockwave as Stolas literally exploded in a blast of dark magic and rage before he shot himself straight through the front doors of the mansion as a wisp of black and Hellish red vapour… leaving a large gaping hole where the door and a good chunk of the porch once stood.
Needless to say, such a blast of Demonic Magic drew the attention of most, if not all members of staff, especially those who were close to the foyer when it exploded. As such, a good chunk of them immediately rushed towards ground zero, finding Mick and Linda staggering back to their feet. Coughing up all the dust that was left in Stolas's wake as Buzz and Jewel helped them back up, Mick and Linda could only walk up to the hole in the wall, staring out into the horizon of Hell, wondering just what the FUCK was going on.
"Yeah…" Jewel uttered as she and the others looked over the damage. "I'm not cleaning THIS up."
When Octavia finally blinked open her eyes, to say that she was disoriented would have been an understatement. She never would have thought using a portal could be so… rough.
"Wha… Where am I?" she uttered as her vision began to clear, only to suddenly yelp in disgust as someone suddenly vomited on the ground in front of her. "Gah!"
Scooching away from the Human Hobo puking his guts out in front of her, Octavia then received an even bigger shock as she noticed the mangled corpse of another Human directly beneath her, her father's Grimoire sitting right next to it. Immediately wondering what could have happened, the Owl Demon swiftly tilted her head up to see the portal she came through suddenly close up several feet above her. Now that she thought about it, she did remember losing her footing before she blacked out. The damn portal must have opened up in the wrong place, leading her to fall on… ooooooohh. Better leave before the Human Cops show up.
Quickly grabbing the Grimoire, Octavia quickly got to her feet and ran off in a random direction. Unfortunately for her, she quickly and literally ran into something else that made her jump in fright, namely a burly-looking man in a bright blue clown costume.
"Woah!" the Goetia Princess cried out, cringing at the sight of the hideous makeup the man was sporting and the angry face it was concealing.
"Hey this is my territory, bitch!" the asshole snapped before pushing Octavia away. "Take your shitty costume and get the fuck off my corner!"
Daring not to witness the man's wrath, Octavia swiftly turned around and fearfully ran across the nearest crosswalk, causing a small number of cars to swerve and skid to a halt as she didn't wait for the traffic light. Of course, even as she made it to the next sidewalk, Octavia's troubles didn't seem to end. Between almost running into a mob of protesters, followed by dodging a man covered in gold paint, seemingly pretending to be a statue, she eventually lost her footing and fell to the ground in front of a pair of women giving her shocked expressions, almost dropping the Grimoire in the process.
Frightened out of her mind, Octavia quickly held the magical book right to her chest and then scrambled into a nearby alleyway, leaning up against the wall with her knees to her chest as she began to hyperventilate.
"What… the actual… fuck!?" she breathed out, trying desperately to calm herself down.
Of course, her words did hold quite a fair bit of validation, given the circumstances. After all, the plan was all supposed to be so simple… break into that red dickhead's office to get the Grimoire, tell it where she wanted to go and wait for the meteor shower. So how the fuck was THIS the scenario she found herself in!? Not only did this place not even come close to what she had in mind when she asked to see the stars but… wait… stars?
Turning her head around the corner of the alley, Octavia took a moment to truly look at the environment she now found herself in. Sunny streets, palm trees lining the sidewalk… large, golden stars embedded along the ground in a row, along with the faint yet noticeable stink of piss and fumes lingering in the air! Holy shit, this is Hollywood!
"Not MOVIE stars!" Octavia snapped, throwing her frustration at her father's Grimoire before slamming it to the ground. "Stupid book!"
Just perfect! The all-mighty book of magical power had no more intelligence than the lousy voice command function in a Hellphone! When she read through its pages, Octavia never would have thought she had to be specific in THAT particular detail. Seriously, how could an ancient tome get the words for constellations and actors mixed up!? Especially when it was supposed to be specifically used for the former!
Once again, Octavia found herself hugging her knees to her chest, only this time it was due to frustration and anger, rather than fear… then all of a sudden, she was snapped out of it by the feel of movement against her back.
"Huh?" she uttered, looking over her shoulder to see the fabric of her backpack shifting around. "What the!?"
Quickly taking her backpack off her shoulders and laying it out in front of her before opening the flap, the Goetia Princess suddenly gasped in shock upon seeing a familiar bushy pair of tails poking out of it.
"Snowy!?" she exclaimed, causing said Kitsune's little head to pop out of the bag at her call. "What're you doing here? Did you… did you stow away with me?"
At those words, Snowflake could only bashfully bury her face in her paws. Since she didn't have her pad with her, all she could do was communicate with her usual cute facial gestures. Still, the mere sight of the little fox could only bring a smile to the young Goetia's face.
"What are you like, huh?" she said, scooping Snowflake out of the bag and giving her a small hug, cuddling up to her as if she were her teddy bear. "Can't say I'm not happy to see you though. I could use at least one familiar face with me right now."
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Hearing the sound of her phone vibrating in her pocket, Octavia turned her attention away from Snowflake for a moment before curiously checking the caller ID. The moment she saw Mick's name on the screen, however, she immediately scowled and denied the call.
"Asshole" she uttered, shoving her phone back in her pocket, only to receive a disapproving scowl from Snowflake for her trouble. "Oh, don't give me that look, you know EXACTLY what he did. And don't try to deny it, you were down there in Wrath too."
At those words, Snowflake's gaze softened a little as she began to understand what the Owl Demon meant. She didn't know how, but it appeared as though Octi had found out about what happened between Mick and Ember, so of course, the little fox couldn't blame her for being upset. Seeing the Kitsune pup turn her head away with unease, Octavia immediately took it as a bad sign.
"I see," she uttered. "So it IS true."
In all honesty, some part of her had hoped that she was misinformed when she overheard Jewel and Jessie talking earlier that day, alas it would seem that Snowflake all but confirmed everything she heard as the truth. Knowing that, the Goetia Princess once again felt a tightening pain in her chest, one that the little fox in her arms was quick to notice.
"Hmm?" She uttered, feeling Snowflake squirm in her grasp and tilt her head towards the phone in her pocket, much to her chagrin. "No, I am NOT going to call him back."
Of course, despite knowing how the Owl Demon felt, Snowflake could only give her an annoyed glare when Octavia refused her suggestion. In fact, she was so annoyed that she jumped out of Octavia's arms and landed on the Grimoire on the ground, stomping her little paw on it as if telling the Goetia Princess what the most obvious solution was.
"Forget it!" Octavia snapped, having a strong understanding of what the Kitsune Pup was trying to tell her. "I'm not calling Mick back and I'm not going home either! Not until I see that meteor shower."
Snowflake, of course, shook her head with an exasperated sigh at those words, one which resulted in Octavia giving an annoyed glare of her own.
"Look, one way or another, I'm going to see Azathoth's Tears," she said firmly, getting back on her feet and picking up the Grimoire from under Snowflake's feet. "Now you can either come with me, or I can send you home, right now. Your choice."
Seeing that there was clearly no changing the determined young Demon's mind, Snowflake could only hang her head in defeat. Still, if she went with her, at the very least she could keep an eye on her. If something happened to Octavia, Mick probably would never forgive himself. Eventually, the little fox gave the Goetia Princess a small nod.
"Good girl," the Owl Demon said with a smile, lowering her bag and holding it open for Snowflake to quickly hop back inside. "Just stay in there, okay?"
And so Snowflake was off on yet another unintentional adventure, this time unable to do anything but stay hidden as Octavia stepped out of the alleyway and started to wander around. With any luck, the assumption that she was simply a Human girl wearing a costume would catch on. After all, how could she even begin to explain a bipedal Owl looking for a place to see the stars?
"The number you have dialled is unavailable. Tough luck, bitch!"
"Shit!" Mick snapped, almost throwing his Hellphone over the garden wall after hearing that stupid automated message for the fifth time in a row. "Come on, Octi! Pick up!"
Of course, given the circumstances, no one could really blame Mick for his moment of stress. After Stolas had literally blasted his way out of the house, the entire staff practically went into an uproar, no one having any clue as to what was going on. After calming everyone else down, however, Pringles quickly organized a cleanup effort for the debris the Goetia left behind regardless of many reluctant groans and complaints for his trouble.
As for the two attendants who were with Stolas at the time of the outburst, they may have been exempt from the work but they were no less worried and confused. Now here Mick was, standing outside by the fountain, trying to contact Octavia to no avail.
"Still no luck?" Linda asked nervously as she walked up to Mick while biting her nails.
"Nothing," Mick answered with an exasperated groan. "She must have turned her damn phone off."
"Oooooh, what is going on!?" Linda exclaimed, pulling at her hair, her entire body trembling with worry. "First Stolas gets all explodey, and now Octi's disappeared off the face of Hell!"
At those words, Mick quickly got on one knee and grabbed Linda by the shoulders.
"Okay, let's just calm down, alright?" he said firmly. "Let's just try to think this through logically. Okay, we know the Prince was looking for Octavia when we talked to him, yes? So we know that she must have been gone for a while."
"Y-yeah, I think you're right," Linda replied with a small nod, scratching the back of her head. "And then he got that phone call… it must have had something to do with Octi, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted like that. I mean, there's only so many things that Stolas actually cares enough about for that kind of reaction."
"Yeah… yeah, good point," Mick said in agreement, thinking back to the moment before Stolas trashed the place. "And the guy talking to him at the other end of it… I couldn't make out what he was saying or exactly but I definitely heard that voice before."
Now that Linda thought about it, she also remembered hearing a distinct voice coming from the phone at the time. Granted, only Stolas would have heard the exact words he was using but the voice was still loud enough to be distinctive by anyone in close proximity. Suddenly, Mick snapped his fingers in realization.
"Blitzo!" he exclaimed, the memory of when said Imp dropped Stolas off at home quickly rushing back to him.
"The guy the Prince is boinking?" Linda asked with a raised eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Oh, I'm sure," Mick answered confidently, once again bringing out his phone. "And if he's involved then I know exactly who to call. Maybe Loona can tell us what's going on."
Arf! Arf! Arf! Arf! Arf! Arf!
The instant Loona heard her unique ringtone and looked at the caller ID, she couldn't help but cringe as soon as she brought the Hellphone up to her ear.
"Uh… Mick, not a good time, dude,"
"Sorry Loona, but this is important," she heard Mick's voice say. "You see, Stolas suddenly rushed out and-"
That was the last thing Loona would hear Loona say before her phone was suddenly snatched from her head by an exceedingly stressed-out Prince Stolas.
"Hey!" she snapped, only to whimper underneath Stolas's stern gaze.
"This won't take long, my dear," he said, his tone much colder than usual as he brought the phone up his own ear. "Ah, Michael, how… fortuitous to hear your voice in this time of need."
The moment he heard the tone in Stolas's voice, Mick immediately gulped with unease.
"S-sir," he uttered. "Look, about Octavia-"
"Do you have ANY idea of where my daughter is right now!?" Stolas suddenly snapped, his eyes glowing with rage the instant the Sinner mentioned his daughter's name. "I'll tell you where! The fucking MORTAL REALM!"
"Wait, what!?" Mick blurted out, unsure if he heard correctly.
"And in Los Angeles of all places!" Stolas continued, his hand gripping Loona's phone so tightly that he almost cracked the screen. "You're supposed to keep her safe Michael! And yet shockingly, you were sleeping on the job and let her out of your sight!"
The more Stolas talked, the more Loona and the rest of IMP could swear that the Hellhound's phone seemed to be glowing red with burning heat. So much so that all of them couldn't help but take a nervous step back.
"But sir, I-" Mick tried to say, only to immediately be cut off.
"I don't care for excuses, Michael!" Stolas snarled. "Day off or not, protecting my daughter should always be your TOP priority. Some bodyguard YOU turned out to be!"
"Oof, he's really letting him have it huh?" Moxxie commented under his breath.
"Just be glad he's not directing all of that at us," Blitzo retorted, giving Moxxie's wife cause to nod.
"Poor kid," she said with a tone filled with pity. "And my folks said he was so nice."
Meanwhile, Stolas continued to rant and yell at his Sinner employee, causing everyone else in the room to cringe, especially Loona, who, knowing Mick personally, felt all the more sorry for him. And then Stolas hit the final nail in the coffin.
"Now I'm about to open a portal and I'm going out to find my daughter," he said with a low growl. "And then when I return home, I don't want to see you there. In fact; I want you out of my house as soon as your luggage is packed!"
At those words, there was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence, both in the room and on the other end of the phone call. Soon enough, however, Mick's fearful voice broke it.
"Sir, I… I don't understand," he uttered, his tone revealing that he was hoping this was all a bad dream… a delusion that Stolas was all too happy to shatter.
"Then allow me to make it simple," he said, the phone growing hotter than ever as he began screaming into it. "You. Are-
"-FIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRREEEEEEEEEEED!"
"GAH!"
SPLASH!
That was the last thing Mick heard before his phone literally burst into flames in his hand. Screaming in fright, he instinctively tossed the now charred remains into the fountain, allowing him and Linda to watch the ashes fade away into the water.
…
"Wow… sucks to be you, huh?"
BAM!
Needless to say, Buzz's sudden appearance and comment earned him a hard punch in the teeth, followed by a dip into the fountain, courtesy of a newly frustrated Sinner and his fellow attendant.
"Okay," Buzz spoke up dizzily from what was sure to be a newfound concussion. "I deserved that one… urk!"
And so, Buzz spent the next hour or so completely passed out over the side of the fountain. As for Mick and Linda, the pair of them were left in a state of utter disbelief, the former more so than the latter. The moment Stolas shouted those three words in his ear, something in Mick's mind felt like he was being stabbed right through his skull. Fired? He… was… FIRED!? The best job he had ever had and it was gone just like that!? Unbelievable!
And yet… he also couldn't help but feel as though Stolas was justified in his decision. Because he was right… the one thing that he was supposed to do and he blew it! Now the girl that he loved was lost and alone somewhere in the Living World without anyone to protect her… no… NO! He had to make this right!
"Mick?" Linda nervously uttered, not liking the hard glare in the Sinner's eyes.
Alas, the Imp's words only fell upon deaf ears. Before now, Mick was employed by one of the more powerful Demons of Hell, giving him very few but notable restrictions when it came to protecting his charge. True, he had diplomatic immunity if he ever hurt an upper-class demon by accident, and there were certain things that he wasn't allowed to do due to being a Sinner, but now… now the animal had just been torn away from its leash and there was nothing in any Ring of Hell that was going to stop him from doing what he needed to do. He just didn't give a shit anymore. So screw the rules… Now was the time for action!
"You can't just run off without a word, Mick!"
That was but the latest of the many frantic outbursts Linda aimed in his direction as Mick walked out of their shared living quarters and into Octavia's room with a small rucksack on his back. Not that he could blame her, of course, given that he basically ran back into the house and started packing mere moments after the phone call without saying anything. Given how he looked, naturally, Linda must have assumed he was packing to leave the house.
"I'm not running off, Liddy," he said firmly, giving Linda a reassuring glance before looking under Octavia's bed. "I'm just doing my job."
"B-but weren't you just fired?" Linda asked, confused, earning her a small eye roll for her trouble.
"Gee, thanks for the reminder," Mick replied sarcastically, causing a bashful blush to form on the little Imp's face.
Unable to take her eyes off her fello- FORMER coworker, Linda couldn't help but wonder what Mick was looking for as he looked under every piece of furniture in the room, getting her answer only after he let out a frustrated sigh.
"Damn it!" the Sinner exclaimed. "Looks like Snowflake's gone too."
Now that he mentioned it, Linda recalled that she hadn't seen the little fox since the late hours of the previous evening. With that in mind, she turned her focus to a certain area of the room, gasping in intrigue the moment she spotted a particular item and picked it up.
"Hey, look at this!" she called out, grabbing Mick's attention before handing said item over to him. "Found it in Snowflake's bed."
Recognising his precious pet's digital pad almost immediately, Mick was quick to turn it on the moment it was within his grasp. Lo and behold, the little fox had left five clear words typed out for someone to find.
OCtI goNe AwoL!
GoNNa FoLLOw!
The instant he finished reading, Mick let out a frustrated groan.
"Shiiiiiiiiit," he uttered, slapping his palm to his eyes. "She must have hitched a ride in Octi's bag."
"How can you be sure of that?" Linda asked quizzically with a raised eyebrow.
"Because she pulled the same stunt when Mrs. Deagle made a surprise inspection of my apartment last year," Mick explained, recollecting the events that occurred before he even met Octavia. "Apparently, she overheard the old bitch while she was on the phone the previous night and snuck into my bag just before I left for work. I didn't even realize what was going on until I came home later that day."
Hearing that, Linda couldn't help but feel a little impressed, as evident by her smirk.
"Smart girl," she commented, only to receive another groan for her trouble.
"Fat lot of good it does me though," Mick pointed out with a sarcastic aggravation. "So much for relying on her tracking skills. Guess I'm gonna have to do this the hard way."
Taking a moment to process what had just come out of Mick's mouth, Linda stood there with her mouth agape as she finally began piecing together what it was Mick was planning. If this was really the route he was taking, then he was going to break the biggest rule of Hell a Sinner could commit.
"M-Mick," the flabbergasted Imp stuttered. "A-are you…?"
"Don't wait up."
Sweet Lucifer! He's really going to do it! Despite knowing the consequences if anyone else finds out, despite… EVERYTHING, he was still willing to go after her! Linda might have heard of some ludicrous things since she came to work for Octavia and her family, but this takes the cake, icing and all! And yet… and yet she couldn't help but feel in awe over how much Mick cared regardless. In fact, it touched her heart to see such devotion to… a friend.
Soon enough, that feeling of awe began to fade away before a churning of guilt began to twist in Linda's stomach. What if… what if something DID happen to Octavia while she was in the Human World? With that in mind, the young Imp began to feel more horrible by the second. After barely acknowledging Octavia's pleas for forgiveness over the last month, how else COULD she feel?
After all, it's not like Octavia was the one who initiated that bet back at the Triton Resort, and she only went along with it because she feared something worse would happen. If it weren't for that prick, Seth, or that bitch, Googoo, she could have been smiling and laughing with her friend this whole time just like what had been before. Shit… even when they're not living under the same roof, Seth STILL finds a way to ruin her life.
Soon enough, Linda was snapped back into reality by the sound of Mick heading towards the door. At that moment, she made what she felt was one of the most important decisions of her young life. Now wasn't the time to be confused, angry or scared… Now was the time to be a good friend.
"I'm coming with you, Mick!" she blurted out, immediately causing the Sinner to halt in his tracks and look back at her in shock.
Taking a moment to register what he heard his fellow attendant say, Mick let out a sigh and gave her a shake of his head.
"You can't ask that of me, Liddy," he said bluntly. "If we get caught-"
However, Mick wouldn't get the chance to finish his sentence when all of a sudden, Linda grabbed the front of his hoodie and pulled him down to her eye level.
"I'm NOT asking."
Hearing the strong tone in Linda's voice and seeing the fierce look in her eyes, Mick knew immediately that she was being both serious and determined, the latter being a very rare occurrence for her. In all the time he had known her, Mick had hardly ever seen Linda act this way, the only other time being when she beat up Seth with a tyre iron. Seeing that there was no changing her mind, Mick had no choice but to comply. In all honesty, he was even glad to have a friend alongside him in this time of need anyway.
"Right," he eventually stated with a nod and a smile beneath his mask. "Let's go then."
Smiling with relief, it took all but a minute for Linda to grab her own little backpack and follow Mick as he headed out into the hall before making for the nearest exit.
"So what's the plan?" the little Imp asked eagerly, giving Mick cause to smirk. "How're we going after her?"
"Don't worry, I got that covered," Mick stated reassuringly. "If we're going to make this trip, then we're going to need our travel tickets."
SMASH!
"You want to do WHAT!?"
In all honesty, Mick and Linda had expected such a reaction when they both came stomping into the Peppermint Puss before opening hours and confronted the two Succubi sisters with their ludicrous request. That being said, Mick didn't currently have the patience for dumb questions.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" he asked as Dominique began to scoop up the broken pieces of the shot glass she dropped."Fine, then I'll say it again. Octavia has gone topside and we need to borrow your Asmodean Crystals so we can find her."
Needless to say, the instant they heard such a thing come out of Mick's mouth, Dominique and Desiree were left in a state of shock. In fact, they were so horrified that they could only thank their lucky stars that none of the other employees had come in yet and that Shank himself was currently sleeping off a hangover. By the time Desiree managed to find her voice again, all that could come out was an outburst of protest.
"We can't just give you our Crystals!" she exclaimed, slamming her hand against the bar. "Do you have any idea how much shit we'd be in if anyone finds out that we gave them to you!?"
Of course, Mick wasn't taking no for an answer.
"If it helps, you can just say that I stole them," he said bluntly, not really trying to calm anyone's nerves. "Look, I wouldn't ask if we weren't desperate. You two are the only Demons I know that have licensed Crystals from the Lust Ring. And there's literally no other way we can get back to the Living World without raising suspicion."
"But we… ugh… for fuck sake, Mick!" Dominique groaned, unable to come up with any sort of argument against such logic.
Seeing that he was clearly winning the two sisters over, Mick couldn't help but feel a little more at ease. He just needs one final push to seal the seal.
"Please, girls, I'm begging you, here," subtly directing his words in Desiree's direction. "What if it was Johnny up there? Alone and afraid. Wouldn't you do the same thing if you were in our shoes?"
"Don't drag my boyfriend into this!" Desiree snapped before letting out a defeated sigh. "Then again, I can't exactly deny that either… ugh, I am SO gonna regret this."
"Des?" Dominique uttered anxiously, fearing that she knew exactly where this was going.
"We need to do it, sis," Desiree stated firmly. "Otherwise, this guy's gonna do something crazy… again."
Despite the offended look the Cat Demon gave her sister, Dominique couldn't really deny it. She had known Mick far too long to believe otherwise. What's more, the desperate look in his eyes was starting to eat away at her from the inside. Eventually, the scantily clad Succubus let out a defeated groan.
"Aww! Damn my soft heart!" she exclaimed, bringing a small smile to Linda's lips
"So you'll do it?" she asked hopefully.
With the pleading gazes of both Mick and Linda combined, any mental defences the Succubi Sisters might have had immediately crumbled. There was just no argument against an Imp as cute as Linda was. Nodding to each other in agreement, the two sisters reached for the chokers around their respective necks, with Desiree removing the bell from hers and Dominique doing the same to one of the spiky studs. Presenting both to Mick and Linda respectively, they revealed the very Crystals they needed subtly hidden within them, with Desiree's in particular acting as the inner chime to the bell.
"Alright," Dominique stated firmly. "Since you're so insistent about this, let us show you how these work before you go anywhere."
One brief explanation and demonstration later, Mick and Linda stowed their Crystals away in their pockets, the pair of them now ready to get going.
"Alright, if anyone asks, you snatched the Crystals while we were both in the shower," Desiree spoke up, hoping to add one final bit of wisdom before the two disappeared from the pits of Hell.
"And, whatever you do, DON'T take those Human disguises off in front of anyone!" Dominique added, her aggressive tone making her words sound more like a threat than helpful advice. "Unregistered Hellborns are one thing, but I do NOT want to find out what will happen if a SINNER is caught among the living!"
Sensing the serious tone in her voice, neither Mick nor Linda found any reason to brush off the Succubus's words as though they were irrelevant. After all, they both knew the risks involved in this venture. No sense in pretending otherwise.
"Understood," Linda replied with a grateful nod.
"Thanks, girls," Mick added. "We owe you one."
At those words, the two Succubi could only roll their eyes.
"You owe us TWELVE," Dominique pointed out before letting out a small sigh. "Still, good luck, you two."
"Be sure to get your girl back safely, Micky," Desiree added, causing the Sinner's very mask to turn red.
"She's not my-" he tried to say, only to let out a defeated sigh as the two Succubi gave him a tired and annoyed look. "Never mind."
With that final word, Mick and Linda turned away from the former's former coworkers, the pair of them gulping in anxiety as Mick pulled out Desiree's bell.
"It's not too late to change your mind, Liddy," Mick pointed out, hoping to get one final chance to keep his friend out of trouble by going on this venture alone.
Alas, Linda only shook her head at that.
"This is my decision, Mick," she said firmly, refusing to budge even an inch on this scenario. "Please respect that… Besides, I feel like this is partially my fault… I… I shouldn't have been so distant with her, maybe she could have confided in me about what was wrong."
Seeing the tears threatening to pour down Linda's cheeks, any reluctance Mick had all but disappeared. If this was how the little Imp truly felt. Then he had absolutely no right to argue against her decision.
"Okay," he finally relented, holding out Desiree's bell in front of him and giving it a small shake. "In that case, let's go. Next stop: L.A."
DING!
With that small chime, a vibrant pink light shot from the bell, causing a crystalline ripple to form in front of the two young Demons, creating a shimmering, diamond-shaped portal to appear out of thin air, with a violet coloured aura surrounding it like gemstones. Seeing the faint image of the world on the other side, Linda instinctively took hold of Mick's hand like a frightened child, the latter graciously accepting it in kind due to feeling just as anxious.
Taking one final cleansing breath, the two of them closed their eyes, took one quick step in front of the other and jumped through the shimmering vortex hand in hand before it finally closed up behind them. Seeing the two young Demons disappear from the nearby bar, all Dominique and Desiree could do now was hope for the best… all the while getting completely pissed to numb their respective migraines.
"Be honest, sis," Desiree uttered as Dominique began pouring them both a large glass of vodka apiece. "How fucked are they?"
"Honestly?" Dominique replied before downing her entire glass in one gulp. "They're both gonna need a fucking miracle."