Ouroboros

by Uros Osium

What would fit a tale of a new beginning? Why, a recent end. For a whole bloodline on Earth, it was the end of it all. For the remains of a botched murderous spell, it is the beginning of a life among the damned. From blood anointed by the holy servants of God, to one tainted by the Fell spell destined to consume their living essence. (M Rating just in case)

16. Anima Magica - Chapter IV

Year I - Act II - Anima Magica - Chapter IV

Hey everyone! First off: Sorry for those in Ao3 because, apparently, chapter 3 in this Act got double posted or some shit. I don't know what happened, I didn't notice. Yet somehow I edited it to be named Chapter IV? I don't know. My brain is stupid. ANYWAY! Let's do a Mammon here and instead place this little morsel of bull-*cough* story in front of you so you can forgive me! Hopefully. Maybe. Perhaps…

…

Anyway! CLOW-*Cough again. Fek* Enjoy! Here we have some quick plotting, a bit of feelings and drama, and general bullshit. Real crap is still a ways off (like, perhaps 2 Acts), but just remember that shit is always within throwing distance.

Also: Bonus prons (light pron, by my standards) in the bonus after this one. Enjoy!

*** And now, onto the scheduled chapter ***

Many things are possible in a situation such as the one the family was in, more so after the various happenings mere minutes ago. A few among them were expecting someone to finally do something stupid, with many (mostly Gonzalo, voting for either Akiko, Ernesto, his own sister Rosa, or perhaps even Carlos. None of that happened of course, nor any other doomsayings that Gonzalo opted to comment on because it was clear no one, and this included him, had remained unscathed after seeing Carlos nearly immolate himself.

It didn't really help to have Evelinde holding him with an iron-like grip. It felt as if the demoness knew something foul was going to happen to him at any moment and the family could do nothing about it because the Cambion remained tightlipped behind her mask. Not until food arrived did she take it off, and even then her face remained stoic, a confusing change for everyone that had known her for just a mere month.

It was far less confusing, or perhaps frightening in this case, than the seating arrangements.

Of course, courtesy of Gonzalo.

Gentle had been the start, weird as it may sound, because Stella, while clearly displeased, had received them all in the dining room. Or perhaps it would be better to call it a dining hall? The place was massive, with purple cushioned and expertly crafted seats flanking a long, rectangular table that Stella CLEARLY disliked to touch the moment she grumbled how it had to be enlarged with Stolas' magic to fit mortals. Everyone made sure to ignore the woman as they marveled at the room itself, likely making Stella's mood sour even more.

Stained glass, hanging lamps with crystals that were likely real fucking diamonds instead of glass (thus the 'crystal' monicker may lose some of its value there), dancing, enchanted fire illuminating everything as much as modern lights did… It was truly wondrous in a way, more so knowing a lot of this had been shaped with some magical help. Stolas had given the group a small rundown of the place as to relax the mood left after magic practice. Knowing what they did now, and how intrinsic and well hidden the magic had been made to be, the sense of awe the room inspired did grow for most of those present.

All that was partially lost when Stolas deposited his daughter in the front chair, next to Stella, with him sitting in front of his wife. The subtlest of ways to tell her to 'Go fuck yourself', and something aparently so common now that Stella didn't seem to mind, or even notice.

That left everyone else to pick their seats.

So, let's mince no words here. The nuclear bomb that was their possible interaction was assured the moment Gonzalo gingerly took a seat next to Stella.

Everyone could go fuck themselves, he clearly wanted to start shit.

Barring an arched eyebrow from the bird woman, clearly denoting either amusement or disgust, the rest began seating shortly after. Rosa was one of the notable ones, taking the seat completely opposite to Octavia on the other end of the table, while Carlos and Evelinde sat next to Stolas, Enrique taking a seat next to Gonzalo in case he forgot to filter shit. Everyone else did whatever, unsure if there was any protocol or need, with only Marcela sitting next to Evelinde, and close to her brother, as if it was ordained. Obviously because she wanted her brother close AND because she and Octavia waved at each other with a smile as the young owlet had been given the teen's phone so she could listen to her music. This clearly was not well received by one singular individual, but the music and good mood helped the little Goetia pass the time as everyone ignored Stella's curious look.

The peace lasted just long enough for a few imp servants to come over and comment on today's lunch. Said peace was almost shattered with someone, the voice a bit too meek to be really noticed, asked what some of the dishes were.

How Stella managed to contain whatever she was going to say, no one knows. The servant, however, was clearly offended that someone lacking the proper culture and etiquette was to sample food she had helped to make, but a sharp glare from Stolas told her that her usual gentle boss did expect THESE guests to be treated nicely.

Perhaps Stella's mellow approach was due to hunger. It was clear to the humans, most of whom had either worked far too early, had lived in hard conditions, or didn't have the best childhood for one reason or another, that Stella was bothered by the slightest thing going out of place. How clear was it? Because things getting back in place, something as simple as food finally being delivered, made her go from extremely sour and clearly about to say something scathing to the first target of opportunity, to somewhat congenial if disinterested. Clearly the best mood she could show to 'insignificant' strangers, mortals, or the lower class.

In fact she was in such a good mood that she considered talking to them!

The pleasure was as dubious as you may imagine, and her questions quickly devolved in her making derisive comments. This, as luck would have it, surprised no one to the point that they ignored her remarks.

"And what is so bad about just wanting that?"

Except for Gonzalo, of course. Though at this point no one was going to call him on it.

"Just money?" Stella scoffed to her side, wine glass on hand. She had enough control not to drink TOO much, today, but it still warmed her enough to spew whatever came to mind. "Please. What could YOU do with JUST money? That won't take you far in Hell."

It wasn't every day that Gonzalo deadpanned at someone. Stella was just that special. "And having Lucifer covering our asses doesn't mean anything?"

"Please." Stella nearly spat her latest drink as she chuckled at the mere idea. "Do you know how many people screw with Lucifer's plans? Granted, not many LIVE to muck them up, but there are enough idiots in Hell for some of them to do you in if you are stupid." She took another small sip of her wine as she mulled how to put it in a way that wouldn't have her hurling curses everywhere. "Look, real talk here. I could trade barbs all day with you, I am sure, but the point is simple: Your cousin here." She gestured towards Carlos, having the decency not to point. "Will be considered a noble. He'll have any and all positives associated with Lucifer and whoever else backs you lot. The rest of you? Table scraps. No one is going to mess with you, to a point, so long as the aforementioned idiots don't rear their ugly heads. But beyond that? Don't expect you to have money equaling you having power anytime soon."

Gonzalo seemed to be losing his more playful and banter fueled character in favor of getting officially pissed. "I am more than willing to work on getting that power for myself and my family, Stella." He even dared inch closer to the woman, a glare on his face. "How about you?"

There had been a bit of a conversation going on in the background as the two sparred, long before she asked what Gonzalo's own hopes in Hell were. Clearly the answer of 'money' had been far too base. Just as base as all but telling the peahen that the only thing she did to get power was what many in the old times would've told a woman of noble birth: Open her legs and pop out an heir.

Clearly Stella's shining red eyes hid nothing of her anger, much to Gonzalo's enjoyment and everyone else's worry.

"Are you really going to do this?" Carlos didn't really want to save the situation, it just more or less happened as he glared at his cousin. "I know you have to be the big fucking black knight, charging at everything that pisses you off. But really, here too?"

"She was asking questions." Gonzalo relaxed in his seat, going back to his food now that Stella seemed to have opted to ignore him.

"I have a reason to ask." But she wasn't done. "For better OR worse." And it was clear she considered the latter to be the case. "Your family will be part of the nobility of Hell, if not exactly in an official manner."

Gonzalo didn't miss a beat. "So what? You are doing this out of the goodness in your heart so we don't embarrass you nobles?"

"Partly. We have far too much of that already." And while she didn't do so, everyone thought she would glare directly at Stolas, even the Prince did little more than scowl her way. Her wine done, she made sure to paint her point all over their fucking faces, because that is how dense she took them for. "What you need is a damn desire. A hunger and lust for all you deserve. A GOAL!" Stella slammed her fist down. Luckily Octavia was engrossed enough in the music, eyes closed, that she ignored her mother's outburst. "You need to squish anything that faces you like the bug they are, or at least make for a decent show as you die."

"Stella…"

"Shut up, Stolas." The hen couldn't scowl more if she tried. "YOU! May slack off all you want in this regard. But I will not have my contacts and favors dry up so this lot can die off tomorrow." Clearly, she wasn't drunk. But she had warmed up enough to let it spill nonetheless. "Anything Lucifer offers us will dry up if they aren't around. So if *I* want our luck to stay strong, I will do my part AND tell them what they need to hear so they wake up and survive."

"Not like we didn't know already." Carlos felt even his own patience stretch. It was as if the woman thought she knew better in the span of just a few hours. "We have Heaven to worry about, not to speak of the woman that put us all here."

"I don't care about that." Stella seemed to really get into it now. "That is not your end goal here. That is not your DREAM. That is just something you need to do to survive." The woman chuckled. "And I don't know if you noticed, but survival is the most basic need in Hell, more so than breathing."

Many faces and expressions marked the group as Stella spoke. She was being a bit of a cunt, but not overly so. Selfish in her objective? Yes, but it did help them too, so the family could, at best, scowl as she spoke.

"You want our dreams." It was Evelinde the one to speak after having said nothing since her they left the magic room. "You want to know just how much our hides are worth."

There was very little of Evelinde's usual refinement, candor or respect in that voice. She had been blunt, brutal and far bloodier than she could be with her claws. The idea of offending a Goetia weighed far less in her mind than the things she now 'knew' and 'saw', for a lack of a better definition and no other words to explain it.

"Well. Look at that. You DO have a bite."

Stella was irate on the inside, that was true. But a part of her relished in what she saw and heard. The bite on the woman meant she'd at least TRY to keep Stella in Lucifer's good graces because the damn mixed blood clearly wanted to live.

"I would hardly care what any of you do." Stella offered as much sincerity as she was willing to give. "But seeing none of you died after my husband tried to 'help' you." An indignant hoot came from the Prince's seat as he tried to ignore his wife's newest barb. "I'd like to milk this for all it is worth. So spill it: How sure can I be that Lucifer won't go from showering us with gifts to leaving us on the streets?"

Carlos frowned at the question. More doubt and an inquisitive bitch was not what he needed after Evelinde got herself all worked up. He wasn't in the mood to answer shit, much less from this particular woman, without a good reason.

Evelinde was far more pliable.

"I want to start a family." Emotion seemed to return to her voice as she spoke those words. A smile once more creeping into her expression, worming its way past her apparent apprehension and sadness. "I care not how. I want a man who'll love me, care for me, stay with me… I do not mind sharing anymore. In the past? I would've killed the others and claimed the man for myself. Now? I have had far too many partners try to end me." The Cambion took a deep breath. "I want more than I have now. And having more women join in? That will mean a bigger family. I am content with that."

Stella could only humm. She thought it was bullshit, but she said nothing. Instead she asked the question. "And are you truly happy with that?" Because it would determine what she'd say later.

"No." Evelinde turned her head enough to look at her side, grabbing Carlos' idle hand with hers. "I'll be happy when this is done and our family grows." She then faced the Goetia again, murder in her eyes. "And I'll gut whoever gets in my way. Simple as. I'd even disobey Lady Rosie. I'd face Lord Lucifer if needed."

Well now. That impressed Stella, marginally. One thing was to talk, another was to act. In a way it also had an effect on Stolas, wondering how his own marriage had gone so far away from such a sentiment when they had years to try and the Cambion herself had barely a month with someone so different to those she had known until then. Both of them were so different and yet neither seemed eager to get away from the other.

A look at Stella as her eyes only saw what could come of this and help HER personal situation told Stolas that what Carlos had found was indeed nowhere in his own 'romantic' partner.

"I know you will think of me as a stupid, hopeless little girl." Evelinde wasn't done as she squeezed Carlos' hand. "But it has been a delight to spend a month without my partner looking at me like food. Without having to watch my back. Without thinking I'd be betrayed, used, or dumped in a way I could not get my hands on the traitorous man." The woman chuckled with a dangerous edge marking her smile. "Not that it ever helped them." And while Carlos was clearly uncomfortable with that revelation, the moment Evelinde looked at him all sense of danger or anger evaporated. "If this month is what I could expect for the rest of my life, then I'd die to keep it that way."

Gruesome and lethal as it would be, for none of the mortals present thought it would end otherwise, the scene was quite touching. As far as romances in Hell go, this was the closest it could be to normal and, to be perfectly honest, no one thought they'd see anyone less bloodthirsty if they found another devoted pair, demonic or otherwise.

But Evelinde was right. Stella found her stupid, to say the least.

"Fine, congratulations. You found someone that doesn't want to screw you over." The bird woman sneered as she served herself some more wine. The impulse to indulge was not yet wining, but holy fuck did that spiel make her waver. "At least you do seem to have something that'd make you claw the eyes out of any noble that will try to dick with your soon to be sugar daddy over there." Stella took a sip as she carelessly waved towards Carlos. Properly 'hydrated', the woman wasted no time in glaring at the man. "I expect YOU to be no less than your little halfbreed."

"I don't think it needs to be said, Lady Stella." Although Carlos' mention of Stella as a 'Lady' did convey he would do more than mention it if given the chance. "But I aim to grant Rosie the chance of cooking someone alive. A little bit of satisfaction, if you will." The simple notion of this made most of his family gag inwardly, but the collective desire for revenge made it so no one showed it. "I will do whatever unspeakable evils I need to keep my family safe, present or future. I am more than willing to drag whatever angels come for us for Rosie to prepare a feast of. And, if I survive that long, I plan on making the most out of everything Hell has to offer me to ensure my family can only grow."

The young man relaxed against his seat. "I all but owe my soul to both Rosie and Lucifer, and I don't care what they do with it." There was an air of finality, fatality even, within his words. "Whatever they want, I'll do. But I will use every resource they offer me to bend that witch enough to fit in an oven someday. I care not if it is hellborn or Sinner, I will do the same. I have no problem splitting Hell in two if necessary, and if I can, to keep everyone I care for as safe as I can." This prompted a heated glare towards the bird woman. "I don't care how you want to benefit from this, Lady Stella. Just remember: I am willingly going to war against Heaven and a three hundred years old crone with powers stolen from Hell. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE, that tries to hurt my family, at any point, will be made into a meal for my Lady." At last Carlos took a sip from his drink. He wanted his voice clear when he delivered the more than clear warning. "Just to make sure no one thinks of taking a shot when our back is turned."

Unsaid was the fact that Carlos thought certain people would benefit greatly if 'someone' were to take a stab at his family, namely Stolas, perhaps even Octavia. Then again this likely had to do more with Carlos' current anger at the woman from present and past comments as well as the happenings during the magic practice than Stella's actions, at least by Hell's standards anyway. Either way, Carlos didn't foresee a change in his own (or his family's, considering the way they looked at the woman) tune when it came to the woman unless Stella changed her behavior OR he saw her treating her daughter right.

Regardless, the barely veiled threat, however unlikely it was to come to fruition, at least at this juncture, seemed to satisfy the woman. She expected nothing of her husband of course, in fact she had a small speck of respect for him when he smiled the moment the mortal mentioned offhandedly that he'd do his best to kill her if she ever tried something. At least it showed Stella that her husband had SOME ability to be a demon fitting of royal titles and blood.

Now, if he could just fucking hide his ineptitude, then perhaps that particular day would make for a passable and enjoyable moment.

Maybe.

"At least that is something. Bold words that won't get you nowhere, but at least you believe you could do that. And the fact that you believe that, that you'd even TRY if you felt it necessary, makes me think there is hope for your lot to live long enough." Stella chuckled as she took another drink. "Which in turn means more for this household. So don't disappoint me, boy, like so many do."

Everyone felt like something else was about to be said. Perhaps one of the humans would make a comment. Maybe Stolas would verbally spar with his wife, perhaps Evelinde would say more, or Octavia would finally take the headphones off and make an interruption.

Instead it was a servant that came running, diligently, servile and with as much poise as possible, with a ringing phone. An old rotary phone, gaudy as all get together with pink finish, fluffy earpieces, a pink ruby carved into a heart and many other details no one cared for, considering not a single human in the room could look at the thing and not want to smash it. Still, the ringing stopped all further developments at the table as the she imp announced the destinatary and everyone saw Stella tense.

"Lady Stella." The imp woman spoke with as much restrained fear as she could manage to hide. "Lord Angus calls. Says it is urgent."

Stella was about to do more than to yell at the small woman, only to arch her eyebrow in confusion. Why would Angus call her just hours after their last talk? Had something gone wrong this fast?

"Did he say why?" Stella looked at the phone as if it was a poisonous snake.

The imp managed to not shake in fear as she shook her head 'no'. "Just that there had been a surprising development and you'd understand. Although he did mention it was 'good', although to himself, probably expecting I did not hear him, my Lady."

Well! The service had good hearing to ensure the gossip mill never stopped. It was a common thing that not even Stella could fault. And on this occasion it even helped her! There was no way Angus mentioned it being 'good', even to himself', if his machinations and whatever else he had done had borne no fruit.

Stella grabbed the phone without a second thought, only playing the part that was expected of her, but with no fear of failure behind her words. "A bit early to call me after our last chat, Angus."

"Oh, my dear Stella. Such a biting tone even after I called you through your favorite phone. Why, it makes me wonder if you don't want these good news I bring."

The voice of Angus was saccharine, which meant he was in no good mood whatsoever. There was no cruelty or hidden viciousness, things that came off easily moments after blackmail, pain, or fear had been inflicted.

Which meant something had gone off without a hitch. In turn it also meant Stella was not going to like said 'good' news.

"I am listening." Stella spoke with a smidge of caution in her tone.

"Don't worry Stella." Angus sounded largely bored now however, so it had to be a true cakewalk on his end. "Things were fine, although they complained a lot, that is for sure."

Stella sneered. "Of course they were going to. This is not exactly 'ideal' for them, Angus. I am just surprised you didn't have to get the hot irons."

"Shame I didn't." Angus lamented with clear longing in his words. "It has been some time since I could go wild on our fellow nobles. I can barely entertain my hobbies anymore."

"You need OTHER hobbies, Angus." Stella drawled. Even she had limits when it came to this kind of thing. Angus? Yeah, she'd prefer a sex dungeon instead of a literal dungeon, the old kind; top of the tower prison, plus torture chambers in this case. "Anyway, get to the point: How did it go?"

"Simple enough. They accepted." The female Goetia could picture Angus shrugging in his seat, bored already. "Oh they complained and gave excuses to take their time, that is for sure. But they also knew I was not playing around when I told them that time is essential. The only bit of fun I had." Angus let out a sigh as he thought about the things he could've done. Such a shame indeed, not that Stella wanted to know what exactly he had planned. "The only problem is the large number of males in their roster."

Stella rummaged through her memory until she found something. "Yes… Reversed sexual characteristics." The woman brought a hand to her chin as she pondered. "I remember the gossip. Their house got separated the moment they began showing that particular problem."

"Well, I wouldn't call it a problem. It hardly amuses me and it is just aesthetic changes to the norm." Angus was heard taking a drink of some kind. If Stella had to guess, the man was drowning his boredom in some hard liquor. "Female plumage for the males and the inverse for the females? Makes their women more beautiful and their men far more plain." A souffle could be heard, Angus shrugged again on the other side of the phone. "So many other reasons to disdain them, so many ways to hurt them. Instead, they were just given their own piece of the pie. Pettier reasons than humans tend to use, and just as boring."

For once Stella would agree. There were far too many ways to mention when it came to screwing up a lineage to get rid of competition. Just sneering at them at a distance because their colors had been messed up was as petty as humans could go. Stella would throw barbs there, and disdain many other nobles on principle alone, but even she knew just how boring and tiresome it would get, as well as how fast she'd reach that point. That was why she had to dig into her memories to remember that particular noble house; they were just a boring topic.

"In any case, I was given a name and a date." Angus grunted as he reclined himself into a comfortable position. The Goetic demon had resigned himself to a boring day, so he'd be more than willing to be a lazy sack. "Destina Featherfire. Only female among one of the youngest branches of the clan, as well as the only one that volunteered. I guess that I would've had more fun if she too resisted, but it seems she was willing to sacrifice her own freedom to keep her family safe."

"How noble of her." Stella barely had the strength to spit out the words in contempt. The only respect she could garner was given to that idiotic woman. At least she knew her value, if she was that soft. "How long, then?"

"Two weeks, give or take a day, but the woman's parents assured me it should be on the dot." Angus answered quickly. "The family is clearly in an uproar, more so considering that TECHNICALLY, they still far outrank the human. It should be HE the one to join their family, if this was to ever happen in other circumstances. Still, considering their situation, they assured me that two weeks would be more than enough to ensure cooler heads shall prevail."

"More than enough time to make things work." Stella was about to say her goodbyes as is, but an idea came to mind. "Now, hold on. Those other news will have to wait. I shall share what you told me about her first. How does that sound?"

Angus seemed confused for a second. "Other new-oh. You are going to bullshit them right now?" The nobleman could only chuckle. "Okay, I'll give you a hand. In fact I remember something your brother told us a few months ago should fit well enough. Do tell the mortal about his future wife, though."

Stella was more than willing to do that. In fact she did bask in the attention she got. Even Octavia had stopped listening to what Stella considered infernal (worse: mortal) music to finish her food, and now was looking up at her.

"Seems like your luck will be swift, then, young man." Stella's eyes bore into Carlos as she held a hand to the speaker. "Destina Featherfire, of the Featherfire House of the Goetic demons, has been swift to answer the call I put forward."

Stolas looked at his wife askew. "Aren't the Featherfire a condemned House among the nobles?"

"And the best we could hope to get." Stella nodded quickly and with no little mirth as she saw some of the faces around her sift with negative emotion. "Disgraced Goetia would take a bit more to convince, and time is not exactly on the young man's side."

Carlos grimaced. "Well, she is not wrong there." Then felt Evelinde squeeze his hand. A quick look to the side confirmed the Cambion clearly did not like that particular reminder. This was something he did need to talk with her post haste when they had the time. "But tell me; what could make a noble house have this kind of… problem?"

"Oh, many things." Stolas waved his hand as if it was nothing and, in truth, it was. "Many serious mistakes could land you in Lucifer's bad side, or have his ire directed your way. But more often than not it is another noble house's ploys that will make things go awry."

"Going against Lucifer's laws, or the mere mention of it, may land you in hot water as it were." Stella informed the mortals more than anyone else. "I know not the details, but some of a far more prestigious House or Clan made sure to inform Lord Lucifer of the Featherfire's intentions. Little else has been said about it, but considering Lucifer acquiesced to the, eh, 'recommendations' of that noble, at least until he began to act all uppity about how long until punishment was served…"

"I see…" Carlos gave Evelinde's hand a squeeze of his own as the demoness seemed to relax. "Well, if that is all there is to it, it doesn't seem that bad."

"Sure…" Stella grimaced. Of course the young man wouldn't get it. A simple rumor or action could fuck you over, and by extention they could screw those connected to you. That was something Stella would not abide by, but there was little she could do NOW. "But apparently there was something else, so let me get back to it and we'll talk further after." Taking her hand away from the speaker, Stella prepared for a bit of theatrics. "So Angus, what else did you have for me?"

"That took a bit more than I thought it would." Angus hummed through the phone. "But don't worry, it did help me out. A bit of time was all I needed to recall that meeting with your brother. Remember the one where he mentioned that saboteur?"

Stella made a pause. "Yes, yes… but who would try that on a Goetia?"

Angus, knowing where this was going, kept it rolling. "I don't know the demon myself, never checked to see if your brother just wanted to pull a fast one on us. Most likely he lied about his appearance, as this particular devil never shows his face. However, I do know the moniker he goes by was the one your brother shared, stupid as it may sound when you read the details. Call it curiosity considering what your brother told us, but someone that can blackmail nine different nobles for Andrealpus, and has a list a mile long when it comes to other acts of physical and mental pain inflicted on his target, sounds like a figure to follow to me. Between that, sabotage and more, he is quite the inspiration." Angus chuckled as he considered the possibilities.

There would be time for that later though, as he was still 'informing' Stella. "I will send you the details of what I found out later and you'll decide what to do with it. Now, if you do choose, just remember that the bastard is a professional, and he doesn't lack customers: He will do the job and never be seen again UNLESS you decide to infuriate him. He has a reputation for getting back at anyone, and I mean *ANYONE* that wastes his time." The birdman chuckled again. Oh, to be that skilled in his craft. "I'd be willing to bet your brother had to bite his tongue more than once when dealing with him. So Stella, do me a favor and take care. The demon will know I, and your brother in this case, led you to him. I won't be too angry if I have to experience his masterful art in screwing someone over, but your brother may be a different story…"

"I will keep that in mind." Stella grimaced at the thought, but considering her mind recalled what her brother shared… Perhaps she could take it down a notch. "I thank you for sharing this with me, Angus. We'll talk more later."

Conversation done, and with everyone watching her with rapt interest, Stella fought to keep her smile only on the inside.

So instead she feigned a level of indifference. It fit her regular interactions with her husband, so it came as no surprise to anyone, much less Stolas, when she barely cared as she asked a question. "Stolas. Do you have anything to do in two weeks? Perhaps prior to the exact date?"

"Beyond arranging at least one weekly practice session for our guests?" Stolas hummed, wondering where his wife was leading him with this. "Twelve days from now, yes. I have a meeting with some associates from Wrath. Apparently my predecessor wasn't so abundant with his blessings and I have offered enough to expand in many areas. We are to determine just how much more should be expected with a series of magic tests." The Prince made a small pause. "I guess I'll be out all day, or most of it. May even stay overnight if the Ring's magic proves to be… uncooperative."

Stella hummed, both in her head and in person. "Then I guess that is when this'll go wrong in some way."

Gonzalo seemed to be the most forward as he asked. "Would you kindly NOT play mind games and tell us straight?"

"Boring now and boring forever, I can see it." Stella made a faux scoff, not really feeling it. Besides, she was meant to tell anyway. "Well, let's get this over with: Destina shall come in two weeks, give or take a day. There is some inner turmoil considering her family, despite their situation, still ranks higher than our dear mortal here." She waved towards Carlos. "It will take some time to calm down the more loud members of their House."

Carlos and Evelinde shared a look. Most of the mortals were equally confused and wondering who the actual FUCK would want to bicker considering they, if what Stella and Stolas had shared was correct, had their heads on the chopping block.

"So most nobles in Hell are like the guys upstairs." Gonzalo, however, still gave so few fucks at this point the numbers were in the negative. "Stupid."

"Quite, as this would demonstrate." Stella, of course, ignored the possibility that anyone, even Gonzalo, would direct such an insult directly to her face. Not that she was really paying attention to them, instead she WANTED their attention on HER. "Because, as it seems, the simple act of getting this House out of Lucifer's way and sparing them their wrath, has irked some people."

"When do our fellow nobles not get their feathers ruffled?" Stolas grimaced, largely uncaring about the whole thing. Not like any of the Goetic demons could do shit to him without pissing off Lucifer now that he was busy with a project of his. "If anyone does anything Lucifer will have a new target to focus on."

"That is the particular problem." Stella decided her husband, for once, had given her what she needed. "There is someone with half a brain among the idiots. Willing enough to let rumors run, but not stupid enough to make it obvious it is him. Apparently he is also smart enough to try and NOT hurt you, but still give you a good scare for, as Angus put it, 'meddling in others' affairs'."

That wasn't even a lie. A lot of nobles thought Stola should fuck off and let them do their thing. Sadly for them, being of the primary Goetia family of their kind, no matter how all of them were called 'Goetia' as a species, Stolas was meant to have his hands in many pies. Most Goetic demons did not like how 'soft' his approach was. That it usually gave them what they wanted in some way or form, without having to make everyone miserable, was just the cherry on top to piss them off. The only saving grace was Stolas having such a large family that he was rarely involved in most things.

Well, that, and Stolas, while 'gentle', for a demon, could still fuck shit up if he wanted to. In fact it was very easy for him, but his soul wasn't in it. Had he used his full powers as regularly as he SHOULD (At least in Stella's opinion), this marriage they shared would've had a much different dynamic, one that Stella would love a lot more despite her own penchant for sadism and pain being delivered unto others, not her own form.

But she digressed now. Fantasies weren't her thing. "Point being: It is clear these idiots know they can't do anything to you, or me, directly." She resumed her little tall tale to have all of this done and dusted. "But they will at least inconvenience you. From what I heard from Angus, this particular birdbrain is good with 'simple' stuff; bombs and other devices. Considering I doubt you'll go to Wrath with a portal…"

"You know most Wrath demons do not like that." Stolas pointed out with a clear unamused expression. "I am trying to get them motivated and working. Unlike my predecessor, I DO like their attention, and it seems they tolerate me enough to ignore my slips of the tongue. That is how we get all the food you like without being ripped off, like so many of your friends." Stella would give him that, but the fact that he made it sound like it was an accomplishment, when he shouldn't give two shits, made his wife roll her eyes. "So yes; I will go in one of our cars."

Stella grimaced outwardly, but inside she was grinning. Perfect. Still, better play the part. "And you are going to do this after I warned you because…?"

"Because it is my duty? You usually harp at me if I shirk those." Stolas grumbled, not mentioning she'd harp anyway.

His wife deadpanned. "Your duty isn't to pander to imps, Stolas."

"My duty is to make sure the imps of Wrath, the LARGEST population of that ring, do not revolt, again." Stolas spoke flatly as he took a drink from his coffee cup. Something more calming would've been preferable, but he needed more energy just to stand the woman in front of him. "As much as they love going to war, every time they do it because some idiot angered them only means less food for the other rings. Do you want me to tell everyone just how well things went last time there was a famine because Wrath as a whole got insulted?"

"I'd prefer if we don't speak of how many new cannibals we got after that fiasco." Stella grimaced at the thought. "The fact it happened before our birth lessens nothing. Those kinds of stories are far too widespread, and some people are FAR too eager to talk about them."

"Daddy?"The voice of Octavia was a clear stopgap to the oncoming verbal, and perhaps physical later on, fight brewing on. "Is someone going to hurt you?"

Stolas looked at his daughter with a gentle smile. "Of course not, dear. Just some fool trying to scare your daddy."

"No, but they'll make their best of it." Stella grumbled, playing the act perfectly. Oh how she loved how clear her head was when hate didn't course through her mind, rare as it was some days. "I just hope the imbecile doesn't do anything else."

Rosa had to pipe up from her spot, concern clear on her voice. "Placing a bomb being almost guarantee is NOT a concern?"

"Of course it won't be." Stella shrugged at the insinuation. "If that idiot does anything, and does it well, it will only damage the car. Even doing harm to a servant would be an insult too far, if the one in the receiving end wanted satisfaction. Good service is hard to find, you know?" The bird woman waved Rosa's concerns away. "No, the worst thing they will do without calling for too much attention is inconvenience us. An insult, a petty one, small enough a concern that doing anything against it would be as bad for our reputation as just ignoring it."

Akiko hummed from her own position. "But it is still an insult to one's honor." Perhaps she wasn't the most interested in maintaining her father's line through the job taught to her, but she understood honor, or at least the aspect of it, was important to many. "You are concerned about losing face."

"And why wouldn't I be?" Stella grumbled, though she was pleased at how everything was going. "Every single slight against us only shakes our position. The one networking their way around is always me. Stolas has other duties."

"Networking." Stolas chuckled as he downed what was left of his coffee. Had he no guest he would've downed a lot of alcohol by now. "She means a lot of partying on the premises, bringing a lot of her 'friends', and talking about me with them."

"Call it whatever you want, Stolas." Stella made for another refill on her wine glass. This was nothing, and showing contempt was by now expected, so it worked for her. "But if it weren't for those parties a lot of other Goetia would do more than talk behind your back." She at least had the decency to steal a glance at her daughter. There had to be SOME concern for the owlet. "So count your blessings here and try NOT to attract more attention."

The evening would degrade away like that. Wife and husband trading barbs. Soft barbs, yes, but barbs nonetheless. Their child seemed perfectly fine, far too used to this in fact, as Octavia did her best to ignore them and somehow converse with Marcela and the other humans.

Despite her apparent anger at Stolas as the lunch went on, Stella was pleased on the inside. This would work beautifully.

The evening went on without further complications, and with Stella soon gone after lunch, the family and their host (and daughter) spent some time together to calm the nerves. It wasn't bound to help everyone of course, as Carlos and Evelinde agreed to talk when they were back home, but it was a more enjoyable and calm time than expected.

Somewhere else, things weren't going that well.

*** In Heaven ***

Nathaniel knew it had been hours. Just hours. Instead, it felt like days, perhaps months. One thing you could say about Heaven and its justice system, if you were to ever be on the receiving end, was that it was effective.

Being in a cell made in Heaven would warp your sense of time. A single day could feel like an eon. Solitary confinement like this, even for the harshest soul in Hell, would be very effective in curbing 'incorrect' behavior. Not only that, because there was an added benefit to the jailers: The cell would change your voice and would make it unable for the prisoner to see you. No one breaking the rules could see who talked, would hear not who talked, and could know not when it was truly happening. The only thing positive about such encounters was that time processed this at a normal pace, though the whiplash could be just as bad.

"Prisoner."

And right now Nathaniel would have welcomed that sensation. 'Luckily' for him, he was no stranger to isolation.

"Yes, warden?"

The voice from outside garbled and echoed as if it was many speaking at once. "Deliberations have begun. You shall be informed of the decision within the month."

Nathaniel frowned in thought. "How long shall I wait?"

"Unknown." Although with this the warden just meant 'You don't need to know that'. "I was just told to share this: 'He shall know of the decision once the next step is taken'. That is all."

A grim look fell on Nathaniel. 'Next step', eh? He knew enough of the plan for those he had protected. There were many souls that had diverged off their course, and a good chunk were connected to the mortals, to Carlos specifically now. They would've been bound to whoever signed Lucifer's contract to be honest, and had things been different it could've been anyone else in the family. As it was, this probably meant Nathaniel would be left here, to 'think about his actions', until Carlos got together with one of those souls.

Considering the young man had stopped the intervention meant to free not one, but three of those souls from the mortal coil, demons as they may be, it was unsurprising that those in charge thought him capable of bringing the others together. It felt disgusting to think, but in a way it was logical. Souls did not have a 'destiny' in a sense, no. There were paths that, sometimes, were premade for them. Often this had to do with plans long in motion before that soul was ever conceived, like Carlos' family. Changing one single soul's future thanks to a mistake or other means could, and usually did, change many others.

And, as Nathaniel found out, this was something else Heaven did disprove of. With reason, mind you. He had to admit, much as he disliked it, that such things could have catastrophic ends. Many wars, plagues and horrors, specially in modern times, were tied to a soul's written future being basically wiped clean, offering said soul an infinity of possibilities.

Nathaniel sighed in exasperation. Sometimes doing the right thing asked for almost too much. Still, sacrifice for a good cause was to be applauded. At least that was what he always thought, what he still thought. Perhaps Carlos and his family could do horrible deeds, maybe they'd do great good. Whatever the case, this alteration was, in essence, a problem, and Heaven's higher ups knew the dangers were much better culled as soon as possible.

But it was clear there were many things wrong around here. Fear of possible chaos was not the only thing driving those in control.

The angel let go of that line of thought. There would be time to think about that, later. Now he had to wait, and to do that without losing it, he had to concentrate.

Having too much time was, at times, the worst kind of blessing.

*** Back in Hell - Stolas' State ***

Stella could not believe she was about to do this. No, she could believe it. She was determined to get whatever Lord Lucifer offered and claw her way into more of it. That meant accepting that the humans would be here, in her home, regularly. That meant making sure the dregs of the Goetia formed a bond with that young mortal. That meant… she had to call this buffoon.

"Yes?"

Credit where credit's due, that was some good magic. The voice reverberated as if it was an adult now, a child then and an old one next, mixing sexes just as easily, and it had been just one word. Stella just wished she didn't have to say these next words.

"Am I talking with the Shadow Man?"

Because she wanted so badly to call this demon a retard. Probably something else too, something worse, if she was given the chance.

There were many reasons for Stella to be thankful of her husband being away from her. Right now, alone in her room as he was coddling their child, Stella could only be thankful for the fact that Stolas would not be around to chuckle at her for saying such a 'name' out loud. It sounded like the most stupid, childish and vapid name one could give to whatever 'secret identity' that they had manufactured.

In fact Angus had made sure to tell her the exact contact details, because there were so many demons out there calling themselves 'Shadow Man', or 'Dark Lord', or other such stupid things that, apparently, Sinners had made a game out of it. A stupid, cruel, betting game at that. Calling one of the false numbers, Goetia or no, would've made her a laughing stock for at least a few months. Even finding the real one wouldn't make her feel any better.

"What an interesting question, Lady Stella." The voice of the 'Shadow Man' erupted into chuckles, throwing Stella off ever so slightly as her eyes widened. "But I think a more fitting one would be: What can I do for you, my lady?"

"I was told you were a demon that prefers to be direct." Stella tried to offer some anger to hide her doubts. At the very least this person knew who she was, so being defensive was very much warranted. "I did not anticipate you were willing to play games with a client."

"Oh, but I am not playing, my dear lady." The Shadow Man let out a string of giggles. "Oh no, not at all. You see, I *KNOW* what you want. I am PAINFULLY aware of your needs. But I am not allowed to act without your instructions. See, it is simple: A contract with me is binding. You tell me what you want, what you need. I will give you a price that I will subtract myself. The contract is done and we won't talk ever again."

Stella frowned. "You'll subtract the funds yourself?"

"A safety precaution." The Shadow Man assured with a careless shrug that Stella could feel through the phone. "I am picky with my clients, you see. Many of them ask things of me that could attract attention to them, unless some misfortune takes hold of them too. Losing funds, vehicles, weapons, art, even sometimes personnel, is a good way to hide one's involvement, is it not? Many times I also use whatever I subtract to ensure the plan goes smoothly, after all… you are paying, and money is secondary if the results are exactly the ones you hope for."

Stella let her claws drum against the table. She wanted a bit more force, but perhaps it would be ill advised. "So I assume you are confident in your ability to get me what I want?"

The Shadow Man was grinning, Stella knew it. Their voice hid none of it. "I can. If you ask for it. No murder. No kidnaping. Far too messy, too boring. I deal in changing fate, my lady. THAT is what you want."

Stella's beak formed a thin line. "I need my husband to have a small accident as he returns from his trip." The idea of something far more permanent crossed her mind, but right now that idea would have to wait. "He will come back from Wrath prior to a meeting we will be hosting for a noble and her soon to be husband. I assume I need not give details."

"You assume correctly, my lady." The Shadow Man hummed. "So, what safeguards do you ask for this plan to work?"

"There are few mechanics with enough guts, and credentials, to work for the nobility." Stella turned around, a sound from outside her room making her think her husband was about to come back. It would not do to screech him to fuck off, but luckily it had likely been her imagination and nothing else. "Considering your… admirable number of contacts and skills, I believe it possible for you to arrange something that will keep them occupied." And when screaming like a banshee didn't work, Stella knew that flattery and ego stroking often did the trick.

"I am more than able, yes. Not a dozen demons deal in such business, and many of my associates wouldn't mind clogging their services for a week or so to maintain their own machines at the expense of everyone else." A chuckle full of devious and petty malice caressed Stella's ear. "Not cheap, but it can be done. They wouldn't do me this 'favor' for no reason."

"Good." Stella's brow furrowed. That was all well and good, but she still needed something else. Could this demon do it? "I also need the Breeder Imp from the husband to be. I require that… Zana, to come with him. Apparently, for a breeder, she has a capable mind with machines. Will it be beyond you to get her to visit the estate?"

"Consider it done." The Shadow Man didn't seem to have any doubts, and Stella truly hoped this was all as legit as it could be in Hell. "That is all, my lady?"

Stella made a pause there. Was there anything else to add? No, not really. This 'Shadow Man' wouldn't kill the driver, as that would bring far too much attention. He wouldn't harm her husband, as it would do even worse. And he would likely have ways to get someone to put the right ideas in the right heads so that damn imp came over.

What Stella wanted was for the two women to get along ENOUGH so that it wouldn't fuck things over. That, however, was out of this particular demon's hands. Considering the contract that Destina had to sign herself into, doing so without her own free will as the medium, as even the slightest magic or physical coercion would fuck shit up with a power like Lucifer's being the recipient, would fuck everyone over. And since Stella was the one that had facilitated this, then the shit would hit her too, something she wanted to avoid with everything she had.

"No, that is all." Better not ask more than she could get. Usually she'd demand that and more, but something told Stella that her usual ways were best left out of this. "Now, as for the price…"

"Two hundred fifty million souls. From YOUR bank account."

Stella felt as if the air in her lungs had just vacated itself by some strange, magical means. Two hundred fifty was not impossible, it wasn't even real harm, but such an amount would raise eyebrows.

"How…?"

"The day your husband has an… 'explosive', surprise, your bank accounts will be hacked." The Shadow Man commented in such a flippant way Stella could do little but listen. "Many different hands will be making a grab for your money. Of course they will all be me, but no one else requires such information. As for why? More than half that money will go into ensuring the services of those that could get your husband's machine back working, convincing a few colleagues to have a few free tune ups and, more importantly: Cover my tracks from Lucifer's eyes."

Stella closed her beak. Yes, that was sensible enough. Perhaps even too low a price. Lucifer wouldn't be the angriest with something that had yet to happen, but while he wouldn't act directly to protect the mortals unless they truly needed it, or if they had a favor in store to ask of him, Stella was sure he'd fuck with someone's day (or life) if they stuck their noses where they shouldn't. A mix of his own pride at being defied and simple boredom making the idea interesting enough. Lord Lucifer could be fickle like that.

Still, having a quarter of a billion pilfered from her account, and her husband 'attacked', will make her day, or most likely week, or even a month, miserable. While Angus and Ophelia wouldn't fuck with her, she could easily expect others to take a jab at her at the very least.

Ribbing and jabs would be fine so long as she got what was due. "I consider the price… reasonable." Even if she was going to spend far more than she wanted on it. "I shall inform his majesty of the preparations and the cover story I crafted on my end. That should give you some more leeway considering there ARE some Goetia that will be angry enough at this to at least THINK of acting."

"If only all clients were this cooperative." The Shadow Man chuckled before making it clear that this would be it. "I'll be watching, Lady Stella. Once the job is done to your satisfaction I shall contact you again and we will be done. No new jobs, no more contacts." At this point the voice stopped reverberating and instead turned deep and harsh as rock crushing the life out of Stella's body. "I suggest you do not tempt fate by ever trying. Hunting may not be my favorite activity, but I assure you: Ignoring this simple rule will make sure you test the effectiveness of Carmine weaponry in the flesh."

Stella's breath was taken for a brief moment. Fear was not something that gripped her very soul, ever. Her position made sure of it, and her personality only doubled the feeling of security she covered herself in.

Suffice to say, she was not a fan of this. But she could not say she enjoyed it.

"That won't be a problem." Stella did her best to ensure the demon on the other side did not notice. "I prefer my actions to be far more forward and public or obvious so whoever is the target knows it is me, but this must be done. I am sure you do not lack patrons anyway."

And while Stella wasn't lying, she could easily be a sneaky bitch if desired. Not that the demon needed to be told. That and, despite how much Stella wanted to hide it, she felt as if this conversation had gone on far too long. Something told her that making it last even longer would not end well for her. Feeling this vulnerable was making the woman twitchy.

"That I do not." The Shadow Man's voice returned to its previous echoing form. It helped Stella relax, more so knowing all was done. "Now, my good lady, I bid you adieu, until the job is done."

There was no goodbye from Stella as the line went dead. All was done between the two of them and things did not need to either go on or escalate. More than sufficient in Stella's mind.

Stella's face was a picture perfect description of disdain as she took her phone away from her ears and stared at it with the clear desire to crush it between her fingers. Being on the receiving end of a power struggle was rarely the case, and she had learned to dislike it well enough.

Speaking of powerlessness, it was time to make another call. With a sigh and a grumble she was only thankful, in the loosest of terms, that Lucifer had people at the ready to direct calls to him. What she wouldn't be so happy about would be the lashing of the tongue that her ruler would dish out. Big or small, Lucifer did not like impediments to his plans or fun.

*** 'The Tower' - Carlos' 'Estate' (In progress) ***

"Are you okay?"

The question was meaningful, but Carlos didn't exactly know how to answer that one.

Was he okay?

Not really, no.

Should he say?

Also, no.

But Stolas was right. Since day one here he had done his best to suck it up. It wasn't working. He had nearly broken more than once and some in his family had to offer a shoulder for him. Even then he had done his best to not let it show.

If he kept that up it would eat him alive.

"No." Carlos admitted. It hurt to do, far more than it made him feel better. "I think I am way over my head."

He was in his new home's kitchen. HIS home. His *own* home. It still felt surreal. True that everyone had a nice house (hastily made, true, but nice) close to each other, but all of them had their own. Carlos? Carlos had the beginnings of a damn manor. An 'estate', or whatever those in charge of building this thing had said it was going to be.

There was little beyond a dinning hall big enough for the whole family and then some (And considering what was supposed to happen, the size would probably be needed at some point). Every room had a bathroom, amenities and there were plans for a library as well as more crap Carlos didn't think he'd ever get. Even the kitchen was big enough for a crew of twenty to forty(?) people, considering the workers mentioning maybe requiring an expansion in the future.

It was all bonkers, and didn't help him in the mental department.

In a sense he was thankful for how uneventful the time after magic practice had been. He had visited his grandparents, well, one set of them anyway. He had enjoyed some time reading books with Evelinde at her side before saying his goodbyes and joining Leonor and Zana in their shared home.

Unsurprisingly, and probably because of it, Leonor had been in a good mood after just having to oversee the execution and butchering of a small horde of Sinners. Perhaps she disdained the idea of eating someone else, considering she hated the taste of blood of any kind, but the violence seemed to make her feel at ease. She was in such a good mood that, in perfect stereotypic fashion of her origins as part of the damn mafia, she had offered to make pasta. For how little she liked housework Leonor loved to cook when the mood struck her.

Time went by at a leisure pace after that, with everyone doing their thing for a bit before dinner time. But during and after? There was a clear stiffness in the air, and Evelinde made the other two women more than curious when she said her goodbyes far earlier than usual. She had barely eaten at all in fact, which prompted Leonor to ask Carlos to join her in the kitchen for cleanup. Even Zana opted to get involved.

"I know a month is barely nothing." And now that the two women were waiting for him to talk, Carlos couldn't stall anymore. "Hell, there are people around here that are as old as creation. You two aren't that much older than me, but you were born here, for fuck's sake."

The last part was said with clear exasperation, enough for both shark demon and imp to look at the man elbow deep in soapy water. Never in their short time had they seen, or heard him, come closer to even bad mouthing them in any way. Now it sounded like he was either envious or angry at them.

"..." Zana had far less self control than Leonor when it came to speaking her mind, so she was quicker with a sneer. "Sounds like you think we have it easy."

"You don't fucking have it easy, I know that. Don't put words in my mouth."

For a moment it looked like Carlos was about to snap. Worse, he almost lost control as a few flames seemed to lick his form. This was the danger with testing, and effectively unlocking, magic: It is not your friend. It will do you in, as Stolas said, just as easily as it will aid you.

And worse, at least for Carlos, it made the impette take a step back. He did not want her, or anyone he held dear, even superficially, scared of him.

"Sorry about that." Whatever magic was forming died away in his shame and disgust as his own actions, involuntary as they may've been. "I… I am just done." Carlos chuckled as he let his form hunch over as more of her arms sunk into the dirty water. "I haven't been taking it well, you know? I made such grand speeches, offered my fucking soul and bound myself to Lucifer of all people! And I have been a breath away from screaming my lungs out at things I have seen and have been told since day one."

Both demonesses looked at Carlos with similar expressions of concern.

While Zana did her best not to look the part, it was clear that the imp had had a much better time here than she had expected, and Carlos hadn't treated her like shit, as she had expected. She'd be lying if she said she wanted to stay forever, but that COULD change, maybe, if the man didn't do anything stupid. Even the cannibals around didn't mess with her because Rosie wanted her hale and hearty. It was as good as she was going to get in Pentagram, that was for damn sure. She would also be lying if she said that what little time she had spent with him and his family had been bad in any way, though she had done her best to not grow too close.

Leonor was far more obvious. Zana did her best to spend little time with the man, but Leonor had enjoyed a few days with him, almost alone, and in some cases truly having his time for her and her alone. He was far from the most charismatic lays she had in her prime, and with the cash to back her own desires and demands, but he was attentive and clearly enjoyed her company. His family was far too nice for her tastes, as was the man himself, but there was an addicting feeling to such a relationship in Hell of all places. The more protective nature Leonor had in her all but ordered her to do something, but there was a fear there. She did not know how 'vulnerable' worked, at least not when it came to help, and not exploit. Right now that's what she needed to know, and her mind came up blank.

"I just got some very obvious advice." Luckily for both women at his sides, Carlos just couldn't shut down the floodgates now. "But I need to ask someone else about this." And considering his tone of voice, the question wasn't going to have a pleasant answer. "What would happen if I did as back ho-back in the mortal world? If I asked for help and tried to get my family's support? Just how much shit would I be in if I showed weakness?"

This garnered two very different reactions. On one hand it was good that he was looking at neither woman, on another, both of his companions weren't too pleased to hear that.

Leonor reacted first for once. The idea of someone she'd be with being weak was an antithesis to her personality. She was made to be strong out of need, instinct and a desire to get whatever she could and wanted by any means. Yes, she was protective of her sister, and she was feeling more so of this new family the more time she spent with them. But that did not erase a simple fact: Weak people either get lucky, get bullied and controlled by someone else, or get dead. Hell had no time for soft skinned individuals. The only other option was to get 'tougher' and 'meaner', and many good souls in Hell ended up going down that route. The thing that made her feel wrong was just how little desire she had to change most of what he had seen on Carlos and his family. It would make things just the same as the rest of Hell.

Zana took a bit more time for… personal reasons. Perhaps for good, or ill, considering she felt compelled to make a point the moment she opened her mouth.

"Do you know what a 'Breeder' is, Carlos?" The question was rhetoric, but she was kind enough to say nothing the moment Carlos turned to face her and shook his head. Zana was willing to show some patience for once. "*I* am a Breeder. People you'd call 'intersex' or whatever the fuck. I am similar to many old demons back in the day, moreso Imps and Hellhounds, even some Succubi. I am made to have both sexes in me. Even if I didn't have female equipment, I could still get pregnant. Demons like me are fucked up in so many damn ways, and we are treated little better than broodmares or 'bulls' for many other demons to own."

"That's-"

"Shut up and listen." Zana nearly threw the cutlery she had on hand. A lot of self control was needed for this to not become a proper fight. This topic was not something the imp liked to talk about. "My father is a Breeder, like me. My grandmother is the same. My great grandmother is the same. You know what is worse? My great grandmother is a succubus, so for them this is slightly more normal, something she took to great heights indeed. Fucking her own brother to get knocked up? Perfectly normal. No one gives a shit in Hell. Even less considering her brother was just 'half', and an imp from Lust to boot. Doing the same to her own daughter to have my father? Fuck me if anyone cares. Having BOTH of them ganging on my dad and fucking her mind until she decided to flee Lust and start a new life in Wrath? No one gave a shit, again."

Zana couldn't stop herself from sticking a knife on the counter. Both Leonor and Carlos cringed away at the sound of metal shredding stone in a way that shouldn't be, but the impette, small as she was, found one. She was brutal, compact and, while overly sexual in ways most would be uncomfortable with, it was clear she was far more in tune with one part of her heritage.

And there was a good reason why.

"That is everyday business here, Carlos. EVERYONE is fucked up. And if you ever tell anyone you don't know you can trust your problems? Your weaknesses? You have two possibilities. One: You get lucky like my dad and form a bond with the closest thing you'll find to a good demon. Two? You get me." Zana pulled the knife away from the stone, clearly broken, and threw it towards the trash can. Broken or not the thing went through the can, crushing it under the power of the throw. "You get LITERALLY fucked over when you get to a point you need help. I made the mistake of thinking that the family I had never met in hopes they MAY help. So what did I get when I visited them in Lust? I was used like a fucking TOY. And you know what? I. Was. LUCKY."

Well, this was new. Zana had done her best to stay mum about a lot of things. Her backstory was chief among it all, considering she had made it clear to anyone that it was a topic she wasn't going to share.

Leonor knew enough. It was that fucking mess that landed Zana in Greed after all.

"I was lucky to get away. I was lucky that someone I found was not a piece of shit and helped me out. I was lucky to fuck up and get to Greed instead of Wrath in my panic because, much as a pain in the ass as Leonor had been to me for YEARS, including exploiting me far too many times, she gave me good counsel and a better lesson." Zana's eyes were bright as embers as she pointed a claw Carlos' way. "You don't show weakness in front of anybody, ANYBODY. Just do so with those you trust." And despite her small stature, even propped up by a stool as she was, Carlos felt small as the impette inched forward, nearly touching his chest with that hand of hers. "So let's make something clear, Carlos: Don't fuck up like I did."

Carlos licked his lips. His throat felt dry and his tongue was like damn parchment. An imp's rage was clearly far more imposing than their small stature would let on.

And she wasn't done either.

"Do not break, Carlos." Zana's tone relaxed as she took her claw away. She almost sounded soft. Almost. "I did. I broke down because my own father didn't know how to help me. I broke down because she was damaged. Worse: I ignored those that could help me." Zana turned to look at the damage she had caused with a grimace. "I am basically chattel, Carlos. I was born in Hell. I was ready for a lot of shit. But I wasn't ready for that crap. I allowed the pressure to be stronger than I was and I fucked up."

Carlos' face turned into a frown. "But that wasn't your goddamn fault."

"Like anyone would give a shit 'bout that." Zana's accent slipped for a second. She took a deep breath at that, calming down. This topic was not pleasant in the slightest. "Look. Let's cut to the chase. I don't want this going to shit, alright?" She faced the human with a deep frown. "I'd prefer you were safe. We have spent very little time together but I can say this: You aren't a piece of shit. I enjoy that much from you, and not everyone in your family is a dickwaffle. So I would like it very much if you don't have a fucking mental breakdown or DIE on us. Talk with them, or whoever you need, if it relieves your mind of the baggage. But NEVER flake in front of anyone you aren't going to kill after."

Despite the situation Carlos couldn't help but offer a small smile. "Careful there, or I'll think you are starting to care."

"Maybe a little, and shut up." Zana deadpanned with a clear unamused face. "It is hard to find people I'd rather not use to paint my car red."

As Carlos chuckled, Leonor stepped in the conversation. "I suggest you pay heed to Zana, Carlos."

Both human and imp looked at the woman far too intent on drying stuff to be genuine. More so when what she had on her hands was now mirroring everything on its surface.

"You also had a bad experience like that?" Carlos offered, his curiosity tingling in anticipation despite himself.

"Oh no, never." Leonor shrugged as if it was perfectly normal. And considering her answer, it both was and wasn't. "Because I could never do that. I didn't have anyone to support me, not even my sister. Showing any weakness at any point would've meant death. All we could do was tough it up and care for each other as little as we could manage so no one noticed."

Empathy and instinct made Carlos reach forward. He moved her emerald hued hair that was now covering her face to try and cup her chin. A bit of affection and care, despite his own troubles. Leonor backed away, as if slapped.

"Please, don't." It took all she had in her to not drop the dish she had in her hands. "I don't need your pity, Carlos."

"It is not pity. I sympathize with you."

Carlos reached again. Unlike Zana, Carlos knew Leonor far better, and while the woman was tough as nails, like the imp, he knew she had more sensibility than the country gal. But he knew that doing the same exact thing wouldn't end well.

This time he went for her cheek. Perhaps having his hand away from her mouth led to a less visceral reaction, as Leonor flinched, yes, but soon he let him comfort her. It was strange, the feeling was different, but neither of them complained. True his hands were covered in water and suds, but Leonor didn't seem to register that. Being a shark had its perks in a way.

"You say it is sympathy." Leonor managed to move back a step. "I say it is pity." She sent Zana a glare, though the imp did her best not to react. "Take the little red bitch's words to heart, Carlos. Show weakness to those that are close to you IF you know they won't use it against you."

Zana let out a snort. "If you think I am going to screw you over, you are giving my animosity far too much importance, you skank." The imp chuckled at the shark's clear indignation. "Look, I consider you a huge bitch, but I DID owe you, big. That favor is out of the way and now you owe ME. Remember that." Zana teased Leonor by pointing another (intact) knife her way. "Besides, you can stop with the act. I spilled my guts partly because you cannot stop trying to get me to stay."

Carlos looked from Zana to Leonor with a questioning, and surprising, expression.

"Why…?"

"She is useful, okay?" Leonor went back to drying, not daring to look at either of them. "Better have someone I know the abilities of than go search for a different imp layabout who'd be interested in getting dick and doing little else."

Had anyone asked Carlos, he'd say this was the closest the two of them had been to calling each other 'friends'. No interaction had shown open hate, but there was clear animosity there. Prior 'debt' mixed with the new one didn't make nice between the two. At least he considered this to be a positive after today.

"Look, let's drop it." Leonor grumbled, embarrassment clear everywhere. Even Zana got surprised at the small blush visible behind the other woman's hair. "Just… pay attention to what we have said, okay? Let's not kid ourselves. Humans are generally pieces of shit." And just like that Leonor was back to her usual self, blush, discomfort and anything other than a serious and businesslike persona gone. "People down here? Usually the same. You and most in your family? Downright pleasant."

Zana couldn't dispute that. She nodded eagerly as Carlos faced her. "She's right ya know?" She hummed as she put away the last sharp implement around, a relief for everyone else. "It comes so easy to you all. Don't know if you fucking noticed, but that seems to be endearing to a lot of people here."

"Rosie made it clear she expected more than half the demons, Sinners or not, to have tried to shaft you by now." Leonor was nearly done on her end too. Carlos really had nothing else to clean either. By now the group was here just to talk and with no excuses to give. "That she only had to make an example out of those three was a miracle."

"So just talk to your family." Zana sat on the counter, her proportions almost too much for the recently harmed stone it was made of. Her expression at the structural groan was enough to steal a chuckle out of Carlos, much to the imp's clear disdain. "Hah, hah. Fuck you." But she spoke without any bite. "But seriously. Talk to your cousins. Talk to your parents. Talk to whoever. Fuck, go and tell Rosie you take her up on her offer for that fella that'd dig to your brain if you need to."

"Or talk to us." Leonor walked behind the man to stand next to the impette. "We may have given you shit, but we had a good reason to. And I think we made it clear that we at least care enough to try and help."

Carlos took a second, a deep breath, and let out a very tired sigh. He had been tired, beaten and bruised before, but, if we are talking mentally here, he had been so screwed up before that he had stopped feeling the punches. Now that he had a life that, ironically, being this Hell and all, seemed to have the POSSIBILITY of being so much better than before? The mental weight was making everything creak underneath.

He didn't want to screw it up now.

"I shall." He finally said, feeling somehow defeated. "I got so used to dealing with my own crap that I reached a point I thought I could shoulder everything…"

Both women echoed a very quick reply. "I know the feeling." Not even bothering to look at each other. There was no surprise there.

"Of course you do." Carlos shook his head. That was no surprise, much less in Hell. So he took another deep breath and decided to out the last bit. "So I guess first I'd need to go to my room and see Evelinde."

Leonor was very quick to frown as she asked. "Evelinde is in your room?"

"I offered her to sleep with me today." The moment Carlos said that he could feel the temperature drop as Leonor looked at him with a cold glare. Zana, instead, had a wide ass smirk on her face. "Just sleep, you two!"

"Yeah." Zana snorted. "'Sleep'." She made an obscene gesture with her mouth. "Just watch for the teeth."

"Fuck off." Carlos chuckled, though Leonor was clearly not amused. "Look. She got spooked while we were practicing magic. She was lost in her mind, like many of us were when we tried to focus…"

"She did magic too?" Zana asked, her previous lewd approach gone. Now there was curiosity. "I thought the prissy owl wouldn't get his hands dirty with what most would consider a 'mongrel'."

"Well, his wife is a bitch and did call Evelinde that." Carlos pointed out with a clear frown covering his face. "But Stolas seems nice enough. He is the one that told me to take care of myself, mentally. He made sure I didn't fucking burn myself with my own magic either. He could be a better teacher, I think so at least, but he did okay." His frown deepened. "But I still wish to know what is bothering Eve."

Zana nodded, part of her previous mood returning. "So you got so worried you went all hot and bothered to ask her if she'd sleep with you?"

Carlos flipped her off, making the imp chuckle. Even Leonor seemed to relax a bit at that. "Of course not, you bitch." He smiled at last, then let the expression drop as he thought aloud. "But I did feel… 'hot'?" And before anyone could make a comment, he patted the side of his pants. The pocket. From there he retrieved a particular spherical object given to him by Nathan. "I still carry this around, and I could swear it got hot around the time… Maybe it was my imagination? There were far too many things going and Stolas had shared even more. I barely paid attention."

Leonor scoffed. "If the angel wanted to tell you something, then you'd be the one getting something in your head, not HER." Although Carlos couldn't tell if it was because of Evelinde beating her to the punch or something else. Whatever the case, he put the heavenly trinket away. "... So you are going to be with her?"

"Didn't think you were from Envy. I could swear you were Greed born and raised." Zana interjected with a wide grin splitting her lips.

"Shut the fuck up." Leonor growled under her breath. "Just wondering."

Zana rolled her eyes. "Sure." Then she looked at Carlos again. "But seriously. Gonna sleep together today?"

"Look, nothing is going to happen, okay? I just want to be with her and help her out. Whatever it was just messed her up." And while Carlos was sincere, both demonesses didn't believe a word of it. "... something MAY happen, if she asks."

Zana clicked her tongue. "You are far too passive in this. Whether I like it or not, Lucifer himself told you to make children."

"I am not going to pressure anyone here on that one." Carlos crossed his arms with a frown. "I am not going to be such a piece of shit."

"A lot of people here would. We may appreciate it, but this will not always be the case with everyone." Leonor pointed out, a neutral expression on her face, though her voice had a hint of something Carlos didn't catch. "Although I can assure you I am serious when I say we appreciate you not hounding us just to get your rocks off every day."

"Yeah, I mean, you got better." Zana used her tail to poke at Carlos' still more than visible gut. "But you are still too flabby for me. Though if you keep going at this pace with that magic crap on you, I may change my tune."

"And it hurts like a motherfucker every day to get myself in shape, only for you to want to ogle me, let me tell you." Carlos patted the imp's tail away. He opted to ignore her clear hint and advances at this point in time. "In any case, we are done here and I don't think Eve would want us talking about this behind her back. We are just going to lay down together unless she wants more than that. And if she does? Then she may share if she WANTS to."

The imp was again the one to bring a sneer and a lewd expression into the mix. "Sure. We won't be hearing you or anything. We are right next door and there are no soundproofing means or wards. Just sayin'."

Carlos let out an exasperated. "Go suck a dick." Before the two of them chuckled, with Leonor remaining silent as the young man turned around and finally left, waving a 'goodbye' as he went straight for the rooms.

The two still in the kitchen remained there for a second, at least until they heard the door and Zana looked at Leonor.

"You are going to wait outside their door?" The question was dead serious, though her expression betrayed mirth.

Leonor grumbled as she moved away. "I am going to make sure nothing happens."

"You are going to spy on them fucking." The imp wasn't deterred.

"I just want to make sure she doesn't bite something off." And Leonor would have none of it.

"Yeah, sure." Zana got off the counter and onto the floor with a 'huff' as her form wobbled for a second. She still had to get used to this place. "Just in 'case', I'll stay with you."

Leonor gave her companion an icy glare. "YOU want to keep an eye on ME?"

Zana just shrugged. "Hey, I am far less inclined to jump his bones right now. I will just make sure you don't barge in and screw things up."

The shark was about to give a scathing 'fuck you' to her, but opted to ignore it. "Do what you want. But if you are coming, then move it. I want to make sure that the corpse eater behaves herself."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't bite my ass, you bitch." Zana had a gingerly pace as she walked side by side with her companion. She had zero shame and made sure Leonor knew. "Besides… I am curious if they are going to do the deed ."

Leonor couldn't do anything against the sigh, or the desire to bring her hands up to hide her face and choke a scream. Zana said many things about the time she was all but used as a cum rag for her family at Lust.

What she didn't say was that, despite everything, she hated not the act, but the fact that she did not have a say in it.

The shark demon left the remark unsaid as Zana chuckled her ass all the way to Carlos' door. There they waited, with the two inside in far less high spirits.

It had been… awkward? Awkward would be the right word, yes. Carlos came in with as high spirits as was possible, but seeing Evelinde waiting for him took the wind out of his sails. And not because she was waiting in a way that would worry him. It was the opposite.

She had been waiting, sitting, with a simple, white nightgown, reading a book idly until she heard the door. Then she looked up, met his eyes and her neutral, perhaps even sad visage, morphed into that smile of hers. It would've been awesome in so many ways, hadn't Carlos felt ashamed to the point of nearly turning into a walking tomato.

Evelinde had customized her room already. It was all old Victorian era stuff from her home, so she only had to move stuff to make it homely for herself. It also included whatever she considered necessary to work on clothes in her spare time. That, and she had also spoken about making dolls in the future.

Leonor was second, and she had brought mostly what was comfortable to her; that included green colors, old portraits of some of Hell's mob bosses she respected, a few weapon props (because she didn't have the funds for real weapons, yet) and furniture for storage and little else. Gunpowder was a permanent smell and Carlos knew she made ammo in there.

Zana? Her room was a miniature crafting ground with some storage space for parts and ideas while having the barest necessities for sleep and her limited wardrobe. To get in there meant going into a workshop that was always in use and just clean enough to be livable. While all rooms were meant to be expanded, only Zana's was going to need it for sure.

Carlos' room? Base shit. It was bare, painted white, with a few chairs, a table, a bed and his wardrobe. In a sense it was as spartan as the man tended to be when it came to himself. He liked the fine things in life, sure, but couldn't really care less about making things 'nice', just serviceable. That wasn't going to change in Hell. The most he had permitted himself was a nightstand with a nice lamp in case he wanted to read something at night, and that was not only next to the bed, but the armchair Evelinde had been sitting on.

That was superficial though. What made him feel far better, other than the lack of communication as he came in, was how she put the book down and invited him to bed like nothing.

Or worse, when he got down to his shorts. Vanity wasn't his thing, but despite being close to 'normal' weight after a lot of pain and training, if only thanks to the curses he got 'gifted' with, Carlos was far from a pretty sight to most people. Still flabby, with a lot of old little wounds here and there, and none of the merits to show for it. Meanwhile Evelinde, even with her nightgown on, perhaps partly because of its origin (Hell didn't exactly make modesty a priority), was showing far more skin than most people from back on Earth would want to during the Victorian period.

And Carlos would be lying if he said that it didn't bother him at all. Insecurities were a hard thing to fight against, and his had festered for a long time. It was all very simple.

Carlos knew the situation he was in. A lot of people would find this maddening. He did too, that is for sure. But at the same time, once he laid down, next to Evelinde, he could simply see it in simple terms: A beautiful woman was lying next to his ugly form.

It had happened before.

Even when he was in his 'prime' he had considered himself inferior to the women that just would hurt him in the end.

Now here he was; having let himself go, reason or not, and now barely coming back. Evelinde didn't seem to mind, apparently in a much better mood despite saying nothing, but Carlos couldn't help but second guess himself again. He had been ready, or he had felt like it, after talking with Leonor and Zana. Now he was full of doubt again, feeling ashamed for some reason, and just as ready to quit in any way he could if given the chance.

In his mind it didn't help him consider his chances in the future.

Evelinde was quick to notice. However, perhaps to his own surprise, the Cambion had no few doubts of her own.

"Carlos?" Her voice began as timid as it could get. It almost sounded like a young teen worried about being rejected.

Carlos was unable to face her though, not that Evelinde was looking anywhere but up, much like him. He did manage to speak a single word. "Yes?"

"Do you think I am a monster?"

Anyone in Hell would've considered the question simply stupid. Of course she was a monster. Almost everyone in Hell was a monster, one way or another. And Evelinde? She was far from the worst one, but she WAS a thing most people would want to run away from.

Question was: Why did she ask?

Carlos turned just enough to face her, but Evelinde was still looking up. Her platinum colored hair covered part of her face as she spoke again. "I got lost in thought." She drew her arms from under the covers to look at her claws. "I lost myself in a dance. You took my hands so gently… Even my kind pulls away. Claws have a simple meaning: You are food. But even outside of my fantasy you have never cared about that."

Before Evelinde drew her hands away Carlos took them into his. Perhaps he was a mess when it came to self confidence, but he had no desire for that to happen to Evelinde.

"Eve." He began, if somewhat hesitant. "Do you want the truth?"

He didn't begin by calming her fears however. He wanted to be as sincere with her as he was with everyone, but he needed to know if that is what she wanted. The truth was often not nice, and while he was sure many of the things he had to say were far more pleasant than most would tell the Cambion, he did not want to hurt someone with a will as fragile as Carlos' own. With a clearly uncertain nod on her part, Carlos decided to go ahead and tell her the truth.

"You scare the shit out of me." And just like that Evelinde couldn't face him anymore. At least until she felt Carlos closing in and cupping her chin so she'd face him. "But I don't think of you as a monster. I wasn't lying when we were talking with Stolas."

He drew closer, almost making the Cambion flinch. No one had made Evelinde want to pull away in a sense of fear like the man in front of her. She could kill him SO fucking easily that it was insulting. Evelinde could gut Carlos with less of a challenge offered than any of her would-be mates had ever offered. Hell, somehow she knew that, if she tried, if she made it deliberate and obvious, he would let her.

Because he was far too tired to resist and because he wanted to trust her too.

"I want to try this with you." He spoke softly, his own worry and self doubt gone. "You have been the most gentle and sincere partner I have had. You haven't pressured me. You haven't lied to me. You haven't hidden things from me. From the most gruesome to the silliest and most embarrassing. You have been forward with me."

Evelinde could die from embarrassment right there and there. She didn't know why she had been that open. Showing him her favorite butchers? What stupid idea was that? Then again, her previous partners loved to see where she got her cuts when she wasn't hunting. Or how about her favorite romance novels? That bloody (in the literal sense) opera? Her favorite songs and fondness for modern things she could not ever show to Rosie in fear of her lady looking at her funny?

Evelinde had lowered her guard, and he had welcomed it all.

"I am afraid of you, for many reasons." He said as he gave the demoness a gentle caress. "But none of them have to do with your violence. None of my worries linger in your mind. We both know you are not stable, Eve, but you have spent the most time with my family. NONE of us is stable. We are all messed up from birth. And that fucking curse made sure ALL of us got WORSE with time, not better."

The hand holding Evelinde's own squeezed, pulling it closer to his chest. She could feel his warm, and his trepidation as he spoke onwards.

"What I am afraid has to do with me hurting you, or making you want to hurt me because of something I do or say." He admitted this as he traced his fingers down her claws. Evelinde was painfully aware of how careful one had to be not to cut open flesh, yet he didn't seem to mind. "Not physically, no… I know it would sound stupid to most, but I am sure you won't disagree when I say the possibility of me hurting you in other ways does scare you." And it did. Evelinde couldn't say it didn't. He could see it clear as day. "Spending time, any time, with you three, has been the best I have felt in years. I do not mind your madness. I find Leonor's ruthless desire to keep me safe quite charming. And even Zana's crash nature helps me feel somewhat normal." And that was the problem. The 'normal'. "Yes, I am afraid, sometimes disgusted and distraught, in Hell. No, I am not ashamed to say it. But what I am ashamed of… is not being enough."

Evelinde tried to speak and perhaps stop him, or reassure him. She had spoken of taking the role as the 'main woman' at his side before, but until now she hadn't tried to do so because he had shown no need of it. And now that she had to step up to it, Evelinde found herself unable to.

A first for everything, but this one she did not like.

"I am afraid of not being enough for the many women Lucifer may want to have me with just for his 'little plan' to spite his family. I already think I am not doing enough to keep you three happy." Carlos spoke with a grimace. It was clear the idea of having many lovers, while appealing, made him dread what could happen. "I am afraid of failing my family because I will screw up and let them down anywhere along this road we thread. Maybe because a demon kills me, I piss someone off, the angels get to me or I just can't keep myself together under pressure." He let out a weary, tired sigh. "I am afraid of losing myself and turning into a monster if the anger and desire for revenge gets to me. You may find it somewhat endearing, but if it takes over… would you still want to be with me?" The question made him think for a second before chuckling. "And to top it all off; how fucked up are we? We are both so damn starved for affection from someone we THINK won't hurt the other that it is a disaster waiting to happen."

By now Carlos was expecting Evelinde to take her hand away, which she did. He was expecting her to get up and walk away from his sorry ass. But that one didn't happen.

Instead, he felt the Cambion return the gesture from before by making him look at her dead in the eye.

"I think you are trying to be perfect, Carlos."

The young man did his best not to scoff. "I all but bragged I could be that and more. Shouldn't I try?"

Evelinde frowned at last. "I admire what you TRY to do, Carlos. Trying to get all you can isn't exactly something any demon would see as wrong." The demoness was sincere, but there was some disdain there. "I have been pampered with free time, your attention, and animosity from my competition. All of this has made me happy, giddy even. I shan't lie and tell you I haven't loved that."

Carlos could feel it coming. "But?"

"But I can see you don't trust me, your family, or even yourself. For all you give me it hardly means anything if you burn yourself out and I end up with nothing in the end." Evelinde spoke in the closest thing to something that could be called anger directed at him. "When I asked you if you saw me as a monster I had a reason. Because, gone as I was to my own wonderland, I saw something." She bit her lip once, hard enough to almost draw blood. "I saw myself… alone, again. Alive, but alone. I saw blood in a way that hurt me for once. I saw death and gore in manners that were repugnant." She made a face. Surprise, wonder in the worst sense, and confusion. "I don't know if you were dead or gone in that 'dream', or whatever it was, and I don't care either way because it just felt WRONG.. What I worry about is not knowing if it was my fault or not…"

The angelic trinket came back to Carlos, but he didn't mention it. Evelinde was already confused and scared about it already. "A vision, perhaps?" He asked instead, concern clear in his voice. "I know little about magic, of course. But perhaps that can be a thing?"

"Maybe… and it makes this even worse if it is something to come and I just saw all our dreams shatter. If you fall, so does your family, and I'll end up alone again, if not dead. I don't want to go back to hoping. Hope alone does nothing." Evelinde went back to look at him with determination clear in her eyes. "I know I have helped none in this regard. I all but shaddled you with the need for this to be a romantic novel for my sake, and you have delivered. No one has ever dedicated their all to me when being with me. I should have done more to make sure what is mine stays MINE." She said with a clear fluster in her voice.

As demanding and possessive as it was, those worlds were clearly as gentle as she could be with her desires. Carlos saw it as endearing, in a way. At least Evelinde wanted him there, with her, no questions asked.

"I wasn't lying when I said I like being with you, all of you." Carlos spoke gently as he finally made contact with Evelinde. Body against body. He felt slightly disgusted still, that is true. He couldn't keep his mind away from his physical condition. But he craved the closeness, and Evelinde didn't pull away either. "Perhaps I am less enthusiastic than you'd like on many of your… hobbies, but I will gladly partake in many things. Not all, don't get me wrong. I am not going to eat people with you no matter how much you ask. But I will do almost anything to make you happy."

The Cambion snorted. Unladylike, yes, but she found it funny that Carlos had to say he wouldn't eat 'people' with her. "And you think you aren't doing enough?" Evelinde smiled at last, nuzzling the young man. "Far better than anyone else I have been with." Those words came out in a dreamy tone, as if she couldn't believe them herself. "But what breaks the illusion is how much you hurt, Carlos. Curses aside, you aren't doing well."

Carlos winced, almost looking away, but standing steadfast. This was something that caught him far too fast. "I… have a lot on my shoulders. A problem of my own making."

"And you cannot solve it alone. Stop trying to do that. You aren't perfect. No one can BE perfect in Hell." Evelinde took his hands, both of them, and held them together as she almost made it so their faces were touching. "We have been together for a short time. You keep saying that, but… Don't you want it to be much longer? Don't you want it to last? To see what the future can bring? Someday it will be more than 'a month', or 'two months'. It could be years… decades… But not if you keep going at it this way."

Breath caught in his throat, Carlos managed to fish out the words. "Yes. You are right." Carlos felt his throat tighten. Evelinde was on the money, much as he disliked it. "I want to see how this goes, more than anything. This… may not be ideal… But I want to see how we end. I'd like for the first romance that can end on MY terms. I want us all to be happy. But perhaps that is too much to ask."

"Then stop trying to be a pillar by your lonesome and maybe it won't." Evelinde took her hands away as he embraced her man. "And include all of us in it. Let us help support you. Okay? Hell may be full of monsters, and while you say you don't see me as one of them, I know what I am. But we are here for you. Others may just want to hurt you, yes, but we won't, if you don't push us away. We are demons, not unfeeling, no matter how much of a mess we are." Her voice lowered as he looked him dead in the eyes. For black pits, Carlos could see a level of gentleness and sincerity he was sure was very rare in Evelinde. It somehow made him miss the fact that she was shortening the already near non-existent gap between them. "So let me in. Let us *all* in. I don't know if the others would, but I would love to be a monster for you." She drew in closer and closer, keeping Carlos still as her eyes closed. "Please. Let me be your monster."

Carlos didn't answer. He couldn't. Because his lips were busy with something else.

You'd think kissing a cannibal would taste like carrion and death. Funnily enough, it didn't. Evelinde, of all things, tasted of licorice, strawberry. Why. How. Those things didn't really matter. His mind was so scrambled that he thought of stupid things, like flavors of all things. And hey, perhaps strawberry licorice wasn't his favorite flavor in the world.

But that line of thought could fuck off and die.

Soon as he found himself kissing back, Carlos could feel his worries and pains melting away. He was clearly out of practice, awkward and had to wonder how Evelinde wasn't choking him with that huge tongue of hers. But did it really matter as they melded together? Not really, no. It was just his mind trying to worm worry back into him for stupid things, things that didn't matter. Only, this time, he found himself able to tune it all off.

Sometimes all you need is just a little love. Tough, rough, or gentle, it doesn't matter. Just, you know, a bit of love. Someone caring for you can make even the worst moments pass as the joy they bring lights your way.

*** Day before 'The Meeting' - Pentagram's Noble Quarters ***

Stolas was in a good mood. Better than usual in fact. Everything had gone right in Wrath, no one had tried to mess with him, despite his wife's constant nagging, and the trip back was very pleasant, even if he would've much preferred to be with his daughter or reading a book. His good mood was in no way lessened by tomorrow's meeting, and in fact it had been made even better thanks to the humans' now regular visits.

Excluding the obvious failure that was the attempt at sharing some time over at the 'Tower'. Stolas hadn't hoped for it to work at all, considering he knew what Stella would say, but there had been an inkling of a possibility before the peahen burst out laughing.

"Such a damn bitch." Stolas grumbled under his breath. "Not that it wasn't expected, but still."

"Something the matter, sire?"

Stolas let out a sigh as he relaxed in his seat. The limousine wasn't the grandest around, not by far, but it was still a status symbol and his chauffeur, the taller imp woman in his employ (and the less reckless of his drivers) was just as good. Not a friend by any means, as she 'knew her place', but she at least had the guts to offer conversation from time to time.

"Nothing is wrong, don't worry. The ride was perfect after all." He shook his head. "It is just my wife. Don't worry about it."

"Of course not, sire." His driver commented. It was clear in what little she said that she wouldn't. No imp in that house wanted to anger Stella, for many reasons. "By the way, sire. I saw an urgent message popping up in the dashboard before, but it wasn't addressed to me."

A message? That could only mean his wife had tried to contact him. Either that or someone with equal (or perhaps greater) power and clout had wanted to notify him of something.

He barely had a moment to pick up his hellphone, noticing that there had been a message indeed, before an explosive sound and an uncontrollable shudder and screech of tires dominated Stolas' world. After a moment of tension and a groan, both from the Goetia and the imp, Stolas managed to croak out a question while holding his head and searching for his tophat after it rolled away somewhere.

"What… what happened? Kellia? Is everything alright?"

Stolas' chauffeur groaned, but Stolas didn't hear her talking as she jumped down from her seat to the road outside. Stolas could hear the woman's hooves clicking on the pavement above a loud 'hiss' that came from outside. Less than a minute afterwards she came back, opening Stolas' door so she could be seen, clear worry in her face.

"I… am sorry, sire, but I think our drive is done." She coughed, dress and face stained black ever so slightly. "The, uh, engine has exploded."

"..." Stolas felt lost for a second. Surprised even. All he could mutter was. "The engine has WHAT?"

And out there, somewhere, with a slight hint of pain in her face, Stella was smirking.

Costly, but everything was going according to plan.