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)

18. Anima Magica - Chapter V

Year I - Act II - Anima Magica - Chapter V

Hey everyone 'Happy New Year' for those still reading. Thanks for sticking around, people!

Let me say that the original plan was for this to be the last chapter before an epilogue that should've prepared Act III to start February next year. But hey, you know how it goes: Plans do not survive an encounter with the enemy, not even here. Shit got longer and longer and I found out that making things shorter did not align with what I wanted to write. So, yeah, as usual: Long.

Anyway, this will be a more Zana focused chapter. I need to get some of the characters more screen time and she was always going to be more prominent here. So have fun!

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"Yes, that is good form, my boy! You'll make an excellent knife fighter, I can see it."

A murderous and very dangerous Overlord was not what Carlos had expected when he opened up to a lot of people about the mess in his mind. Two weeks were nowhere near enough. Forty five days, give or take, were nowhere near enough. But one day at a time was how you made things better, not just overnight.

Still, he should've been far more mindful when he went to see Rosie and speak of his troubles. He owed his Lady that much. Deal or not, self interest or not, the woman had done him a great service. Lying to her and acting like everything was fine would be a disrespecting act he would do without, thank you very much.

Shame that Alastor had been eyeing a few of her books, right next to the door, perfectly hiding him from view when Carlos barged into her studio. All he had asked was if Rosie was available, and she probably had said she was to see if any of the usual pains in the ass that bothered her (despite the clear danger) would dare to do so with the Radio Demon visiting her.

It had been a touching moment, and she admitted as much, when Carlos opened up and admitted to needing help to do his future job better. It had also been a source of entertainment for the two demons when Alastor made his presence, and offer, known.

And right now, using his navaja against a body Carlos was VERY sure wasn't 100% dead, the young man willed himself into trusting Rosie's vouch for Alastor's sincere interest in helping. Because the demon was clearly enjoying the gory messes Carlos had left behind.

He had also been kind enough to wait a bit before landing him in front of something that he could use to teach with. It had all been posture and repetition for a week. Very little time, yes, but people like Carlos, with his blood, didn't need that much. It irked Carlos something fierce to be reminded of that, and Alastor seemed giddy at his anger.

In his words: "You cannot make a masterpiece without first creating a few disasters now, can you? I despise one hit wonders; so much potential lost. So! Practice is a must, young man! Here, let me offer you a canvas or two as a sign of… peace." That was the day before he brought the bodies.

Again, Carlos thought of this in a particular way. It was clear Alastor knew his way around a knife, various kinds in fact. Navajas weren't THAT unique when it came to switchblades, but every part of the world had its own little 'things'. Alastor, of course, was not all that familiar with them, but had beyond masterful abilities with many implements designed to cut, or just cause harm. Carlos had practiced with the others, and many of the older adults, including his grandfather, had a knack with weapons for one reason or another. But Alastor was different. To say that he knew his stuff was an understatement, and he had a way of being both condescending yet incredibly helpful at the same time when it came to sharing that knowledge.

"Now, remember here, young man."

The Radio Demon inspected the corpse. A clean cut through the abdomen. Quick, swift, brutal. It would've disemboweled someone, causing, at least in Hell, more than enough pain to force a target to stop and recover. He nodded in approval, but clearly the would be crippling injury was far less refined than Alastor wanted the wound to be.

"Blunt weapons are to be swung with force, then allowed to travel, always ready for either a swing and a miss, then a quick recovery, or the force of impact that should be channeled for a quick follow up. A brutal yet satisfying art that cracks bones and ruptures blood vessels as well as it does organs. Piercing? A quick, precise thrust forward, then jank backwards. Tear and spear your victim. Alternatively: Push harder and move the blade within, cut, maim and tear so the prey doesn't escape. Make your opponent scream as you relish in their suffering." It was not that he wanted to teach, it was more akin to share in his fanciful desire to inflict misery. "As for a blade like yours? It can pierce, yes, but yours is meant to go through the gaps and then tear apart, not pierce and cut inside, no. Why, I can see it: It is made to slice flesh like butter, to make blood flow with many little cuts or a large, lethal one. A good, refined weapon for an assassin to leave a singular, beautiful trail… or a brutal murdering tool for a knife fighter in the trenches of war when gutting someone alive is perhaps more effective than any other skill."

Carlos didn't even bother hiding his grimace. "I'd prefer not to fight a war like that anytime soon."

"Hahah! You and I both know that isn't true." Alastor inched his way closer to the young man, his claws slicing a chunk of flesh from the corpse before popping it in his mouth. The sight was unnerving, if not downright terrifying. "You want to end your enemy, do you not? Do you think you'll be able to do so without killing all her worthless accomplices and acolytes? Someone that old and powerful will demand nothing less than a small army of worms and parasites she can dispose of when the need arises. And you won't succeed in your task without going through them first."

For some reason Alastor's words didn't bother the young man too much. In fact they didn't bother him. At all.

The sole idea of stuffing that bitch, whoever she was, into an oven and watching her cook was the most sadistic, brutal and cruel imagery Carlos had seen himself committing in his mind. And he wanted it to happen.

If he had to personally kill an army of mooks to do so, he would.

"Now that is the energy I love to see." Alastor walked around Carlos in circles, like a shark that smelled blood. "You thought about your end goal, didn't you? A massacre filled party with a burning end, fitting cruel punishment to a genocide that sent your whole bloodline to damnation, one way or another." The Radio Demon summoned his cane with a grin. "Tell those with us today, my boy." He placed the speaker in front of the young man. "How does the idea of recreating a fairy tale feel?"

Normally Carlos would've shut up and let Alastor tease him. He knew both things Rosie told him were true: He would dislike the man, not despise him, but he also learned to enjoy his antics.

Not to say he liked what he did, or enjoyed it, or even saw it as anywhere near the realm of acceptable. Alastor was a fucking menace and was more screwed in the head than Evelinde. And by God had Carlos learned much, much, much more about the Cambion in nearly two weeks. He felt bad leaving Leonor and Zana a bit more to their devices, but both seemed to understand. Point being: Carlos had learned a lot about Evelinde's mental state: It was a mess, yet normal for Hell.

Alastor? Alastor was fucking insane in many ways. But functional, too, and had his reasons. Carlos wouldn't pry without being offered. After all, the mortal knew his own mental illnesses to tangle with.

Thing is, Carlos knew that he couldn't judge, not anymore. So he opted to bring his usual sincerity.

"I just wish Lady Rosie invites you to eat the witch after she roasts." Because the idea of the woman being defiled by as many sickos as possible was like music to his ears. A cruel, bloodthirsty satisfaction that kept his own nerves and doubts at bay.

Canned laughter could be heard coming from somewhere, just as Alastor's grin became more predatory and the lights around the room began to dim. Not that there was that good an atmosphere before, considering this was an enchanted locker where Rosie kept some of her… food items. But that was an afterthought. The important detail came when Carlos' chest constricted his hearth as if it was trying to squeeze it like a grape.

His breath caught in his throat. His lungs burned. Every muscle seemed to contract and Carlos felt ten, if not a damn hundred times worse than any of the curses in his body had made him until now. This wasn't some mumbo jumbo magic that had been grafted to speed some processes in his body. This was a motherfucking punishment because he made a stupid decision without knowing.

And fucking Hell, but it HURT. The fact that he wasn't doubling over was as surprising as the next breath he desperately craved coming through when he almost blacked out.

"Now, now. I appreciate the sentiment. I truly do, young man. But you should be mindful here." Alastor spoke, animated as always, but with an underlying tone that spoke of misery if his words weren't heeded. "You made a promise, did you not? Don't go wishing this and that, much less what you owe to other demons, even by mistake. If Rosie choses to, and I know she will at least ponder it, she'll give me an invitation to such a delightful dinner." With pain still flaring, Alastor used his cane to lift Carlos' face enough to look him in the eye. "Because if you have that kind of misstep you may not need an enemy to be in danger. You still don't understand just how precise and how dangerous any kind of deal is, my boy. Make sure to keep it always in mind."

Clutching his chest and hissing in pain, all Carlos could manage was a. "I think… the pain… will help me… understand… Sure as hell… won't help me forget." Barely audible and full of regret.

He hadn't thought something so insignificant could force so much pain onto him. Despite all he had learned in the past month, and all he had been discussing more in depth with Evelinde after they, eh, became 'closer', there was still a lot to learn.

Alastor took his cane away, a smile on his face. "Very good! Pain is a good teacher, dear Carlos. I have no doubt you know this already, don't you?" That smile of his only got wider, even more so when Carlos didn't avert his eyes. Teasing was a lot of fun on its own for the Radio Demon. "Do stand proud, young man. Most mortals that just think about doing what you just did would suffer far more than you. Seriously considering stabbing a deal maker in the back can even summon the person with… colorful results. Demons themselves have to tread carefully, so don't despair. Even knowing the dangers there are many that try to go through with it anyway. We both know how frail human morality and will can be, do we not?"

Mercy was not something widely offered in Hell, if at all. But clearly someone had at least another sprinkle of the stuff ready for Carlos, because the locker's door opened, with Rosie giving an inquisitive look at those within.

"Pardon me for interrupting, dears, but I felt a slight 'thug'." Rosie spoke softly as she gave Alastor a reproachful look. "I hope nothing untoward was going on?"

Alastor was perfect the moment he acted offended. "Oh please, my dear Rosie! You offend me." The man in red chuckled as he approached his fellow Overlord. "What happened only came after our good boy here made a faux pax, nothing else."

Rosie threatened to deadpan at her friend, her smile flat and thin. But she entertained the thought of Alastor being sincere. After all, he wasn't going to go behind her back to do something. Friendships like theirs (not to speak of the alliance) were both rare and treasured. That, and Carlos was still far too green in some areas, so it was not hard to believe the Radio Demon anyway.

"Carlos?" Rosie let out a sigh as she pinched the nonexistent bridge of her equally not there nose. "Did you say something wrong?"

"I… didn't think so." Carlos gasped for air again. The pain was waning, almost gone, but the after effects were anything but pleasant. "I just… said I hoped he'd join in to eat the bi-." He coughed, not to stop himself, but because his lungs burned. Again, he had to watch what he said. "To partake in what I promised you, my Lady. I… didn't really mean anything with it."

Rosie sighed again. She had a more gentle smile on her, but it was clear she was a little worried. There are things SHE should have shared and talked about in more detail. A failure on her part, one she didn't want to repeat. It was so hard to find a human willing to cut a deal so eagerly and in such an earnest and genuine way as Carlos had. In a way it pained her just because she wanted the deal to go through for his sake.

On the other hand, she wanted the deal to go through because of the gains promised. She was a demon after all, and selfish desires were primordial with all demonkind, 'nice' or not. The only problem these days was the work she had to go through. For some reason she was being swamped. Her current position shouldn't have forced so much on her plate, and there were whispers of some trying to get her to make a misstep. Much as she wanted to educate the young man and his family, Rosie's attention was sadly taken already.

"Carlos…" Rosie shook her head. There was a hint of disappointment there as her previous thoughts lingered. "While I don't see a problem there, you should think things through. You are learning about magic, you have seen first hand what a deal is about. By now you should know of the dangers and why the legends and tales of magicians unleashing chaos with a few badly chosen words are NO myths, only slight exaggerations."

Carlos let out a slight, if still pained, chuckle. "Didn't think something so insignificant would mess me up this much."

Rosie hummed as she looked at the human. It was clear his whole body got wrecked by pain. Not the worst backlash, more so considering Rosie's own strength and what it would do to a deal breaker. Still, this was far more pain she would've liked to inflict to someone like him for a slip of the tongue that was innocuous at the end of the day, more so when it came to the person the offer was directed at.

"If I had any choice, it wouldn't. But by now you know that is not exactly how magic works." Rosie shook her head before turning around. "Mistakes aside, I regret to say you have to move earlier than expected."

"Earlier?" Pain ignored, barely, Carlos brought up his phone. He was supposed to have an hour, no, almost two at this point, before he had to go to Stolas' place. Pocketing it away he could only wonder what the problem was. "Something happened?"

The demoness shrugged. "Nothing surprising or important, really. Considering the noble caste of Hell? It counts as little more than a prank."

Rosie motioned for both of them to follow. Alastor was more than glad, though Carlos took a second, still mulling over what Rosie could mean.

"Apparently you knew that Stolas had been forewarned about a possible 'happenstance'?" Rosie didn't stop to look behind her, knowing Carlos would simply nod. "Well, to no one's surprise, it did. His car 'lost all propulsion' far away from home, as he put it. A more sincere answer is to say the front of his limousine exploded."

Rosie and Alastor both let out a chuckle. It was no wonder, even Carlos would've done the same if he wasn't worried about the Prince.

Stupid, yes. More so considering Stolas probably needed no less than any Sinner to get properly murked, or something even more powerful. Either way, Carlos' nature made it hard to ignore the possibility.

He had to stop that. Worrying over every little shit that happened was what was getting him close to a mental breakdown and in Alastor's hands for some particular training in how to murder people. Stolas was a powerful demon, and considering no one had been hunted down then Carlos could guess not even his service had been hurt. This was, at worst, a bit of face lost in front of the nobility.

"In any case, the Prince is perfectly fine, not even the driver got hurt. Not that the imp would've been more than roughed up at worst. No Goetia would go anywhere without a magically reinforced transport at the very least, whether modern or old fashioned." Rosie's explanation had more to do with reassuring Carlos, knowing him well enough at this point, than sharing any important detail. At least until she went for the more interesting tidbits. "Now, the loss of money the moment Lady Stella got robbed? That is a bit more daring. And having every single mechanic that only the nobles have access suddenly telling him that they are occupied? Far too big a coincidence."

"Far too tame as nobles go, too." Alastor hummed, openly bored now that the topic showed its tameness. "I was expecting more blood and destruction." And the intensity of his voice betrayed just how real that desire was. "Not something that any child could do when it comes to our dear feathered fiends."

"Despite Lord Lucifer's words you should understand very few people are going to bother our mortal friends, Alastor." Rosie let out a gentle 'tut-tut' as the two of them chuckled. Carlos could guess it was some joke he was not privy to. "So if no one has the intestinal fortitude to face a human, why would they enrage a Goetia of all things? Besides, considering Lucifer gave him a task, PERSONALLY, I'd be willing to bet our dear King would actually do something if things went further than just this 'prank'."

"Shame." Alastor twirled his cane before finally summoning it away. "It would've made for some pretty interesting news to talk about if nothing else. A pity, really, that the ones involved had any kind of coherent thought."

Rosie threw Alastor a grin and a sidelong glance. "This has to do with Lucifer all but ordering you not to hunt the Goetia."

Alastor didn't even hide his huff. "Interesting fellow to know, for sure, but has far too many rules sometimes. Ironic, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Rosie smirked as the trip through her domicile ended. The street outside was far emptier than Carlos had expected. Except for a few vehicles that were clearly waiting. "Traversing his little game is entertaining enough." Although there was something else that was clearly making the woman smirk the moment she turned her gaze on Carlos. "Like the one you have to play now, my dear."

And, of course, the human didn't know what the hell was going on. "Me?"

The way both Rosie and Alastor began to grin in such a similar manner made Carlos gulp. The fuck had he missed here?

"Dear boy." Alastor's audience began to chuckle in the background. "I am pretty sure you know someone skilled with machines to a point that our dear Prince would gladly welcome her in his home, do you not? In fact, I would gamble that he is more than familiar enough to have made that request."

"Indeed." Rosie nodded, adding to the apprehension Carlos was already feeling. "A bit of an excuse, all things considered. Want it or not, your girls should meet with any and all possible allies. Considering Prince Stolas seems quite open to having friendly relations with you and your family…" The rest went unsaid. Basically, his personal crew had been invited, as a whole.

Of course. Carlos' worry went to the right place after that: Annoyance.

"Ffffffu-."

*** Carlos' State, moments later. ***

"-uuuuuuck you."

Annoyance that persisted after he was delivered to his own home. Though Zana's deadpan and her delivery said more than enough about her own mood.

"I am not going to convince you without a fight, am I?"

Probably not the best decision to do this in the kitchen. Then again, where else? It was early, Zana had been working on machines all day yesterday and Leonor had been busy working with Rosie. At this point Carlos knew that the pair were giving him time with Eve, though it did not help him feel any better. He wanted them included.

But not this way, for fuck's sake! Zana looked no different than usual, other than a huge cup of coffee in hand, but Carlos was more than sure about how painful it would be if she decided to use the spoon on him in ANY way. Oh, and the jacket: The only time she didn't wear any of those was in the morning if she didn't have to go out. The little imp seemed more than happy to have less covering her body when in company she liked.

But Carlos ignored the more revealing body, instead focusing on the spoon. Because Zana would use it on him. Oh, you better believe she would.

"The fuck you thought I was going to say?" Zana didn't even raise her voice or change her tone. It was snide, but calm, and just dangerous enough. "Why would I go with you to the featherbang's freaking home? To handle a damn engine because his usual asskissers are busy?"

"Not going to lie here." Leonor was far worse with her own coffee. She just wasn't a morning person, as the cup, just as large as Zana, had its second refill. Wearing a green bathrobe after her morning shower was now a common sight. "It was hard not to laugh the moment you cracked that question. I expected her to chuck the cup your way."

"Fuck that." Zana sneered. "I like this cup." She lifted the thing. It looked like someone had raped gears, spanners and a lot other crap together into this hybrid monster. A 'Steampunk' cup, or so she said. "But I will do horrible things with the spoon in a moment if SOMEONE asks again."

Evelinde was far more mellow with a dainty cup of tea in her claws. "I don't think it is such a bad idea."

Zana's sneer only deepened. "Of course you wouldn't… There is nothing that could erase that fucking smirk from your face before, now it is virtually impossible. You have been really happy for a while."

"Guilty." Evelinde did nothing but smile her characteristic grin, nowadays much more relaxed, more so if she spent the night in good company. "But having pleasant nights has nothing to do with this."

The imp rolled her eyes. "Then?"

"Stolas' duty has to do with the Harvest Moon, my dear." Evelinde placed the empty cup on the kitchen's table, gently pushing it towards the imp. The contents, or lack thereof, had a clear meaning. "I know for a fact that your family hasn't been exactly gifted these past few years."

"My family is doing FINE." Zana growled, far more defensive than the imp likely wanted to appear. "Ranch Emberborn has NO problem that feather bound creep can help with."

"We both know that isn't true." Leonor and Carlos looked from one woman to another as they talked. "It is no secret that the one in charge before Prince Stolas was a… less than competent, and very picky with his gifts, Goetia."

"A piece o' shit, more like." Zana growled. The only reason she didn't bend the spoon, or crack the cup, was a fountain of patience. Although her accent went right through it and it quickly became far too pronounced. It was clear Zana wasn't taking this well. "So whut ya wanna me do? Go ova' there 'n' kiss th' Prince's royal ass?"

"Why would I do that?" Evelinde actually looked properly offended at that. "The idea of making one of us crawl and beg is not at all pleasant. I may be willing to fight for Carlos' attention."

And a quick look towards Leonor made it clear that the Cambion knew something Carlos wasn't privy to. Considering Leonor's only working eye was glaring daggers at the other demoness, and that Zana suddenly seemed more ready to mediate than get on with her clear disdain, only served to make Carlos more curious and worried about what was going on.

"But contests and differences, of any kind, can be cast aside. At least when it comes to those outside of our family." At Zana's arched eyebrow Evelinde could only sigh. "And yes, dear. Unless you leave, I will count you as part of the family. We are here as his wives, after all." Evelinde motioned towards the house's lonely human. "Official titles aside of course." Both Zana and Leonor agreed, one with more enthusiasm than the other, though there were no words against it. "That means to present a strong front, in any occasion. More so if it is official in any way. Whether we like it or not this favor takes place the same day we are to meet our new… friend."

Zana could be the one with more natural and constant disdain towards all Goetic demons, but it was clear Evelinde had no love for the woman they were yet to meet. Understandable, considering she was, technically, her most direct competition.

Whatever happened, legally speaking only this Destina was to be Carlos' wife, as well as the face of the family. The mere idea did not sit well with Evelinde. Protocol, manners and customs be damned to the deepest fucking pits of Hell, Evelinde wanted to at least FIGHT for that.

But she kept calm, cool and collected. At least on the surface. Because everyone present knew the reason as to why she was making a hole on the table with her claws as she 'tapped', more like drilled, into it every few seconds.

"Now, I am quite sure our talks with Stolas didn't go unnoticed. He has clearly asked for a favor from someone that knows about these machines and that, in a way, has standing." Zana grumbled under her breath as Evelinde kept talking. "Like it or not, to a point, albeit minor, you ARE noble. Although I will not lie: No one will address you as such."

"Better." Zana growled under her breath. At last she downed the coffee, still piping hot, not that it did anything to her. "They c'n all feck off fer all Ah care."

"Perhaps you don't, yet." Evelinde's voice turned much harsher and serious. "But unless you get a chance to leave, and WANT to do so, you SHOULD care."

Zana turned to face Evelinde fully. "Why should Ah?"

"Because, want it or not, you'll be part of this all."

So focused had been the three demons with the topic that none had noticed Carlos walking behind the imp. Now, with his hands on her shoulders, Zana could feel a lot of her anger slipping away. It wasn't that she liked the touch per se, it was that the bastard had some skill with those hands and the imp had been busted. A good massage helps more than most liked to think.

And the shiver going down Zana's back, coupled with a straight up tail, told Carlos he wasn't exactly doing it wrong as he rubbed her shoulders. Although the little nubs he noticed around her shoulder blades seemed far too sensitive the moment Zana let out a barely heard moan. Better not do anything there unless it was in private.

He was correct, considering it was the most vestigial expression of Zana's Lust heritage. 'Failed wings', like some of her siblings had. A few had developed the wings, and magic, required to fly, most hadn't. However, as any heritage from Lust, it had to do with pleasure, temptation and, of course, sensitivity far above the norm.

"I will not pressure you, but it would be a good first impression for you, and Leonor too." Carlos went on, eliciting a surprised sound from the shark demon. "I am not going to leave you out of this. What did you expect? To be left alone when we welcome the new girl? That wouldn't be fair either."

Leonor could only grumble, but she didn't seem too upset. Having his attention on her was a positive no matter what. "I appreciate the gesture, but I highly doubt I'd be welcome there."

"Am not th' only one with disdain fer the bluebloods." Zana groaned out as she enjoyed the massage… perhaps a bit too much. "'n' Carlos…" She managed to turn her head around just enough to give a harmless glare to the human. Though that quickly changed the moment she opened her mouth. "Don't rub th' wing nubs unless we 'r' doin' it. Kay? Or I'll castrate ya with this here spoon THROUGH YER ASS." The last part she hissed loud enough for her forked tongue to lash out.

There was no need to guess. She was being very literal and so serious it did manage to scare Carlos. So of course he gave her a quick nod as he avoided that particular area.

"Threats aside." Zana let out a much more relaxed sigh. It was obvious she was back to her 'normal'. Either forcefully on her part or because the little attention got her to calm down naturally. "I don't like the idea of going there."

"I know."

Carlos stopped the little massage as he bent down, hands going to her midsection. Zana wouldn't say it but she appreciated it a lot when he went for a hug instead of what she'd expect from anyone else: Going for her breasts, or her ass, or her dick, or almost anything other than what looked like a hug trying to reassure her. It was like the nice times she spent with her family, only this time she was with someone that had been trying to appreciate her just for her.

She also knew why most demons had done that. Other than the more forward nature demonkind possessed in general, not that many people liked a muscular woman. Zana wasn't a bodybuilder, true, but she had a clear six pack, and her body was generally tougher than most imps. Only her erogenous zones were soft, and not all of them remained so during sex. Some in the past had even remarked how touching her chest was more akin to rubbing down a brick wall than a body.

Suddenly she began to understand why the hell Leonor had been so envious of Evelinde. It also struck her that she had been avoiding the man far too much, going the extra mile since Evelinde and him started fucking at last. She'd be this crude admitting it to him too, probably worse.

But it would be a lie if she said that this quickly growing connection with the human didn't strike her as odd. Still, she'd remain mum for the time being.

"Look, I won't mince words here." Carlos didn't seem to notice her second thoughts, probably the girls didn't either. For that Zana was glad, more so when Carlos kept talking. He would not lie and that was rasuring if nothing else. "Stella is a massive cunt." He also made her laugh with that comment. "But Stolas is friendly, if awkward. He also says a lot of dumb shit if he is flustered, like when his daughter is around and he loses his shit trying to baby her or do anything he can to make her happy. As for Octavia? The little one is one of the few children I have liked being close to. Nearly every child I had any contact with on Earth was a snot nosed brat. Heck, most will be like that nowadays. Children are selfish and most modern parents are weak." He shook his head, not willing to get into a rant. "Point is, she was a welcome change. She also was a perfect example of the Goetia not being assholes from the get go."

Zana grumbled anew. She wasn't one to blame children from their parents' fuckups, demon or not, but still. "I just don't like the idea…"

"You and I both, sister." Leonor was quick to follow, hugging her bathrobe tight to her chest. "I'd love to have a day off right now, but not to visit Goetia of all people."

Evelinde chuckled the moment Leonor said this. "Not wishing to off some rule breakers today?"

"Killing people here is more akin to hunting than doing a hit." Leonor nursed her remaining coffee with a scowl. "Never was a fan of hunting, by the way. Demonic wildlife at the Greed ring is sick in many ways. Most of the Cannibal demons here are no better."

"I know it may sound redundant, but we take Pride on that." Evelinde had the most clear shit eating grin anyone had seen in the Cambion until now. The woman let her hair down more often around the others after 'that' day. "Jokes aside: You two are as much a risk to this as I am, my dears. None of us wants one of the Goetia among our number. If it weren't for the contract, I assure you I'd love to work with you all towards arranging an… 'accident' for her."

That made everyone shut up and look her way. It was clear that even Carlos was largely unsure about the new addition that had to join the family. Though his was not a doubt born of familiarity with the noble class of Hell.

Still, Carlos had been trying to get his shit in order, and he would keep doing it. Part of that change and return to form was doing as he was now: Taking a bit of the initiative. He didn't want to cut Evelinde, but he felt his approach being more in tune with what their 'family' had to focus on.

Cooperation.

"All of you, please, relax." Carlos managed out as he let go of Zana. The imp growled under her breath. Whether she liked to admit it or not, this time without the heat of the moment, him moving away was the opposite of pleasurable. "Look. As I said, just to be clear, I will force none of you to go. You can wait here, I can talk with Stolas and clear the air, give you all time. While I want there to be a real friendship if possible, I won't mess with any of you to get that. But I know that sooner or later you girls will have to meet him, like Eve did. Heck, everyone that gets tangled in this will likely have to mingle with Stolas… and his wife." The last part was said in a way that neither Zana nor Leonor could say was pleasant. "The main problem now is that I was given less than fifteen minutes and I think we may have five left."

Evelinde snickered. "You know the servants will wait for us, Carlos. They will grumble, but they will wait."

"Bunch of squares." Zana growled under her breath. Suddenly she wanted something far harder than coffee. "One of my cousins works for Lucifer, ya know? Just menial shit, nothing fancy, so of course he was sent here to build part of the goddamn church. He met me coming back from the mine a few days ago. We caught up, then told me it would be mighty impressive if I managed to rub shoulders with the prince."

Leonor groaned as she got up, but she did nod. "Well, one thing you know in Wrath is true in all Rings: Connections are useful. True that in most cases you guys do that to prepare for the next shootout, but…"

"Fuck off, Leo." Zana threw her spoon at the shark demon, making Leonor chuckle as she dodged before her good eye got blinded too. Praise be, because Zana managed to stick the thing into the wall. "But I suppose I'll have to fucking go. 'Make a nice impression' 'n' all." Then she glared at Carlos. "Not going to doll up, tho'."

The imp felt another shiver run all over her body the second Carlos' hand gave her a gentle touch around the neck area. "You are perfectly fine as is, Zana."

Well, that was it. The imp was sold. Though she wasn't going to confess it considering this only cemented some of her doubts.

Her tail did give her away however. Try as she might, Zana didn't have perfect self control.

Seeing this, Leonor could only grunt in defeat. "Fuck. Fine. I'll get dressed." She grumbled just loud enough to be heard. What the others didn't catch was what she said as she exited the room. "I'll also grab my fucking gun. Wish I hadn't stopped smoking right now."

In fact she wanted to do every hard drug she ever got her claws on. Even that much wouldn't be enough to dull the incoming headache.

*** Minutes later - Imp City; Stolas' Mansion ***

Coming here just with the girls was surprisingly unpleasant. Three parts made it whole: The first part of it had to do with having fewer numbers. Another involved getting into Imp City in minutes instead of hours. And lastly we had the lack of his family and the desire he had for his cousins to keep reinforcing their relationship with Stolas. Both for everyone on his side to open a bit more when it came to the owl, and because Carlos had noticed Stolas DESPERATELY needed friends.

As in: Holy fuck. An introvert is more capable than you.

And that is when said introvert's first words were 'Ugh, people' while flipping the new arrivals off one by one.

Though we could hardly forget the clearly unamused peahen waiting for them at the door. With the courtyard open and occupied, barely, by a few of Stolas' employed imps and security hellhounds that looked at the group with a well hidden feeling of pity.

"Couldn't your little group ever wear something with class for once? Two weeks and any hopes I have of that are lost." The woman used her hand fan to point at the two new figures in her house with utter disdain. "To top that we have one money grubber dressed like a man and with one less eye to further that mafia look. Then the imp looked like a greasy monkey out of a trashy porn movie. Well, a 'decent' one as far as trash goes. I can at least admire the custom made clothes that, hopefully, will not rip at an inconvenient moment."

Carlos almost voiced his thoughts: Always making friends, wasn't she?

Then again, whether she wanted to be friendly or not didn't matter. And no, she did not. But she had to act pissed off and cuntish, something she had experience in, considering the change to the timetable and everything that led to it.

Stella had experience making others hate her, and it came handy far more than anyone would care to admit.

"Yer a fuckin' cunt."

Of course. Leave Gonzalo out of this, through 'royal decree', considering this was only for Carlos and his 'mistresses' to witness, Stolas' favor notwithstanding, and you get Zana acting up. Not like she didn't have a reason. There was only one problem, though.

Stella had to fire back. In a way she didn't want to, because she really didn't want to be here, NOW, but she had to play the part.

"You should watch your tongue, imp." The peahen sneered as she glared the imp's way.

Zana didn't answer, and this was what Carlos had been worried about.

Because if she didn't open her mouth, the imp would otherwise DO something. This translated to the imp woman opening her jacket in a flurry before pulling her shotgun from within. All in perfect silence as a dark shadow covered her face. She was pissed and there was little to do about it.

Stella wasn't afraid. Why would she? At worst a buckshot would hurt a little bit. Maybe create a superficial wound. The worst would come from her dress being ruined, and that alone would give her grounds to do something to Carlos and his ilk. A good way to win the upper hand.

At least that is what she thought. Heck, it was what Carlos and Evelinde thought. Leonor? She knew better, because she also drew her revolver.

Stella began to wonder if she had said too much the moment Zana brought up two shotgun shells that she could see were glowing in the light of Hell. They had intricate designs, almost purposeful, as motes of light flew away from the surface. Small hishes and a glint of dark smoke could be seen and heard coming from Zana's claws.

"Am gonna make one thin' clear." Zana didn't have a particular tone. She was horribly even, almost emotionless, as she loaded the shotgun. "Am here not 'cos Ah wanted ta be, but 'cos this here gentleman asked." Zana gave a quick nod towards Carlos, who at this point couldn't help but wonder where the woman got those shells from. "Ah can leave at any time 'n' tell all of ya'll to fek off." The click of the shotgun closing echoed through the courtyard. "But ya will stay, alive or dead, birdie."

"You dare fucking threat-!"

The words of Stella died in her throat the moment she noticed not one gun, but two, pointed her way. It took her no time to notice the revolver in the shark's hand was emitting a very faint light from within, likely loaded in the same manner as the shotgun leveled at her chest. The only difference here was how the imp didn't need to aim that much while the shark's sights were clearly between her eyes.

There would be no admission. But the idea of being on the receiving end of this was at least a little bit intimidating on Stella's part.

"Japan is far from my most liked country and culture, my 'lady'." Leonor's voice was slightly more animated than Zana, if only barely. It had the right inflection for the scene to take on a new look however. "But I'll say this about its people: They make an art out of overcoming challenges. Speaking of, do you know one of Carlos' uncles originates from there and is also a great metalsmith? Why, he can create beautiful weapons and armor out of angelic steel. Not so much a gunsmith though. But let it not be said that he is a man who refuses challenges the moment they come. So having him build a few rounds for us was something he relished, and his craftsmanship I won't deny." She cocked the gun, hardly caring that every single hellhound in the courtyard, even a few imp, were aiming her way. "That is to say, I can assure this will do a little more than just dirty your dress. Unless we become civil, perhaps?"

Carlos couldn't help but wonder why people bantered so much in these situations. Then again, looking around, he saw that no one wanted to come to Stella's rescue. No surprise there. So of course spewing bullshit was welcome. It was better than just having a shootout. More so considering, no matter what, every servant there would be in hot water afterwards.

And much to everyone's wonder, Stella did not just tell security to fuck them up and seal everyone's fate. Carlos wasn't stupid, he knew she barely needed to move to give a signal. And while not everyone here knew it, Stella, while sub par with magic in some areas, could just as easily do something herself.

But she didn't want to, because this suited her more than just fine. It was perfect.

Stella did not want them as friends, and this animosity was useful. She wasn't Stolas, she knew that the human would be bottom of the barrel when it came to nobility and NOTHING would change that. He would have to be proactive, put his neck on the line openly and run errands for an Overlord and Lucifer the moment they told him to jump. And if he didn't ask how high before doing it? Heads would roll. Whether they were tied to him or not, that did not matter.

Carlos was, far as any noble house would care, scum. And that he had his little following pulling guns for something as simple as crossing the fucking foyer and disliking a few words was a point in Stella's favor.

Risk and reward. Stella would've loved to show the smug grin growing within, but someone beat it back.

"Is this really how you are always going to greet MY guests, Stella?"

Any elation at her ploy succeeding decided to evaporate the moment Stolas appeared and changed Stella's expression from one of fake worry to one of very real resentment. Of course the asshole would come and steal any good thoughts away from her.

"Stolas." Was all she offered as an answer. The closest thing to a 'yes', too.

Stolas had decided to go with his official getup today, minus the hat. He had been tempted to forego the long pants and just go with his one piece suit, but his own daughter had told him it looked silly if he was going to have guests for something formal. Far more power on Octavia's beak than Stella when it came to Stolas' decisions, that was for sure.

Commanding as he could look, he didn't dare push his wife away from the door, instead sidestepping Stella and avoiding her sneer as he walked down the stairs to the courtyard. A placating gesture towards his staff made everyone relax ever so slightly. It helped that Carlos placed a hand on Zana's shotgun, making the imp back down (begrudgingly), while Leonor followed in her steps the moment Carlos threw her a sidelong glance.

Evelinde took a step forward, clearly unbothered with the scene that almost took place. To her it would've been an interesting, albeit likely suicidal, act. A part of her believed all would've been well no matter what, though, perhaps optimism born of her recent happiness.

Either way she made a curtsy for the Goetic Prince. "Prince Stolas. Thank you for receiving us this early. And sorry about the… incensed entrance."

"Oh hoh!" Stolas didn't hide his chuckle at the gesture. "No, no. Thanks my dear, but I think I should be the one in your position here. I did ask for a favor after all." A glance towards his wife, glaring at the group, made the owl frown. "And I am very sure tempers flared for everyone here, considering everything going on today."

Stella's scoff deepened, but she opted not to do or say anything in front of the staff. She gave the closest to zero shits, and the staff should know not to start any rumors or there'd be a culling. But her part was done as far as she cared, so they could all burn the moment she turned and left.

All she needed to do was look from the balcony above after they left. She needed to give the 'early visit' proper directions after all.

Meanwhile, Evelinde returned Stolas' gesture. "I assure you it is nothing, Prince Stolas. No one was going to do anything rash… were they?"

Leonor was the first to relax her posture and hide away her gun. She hadn't been aiming at anyone after Stella left, but just as well.

"One must not show weakness in front of anyone in these encounters, Lord Stolas." Surprising no one, Leonor's voice was curt and to the point. It was clear she wasn't going to be friendly from the get go.

Stolas doesn't seem to mind. In fact it seems to cheer him up as he speaks. "Right you are, my dear. It is not always easy to stand for yourself with some of the people around here." This is clearly a jab more at himself than anything else, though the clear disdain flowing through him as he stares back towards the house for a moment makes it clear Stella is not exempt. That is quickly ignored as he takes a step and offers a hand. "Nice to finally have you visiting too, Lady Leonor."

Leonor can't help but scoff. "None of that 'Lady' thing. 'Miss' at best. I got enough of people calling me 'lady' in my old job when they were trying to suck up." The memory clearly stings now that she brings it up, but she ends up taking the hand in a gentle, yet firm, handshake. "And I suppose it is nice to finally visit, Lord Stolas."

The owl doesn't hide a hoot. He is clearly more relaxed now that his wife isn't around. Probably helps that most of the hired help has vacated the place. There are still some watching, and doing a poor work of hiding their prying eyes, so Stolas cannot just 'relax' as it were.

"All is good my dear, no worries there. Although I would prefer tit for that, if you don't mind to be less formal yourself." Then he turned towards Zana, offering the same gesture. "And let me welcome you properly too, my L-."

"If ya call me 'lady' Ah'm bringing the shotgun back out."

Yeah, Stolas thought it better to retract his outstretched hand.

The imp had shoved her shotgun back in place. No decorum, no patience, and no unloading. A massive risk for sure, but Zana was nothing if not careful. Safety on and all that. Although there was a chance she had only done that because the ammunition was literally finite.

Wouldn't be the first time since Carlos ended up with these three that Zana had unloaded on something (and not someone, luckily for everyone else around her) when she was royally pissed off at something. Considering the Wratling's demeanor and her 'on' switch being far too fickle, this was the best Carlos, and everyone around her, could expect from the shortest in height, and fuse, of the group.

Of course Stolas just found her demeanor charming. Because he was just like that. Perhaps he would've liked his gesture to be returned, but having the little imp act 'natural' was more than 'endearing' enough for him.

"Oh hoh hoh hoh! Don't you worry dear, that won't be needed." Stolas chuckled as he turned towards his house, walking and beckoning everyone to follow him inside. "Although it surprises me quite a lot that you don't like the idea. Many of those in my employment think I don't hear them, but they aren't as sneaky as they presume to be when they fantasize about becoming a noble and having 'everything' they could ever want."

Zana didn't even try to hide her gag as the group moved along with Stolas. "Yeah, no thanks." Her words carrying a simple meaning: The tittle could go fuck itself. "I already have enough shit on my plate. Not interested in the cloak and dagger bullcrap you guys get involved with."

"That is one thing I'd gladly do without." Stolas didn't find it surprising that he could find common ground with someone from Wrath when it came to that particularity of his position. Wrath imps were specially direct in all things after all. "Not the only negative, sadly. Just the same, in time you will have to navigate it, if even a little."

Zana let out a groan that could feel exaggerated at first. Surprisingly, if you managed to coax it out of her, she refrained from sounding as excited as she was: Enough to jump into a woodchipper, feet first.

She didn't say anything about leaving, though. Carlos filled that in for later. He'd have to find a way to thank her for being cooperative.

"Would prefer to have this lil job of yours explode on my face, no offense." Though it was clear through Zana's best (as in, barely an) attempt to sound nice that, yes, she would prefer the explosion. "Speaking of which…"

"Yes, of course." Stolas hums before taking a moment to face Carlos. "By the way, Carlos. Would you do me a small favor?"

With them already in the entrance room, and with curiosity raised, Carlos could only blurt out a simple. "Yes? Anything I can help with, I suppose."

"Oh, it is not that you can help here. In fact it is the opposite." Stolas didn't even hide the little smirk as he faced the group. "It has to do more with what 'I' must do to help Zana here." At the group's quizzical look he came clean. "There are spells in almost everything a Goetia owns, unless it is considered, hmm, 'decorative'. Generally things of monetary value aren't protected, for example. Few of us think we'll be robbed. No one should have the guts."

The group didn't hear a mutter and a chuckle that had to do with something about an 'imp friend'. Even if they did, it was likely only Carlos and Evelinde would've understood.

"Anyhoo, I need to do a little bit of magic since the usual 'experts' seem to be so busy. I'd hate to bore all of you with this, and it would also give me some time to get to know one of your dear girls better, one on one." Stolas nodded towards the imp, with Zana arching an eyebrow in response. "So I hope you don't mind showing Leonor around in the meantime. I am sure it would be a far more interesting morning than sitting around in the practice room while we fiddle with a machine."

While Leonor seemed slightly confused, and Zana was clearly annoyed, Carlos and Evelinde shared a look. Stolas wanted time alone with the imp for a reason. They haven't interacted with the Prince all that long, but he was quite obvious with things when he wanted to be.

There was no real reason to say no to his request, whatever the reason may be. Perhaps Zana would bond with him? Either way, Carlos knew, just as well as Evelinde did, that Leonor would get frustrated doing nothing. Besides, there was a place they both knew the woman would like. Most of the castle was going to bore her to tears, but the internal garden would entertain her for a while.

"I don't see why not. We do have the time to kill." Carlos shrugged, giving the owl a pointed look. They both knew and that was enough. "I am sure Leonor would like to see your botanical monstrosities."

"My plants are dear friends, thank you very much." Stolas huffed in mock hurt as Leonor turned to face the human. "But yes, you can show her anywhere I have taken you. You may even pick something from the house to take with you if you want."

Carlos deadpanned the Goetia's way. "Stolas, we are not about to take your stu-."

The human was silenced by Leonor's hands quickly grabbing at him. "Thank you, Prince!"

"Many thanks for the offer, Prince Stolas." Evelinde gave a little bow before dragging Carlos away. "We will not abuse your hospitality."

As the human was being dragged away it was easy to hear Leonor and Evelinde chastising the man. Did he know just how much the most worthless of trinkets in a Goetic home could fetch? There was no problem with money, all things considered, that was true. In a single month Carlos and his family had needed to spend nothing, and instead every single one of them, from one source or another, had quite a lot of money from Hell, more than they all would be making on Earth. But of all in his family, Carlos would be expected to spend it like water at some point. ANY income was a means to an end, whether he wanted it or not.

To say that Carlos found the idea of spending money on useless shit, just because of 'his position', disgusting, was an understatement. It was more appropriate to say it made him sick. Leonor was quick to point out just how similar that was to everyone else in this little group of misfits. Evelinde was a little bit more tactful, but all she said as they finally departed Stolas' view could easily be summarized into this: Tough shit, you have to.

The owl let out a hooting laugh. At least this was far more fun than he had expected. A loud, and as obnoxious as possible, cough brought him back to his present company.

Zana was eyeing him like he was a pig ready to be slaughtered. Considering the few details Stolas had dredged from her life to prepare for this little meeting, whether it was to happen now or in the future, he knew the imp would gladly, and easily, skin him alive, if she had the power. Stolas would've usually given it little thought, but, well…

Stolas was not a bad person, for a demon. In a way he wanted to think Stella wasn't either. She was a harpy, a bitch and many other words he would never use in her presence, but she had been molded that way. In a sense Stolas was lucky to have no contact with most of his family, even if it sucked ass in ways he, also, couldn't properly express. The reason he felt a connection more towards impkind than his own species had to do with those that took care of him, whether it was their job or not.

And his first friend… The reason he had been more than glad to call for the woman in his presence now. It was surprising that Stella hadn't opposed, but considering the humiliation had already been dished out by taking her money away. What else was there to do but at least ask for the ones 'causing' this to help him mitigate the problem? Stella was pragmatic like that, when sober.

Reminiscing later. Zana was looking more and more pissed as time went on. Stolas' desire was to further the good graces he had with one of the only 'nobles' that wasn't a fucking cunt. At least the ones he had any ties with. Pissing off one of his women wasn't in his interest.

"Sorry, my mind wandered for a bit." But Stolas wasn't about to tell her the real reason why. Instead, he went with a plausible explanation. "I was wondering if you had any ability with magic, my dear."

Zana arched her eyebrow again, then frowned. "'f course not. Not like most imps have any skill with that."

"I thought so." Stolas let out an exaggerated sigh. "I am not that good with Fire magic, all things considered. I suppose the practice chamber was the right choice then."

The imp surprised Stolas with a huff. "Is that magic crap really necessary though?"

Admittedly Stolas was curious. "What do you mean by that? Magic does amplify…"

"I know magic has nice effects and all that shit." Zana all but stopped the owl from talking with an angry wave. "But I have seen a lot of it being replicated with technology. Heck, damn angels use a lot of magic to protect themselves, yet they still get killed with bows and arrows like we were in the middle ages OR their own blessed bullshit in modern weapons." Unsaid went the fact that, despite this 'weakness' to more traditional weapons, killing almost any angel was stupidly hard anyway. Catch them by surprise, use numbers and lose a lot of people, or any other stratagem beyond BLINDLY BULLRUSHING may, read, MAY, work. "Magic is nice and all, but do you REALLY need it in an engine?"

Stolas frowned at the thought. "Frankly? No. But… Well, we do have time. How about I show you to the practice room and summon the unmodified engine?"

The imp gave Stolas a look the owl couldn't quite decipher. "You have spare fucking engines in your state?"

"A few, just in case. Like many other things." The Goetic Prince just shrugged as he guided Zana towards their destination. "People make such a fuss about it taking too long to get the parts, or to get new models." Stolas sneered. "Just a way to push you around, really. You either have the money to pay for the services and materials a few times over, or just hand them the things so they don't have an excuse but to take your money and do their jobs."

"And still get on ahead by not paying for whatever is needed. They just spend their time doing basic crap." Zana nodded. She was anything but surprised, but it still made her wish to crush someone's spine. "Doesn't sound any different than expected."

Stolas clicked his tongue, but said nothing. He had no need to assume what many thought of the nobles, or those that had deals with them. Well, somewhat.

Okay, fine. He was extremely ignorant of many things people at the bottom did; their behavior, their customs, likes and dislikes, etc. There were many things he knew, but he was, for all intents and purposes, stupid when it came to that topic, much to his chagrin. He had FAR too many things to learn, keep in mind, revisit and 'upgrade', as it were, thanks to the constant fluctuation of the nobility and their interests. It was an obligation, not a joyride. Even if he wanted to get close to what most considered 'normal', Stolas didn't have the time, or the motivation, for it. His world was his daughter above all else, perhaps when she was older…

He shook his head. No, he would ask a few questions later. Not too many though. Besides, whatever hopes there were in his mind could count as nothing but dreams. Being curious was fine, but at best he'd get some knowledge about Zana, her family and those she knew.

There wasn't really any hope about learning from his one friend. Still, having ANY understanding from an imp, first hand and not buttered through their service to him, could still mean something.

As he thought of this many little happenings came to be. Most of them within his household were barely important, with those that would garner his attention being his daughter playing with some music her new friend had recommended.

Metal was probably not the right music genre to give an impressionable child, mind you. But hey, Hell was different and, really, Octavia could've been given something far worse by Marcela. That gregorian chant she liked so much and that sounded more like something straight out of Lovercraft's insane brain, for example.

A less worrying event would be Carlos being the most dangerous and royally pissed creature among a trio. He was not a man that disliked plant life, but it would probably tell you something when a massive flesh eating tree, previously about to snack on two women far too interested in murderous plants, decided that, yes, perhaps it could wait for a while longer for food from its master. Carlos was incredibly harmless most of the time, but the clear movement on the plant's part had made their wills class, and a thing that could easily tear into most demons, maybe even take a chunk of a young Goetia, had decided that the 'harmless' human was probably better off remaining that way.

A Soggoth Tree. Not the true name, more like a moniker. Black bark, twisting branches, unending, animalistic hunger. But it was smart, smart enough to know when to refrain.

Perhaps the tree didn't have 'eyes', but it could sense well enough, and it sensed that the man would've been much easier prey if HE had been the one its intentions were aimed at. Smart for a plant, that is one of the reasons Stolas liked it. He would've been peeved if something happened to one of the prides in his collection, but as soon as the tree returned to its previous upright position Carlos signed a truce by focusing back on the two demons fawning over a small, snappy plant.

Ah, the joys of those that truly cared for each other. Stolas would've swooned a little bit, envy indeed biting at his heels, had he seen it. But hey, you cannot be everywhere at once.

It was thanks to that absolute truth that Stolas, finally arriving at the magic studio, did not know of either of those events. More importantly, he failed to notice that his timetable had been utterly destroyed. Not just because of Carlos and his entourage far earlier than expected, but because of a particular red limo making it to his castle's outer grounds.

From within the thing two orbs of solid amber could be seen. And upwards, in the castle's balcony, a peahen playing the role of vulture looked down, ready to take her opportunity to make this play out as intended.

*** Stolast' State - Magic Studio ***

Minutes went by before anything of note happened. Well, in a sense anyways. For Zana it had been interesting from the get go. True that she knew the Goetia next to her wanted to ask questions, prod her like cattle or whatever, but she would be lying if she said the piece of engineering in front of her hadn't made her gush out.

But she wouldn't go into detail. She did so for five minutes and Stolas looked far more lost than she did when her changes first started to appear back in her teenage years. So no, enjoy the moment, but don't start with the babbling again.

To put it bluntly: The monster of an engine would make racing cars on Earth green with envy. It would also make any safety measures basically redundant. Because there were no safety measures that could ensure this thing wouldn't explode, if you are wondering what she meant. At least, if you use normal gasoline. With Hell's own little mixes and tweaks the thing, dangerous like a torture device used on a toddler, would work like the fine and well oiled machine that it was meant to be.

Though, again, if used by humans and their methods, this would probably end up in a blown car. The idea alone made Zana's tail swish in delight from both the carnage in her mind and the power that could infuse in almost any car.

And just having this in stasis until needed? Such a motherfucking waste, and she said as much out loud. Granted, this was a very modern piece of engineering her current patron would look at with disgust unless needed, specifically and without any other choice on the matter, for something in particular. Zana had enjoyed working for Rosie, but her aversion to modern technology was a pain in the ass.

So, much as it filled her with regret, Zana knew this much was out of her price and availability range. Mostly because she didn't want Rosie to make a fuss about it all even if she somehow got the funds to buy one. Inspecting it, playing with it, and making sure everything was in place, as it should be, was enough for her at the moment. After all, not a single freaking imp could ever get their hands on this beauty, already bigger than she was considering the power within, so getting this close was an achievement in itself.

Still… why magic? Yes, her mind kept replaying what could happen if you use standard fuel sources on Earth, but that was not a problem here, not for the Goetia and their money. You COULD find gasoline, petrol and a lot of other shit worth using in a car here in Hell, practically (well, virtually) endless too. A motherfucking limousine could go at four hundred with this baby strapped in while also being safer than almost anything else in Hell.

… 'relatively' safe.

Fuck, Lucifer probably had something even better in his own cars. THAT idea would've made Zana hard if she hadn't been busy with something already.

So then…

"Why the magic?"

Stolas hooted a bit, broken out of his own thoughts. "Come again?"

"There is a reason why this model was baptized as the 'Road Ripper'." Zana hummed as she kept tinkering with the pristine engine in front of her. Things would be different the moment she installed it, true, but right now dirtying herself was no risk as she looked everywhere. "Original models were tested on Sinners willing to fork a truckload of cash and risk their 'lives'. Ninety nine point nine percent catastrophic failures. Was a good day for engineering considering only one of the mixers had dared to use some kind of blessed liquid in the fuel source. That one got erased right quick. Pretty brutal picture of it too. Have one copy on top of my bed, matter of fact."

The Prince gulped down as quietly as he could. "I… didn't know that."

"Idiots used mostly Earth-based fuels found here." Zana ignored Stolas' clear discomfort. "Tried to cut costs after creating this monster because the original design did NOT have the cash for it. After the first fuckup and cash influx? They tried more original sources from Hell. Funnily enough, they worked perfectly fine." The imp, literally on top of the engine, finally jumped down and looked at Stolas. "Now, 'bout this one? Not the last model, but close to it. Probably an update behind the curve, not that it matters much. You may miss five to ten km/h, but considering you probably have never gone faster than two hundred…"

"Three hundred twenty, in Wrath." Stolas pointed out, more in reflex than anything else. He had some of the crotchety assholes in his parties bug him for details to try and humiliate him for any reason. "My usual driver likes to go fast there. Says she has nice memories from before coming here for work."

"Huh." Zana eyed Stolas with curiosity. "Thought you'd only hire Pride breed Imps for some reason."

"I want people who do their work well." Stolas sneered away from the imp woman. "Far too many of my… 'colleagues'... want looks over function. To have 'proper aides' instead of capable ones." The word 'colleagues' was said with such venom even Zana had to wince. "Perhaps my people are far from the best, but I know they are loyal and capable out of their own free will. More than I can say from many of those all but breed to serve most of the Goetia. Mine still make mistakes and we have an… attrition rate." Stolas confessed, at least Zana didn't seem surprised. "But they do better than the servant lines."

Zana gave out a thoughtful 'hum'. "I thought that was the usual fare here. Some of the servant houses are more inbred than the most stereotypical Wrath and Lust bloodlines."

"And while they fare far better than humans would when they keep it in the family, it makes them extremely mellow and subservient." Stolas grimaced at the thought of his father's butler. He was a good imp, a great imp, almost a second father in a way. But he was also servile to the point of being molded by his master instead of his own free will. "Perhaps the help I hire treats me with fear, envy and reverence in some cases, but I prefer it to blind obedience and resignation to one's fate. Still not exactly conversationalists, any of them."

Hooves tapping on the floor cued Stolas to look down and focus on the imp woman. Her visage had turned pensive as she crossed her arms. It was obvious she was mulling something over.

"You aren't as much of a dick as I had expected, Stolas." Zana was blunt and to the point. "I could literally feel the condescension when talking to your wife. But when it came to us?" She shook her head as if trying to push something away from her mind. "I truly thought Carlos was pulling my leg here."

Stolas smirked. "Heh. By now you should know Carlos isn't one to lie. Perhaps by mistake or personal belief at worst, but not willingly."

The Prince saw Zana nodding. It was clear she was as relaxed as he was going to get her. So, deciding to approach the subject he had wanted to talk with her about, Stolas tried his best.

He could've chosen a better way.

"Your family is rather ample, isn't it, miss Zana?"

Zana frowned. "Shove that 'miss', Stolas." The imp growled, her tail no longer showing the happiness from her tinkering but clear annoyance. "I am not exactly a 'lady' in any sense of the word."

"But-"

"I am a fucking BREEDER, Stolas." Zana hissed out, her fangs clear in view. If Stolas wondered whether he had made an oopsie or not, this was a clear indication. "I know how most demons see us. I know practically ALL Goetia, every damn blueblood out there, see us as sows or bulls. I am a fucking freak to many and a commodity for most. And my father? For the longest time she was that same stereotype back in Lust." She was so incensed Stolas could see veins marked clearly in her eyes as they began to glow. It was honestly a surprise that she hadn't reveted to her country accent. "So YES, Stolas; I have a big family. Is THAT what you wanted to know?"

"That is not it, pardon me."

And at last Stolas' usual slips of the tongue got the result he was expecting. With the humans and Evelinde things had been far more calm and casual than he had expected. Then again, none of them gave the slightest bit of a shit. Evelinde probably did, but the talk they had together had mellowed it out a lot. And considering the mark Stolas saw on Carlos' neck after that first visit? The Cambion clearly had a bit more peace of mind with everything, which translated to a more demure demeanor when they all got together.

Pleasant experiences amidst the usual courtly bullcrap.

Stolas took a deep breath.

"First let me ask for your forgiveness here, dar Zana." Stolas did his best without any bowing or similar courtly behavior. That alone would likely piss the imp off. He was used to Wrathling behavior enough to know WHEN to show off in most cases, and this wasn't one of them. "The question had nothing to do with your heritage."

This seemed to help Zana calm down. At least her tail now remained in a neutral position. "Then what did you mean?"

"Magic is sometimes used to show off. I am pretty sure all of you know that I didn't exactly offer Carlos and your partners to pilfer things for pleasure." Stolas walked to the engine's side, a hand resting on it. "Money is fairly useless to us, yes, even for you, now, Zana. But it is required to show off. These magic spells weaved into the engines? My chauffeur confided in me and told me they did very little, perhaps nothing. Then again managing to triple top speed may sound incredible, but where are you going to drive so fast that a human would turn to mush?" Stolas chuckled at the idea. Demons would probably get the same effect if Goetic cars didn't get so many protection spells added in. "It is to show off. Anything less and you are a target no one will want to back up. Friends and connections are as frail as a spider web when a giant like us sweeps it away."

Zana frowned at the thought. "Then why ask about my family?"

"I know my predecessor was, to put it bluntly, a piece of shit." The expression made Zana's eyes go wide as she tried to hide a childish chuckle. Stolas caught enough to smirk inwardly at least. "Your family, most of Wrath's residents, barely use any magic. You all pride yourselves in your might and skill, things developed in order to survive. Meritocracy is widespread, although not in the way humans would put it. And when it comes to the rest of Hell? Wrathlings tend to be the ones to flock together the most. In fact it is the most common Ring where you'd at least KNOW who your father or your mother is, at the very least. You don't even have to be lucky for them to stay together. You only need to be lucky for them both to be alive."

The imp relaxed ever so slightly. There wasn't any hostility or any condescending thoughts that came to mind. Stolas was just stating facts there. Not the most pleasant to many, considering Wrath was sometimes a shithole, true, but true nonetheless. Many other Rings had it much worse when it came to something as basic as having a childhood, even if Wrath was anything but 'easy' on said children.

"I guess it would surprise you if I told you I envy what you have?" And this made Zana stare at Stolas, straight as a steel pole and just as impossible to move the moment she fixed her eyes on the owl. "Oh yes, you have had a hard life. I know not the full details. I decided not to pry that much into any of you, except Carlos and his family, and even that was not out of my own volition. I didn't have hopes for more than something nicer than most of my acquaintances, but it is shaping to be different, and I quite enjoy the development. There is no desire there to go behind any of your backs. That would just backfire on me and probably turn the family's friendliness around."

"If you know enough, then you should be aware of how little there is to envy sometimes." Zana spoke with derision, but none of it directed at the owl. "Hell is a shitty place for a reason, Stolas. Of all demons it shouldn't be YOU the one to be told that."

"Nor do I need you to." Stolas rested his paltry weight on the engine. "I know perfectly well Hell is not for the faint of heart. I am also equally aware about just how easy things have been going for our dear mortals, how easy they have been for you." The clear frown on the imp's face made Stolas lift a hand as if to maintain peace. "I mean nothing by this, my dear. I am just stating facts. I would also like to extend a bit of an olive branch as it were. As, unless you find a replacement, I assume you shall visit your family's land sooner or later to introduce your new, ,eh, 'clique' as it were. So I wouldn't mind being there too to 'make peace', if you wish"

Zana looked at the engine, then at the Goetia. Two plus two equals four, unless you are completely null mentally. It was clear she hadn't been 'invited' just for a favor. No Goetia would go and bow down to imps, no matter how nice said Goetia was, without a good fucking reason.

Scratch that. There was just no reason any of them would do that, much less with 'preparation', as Stolas was trying to do right now.

"Why did you want me here, Stolas?" The imp grumbled those words out, arms crossed and knuckles whitening ever so slightly as her body tensed. "I don't doubt you may need someone skilled to help with this, and probably any other repairs on your car. But why the twenty questions? Why alone? Why offer me and my family your presence?"

Stolas drummed his clawed fingers on the engine for a moment. Better come clean, right?

"Carlos offered me something during his first visit." Zana's face scrunched into a frown that more closely resembled rage than ever before. "No! I didn't make a deal or anything with him!" Stolas' rebuke to the unasked question made the imp relax. There was no danger to him, Stolas knew she wasn't going to bring the weapon out again, not without a real good reason. Still, better not tempt fate. "We just had a conversation."

"A conversation." Not a question, not a statement, but a test of the waters. Somehow Zana felt the words leave a bad taste in her mouth. "What kind of conversation would make you feel the need to drag me away? What would you want from me, specifically?"

"I'll be sincere here: You aren't the only one that hates what the Goetia do." Stolas removed himself from the engine as he looked at the magma that was now forming screaming faces on the ceiling of the room. "Carlos and Evelinde did not tell you of the particularities of our first encounter?"

Zana shook her head. "I didn't ask, he didn't share. No one thought we'd have to mingle that soon and, to be honest, I didn't want to know. Besides, if neither Evelinde nor him offered, then it meant there was something private there."

Stolas let out a simple hoot. Of course they didn't. They had basically promised to keep it between them. The owl didn't expect them to break their newfound trust for no reason. Perhaps Evelinde would have done so if Rosie asked her, and if it didn't involve Carlos. But between the both of them? Carlos could be many things in the future, but Stolas did not need to wonder if he'd ever be untrustworthy. So long as Stolas didn't endanger his family, that is.

"Then let me be direct. Due diligence considering you may do me not one favor, but two. So let me pay basic respect with some honesty, so long as you promise not to share." Stolas faced Zana again, the imp taking a few seconds before giving a nod. No need for a deal or anything like that. Zana wasn't stupid enough to go back on something this simple and clear cut. "My dear Zana. I am Stolas Goetia, a failure among my kind." He spoke in a way that caught every bit of the imp's attention. "Most Goetia thrive in this game of betrayal and abuse. I do not. And most know I am an embarrassment when it comes to being a demon. I may not have a problem tormenting most mortals if needed, and I may even do the same with certain demons, but I find no pleasure in most of my duties… Except for books, prophecies and the constant influx of paperwork I must deal with." Stolas sighed. "I am a nerd, as most would put it."

"Yeah, no shit." Zana snorted, finding it somewhat humorous. "But that isn't it, is it?"

"Of course not, my dear. No. The problem is that I am shackled to all this. I won't escape it." Stolas grimaced at the thought of what he was going to say. "I wish to love my wife, but everyone knows that is not going to go anywhere. I will try, but all I will get is more abuse, physical or otherwise." That part attracted Zana's attention even more. "Something the matter?"

"I know well enough about abuse within the family, albeit in different ways." The imp hummed at the thought. A perverse creature she was, but she both hated and loved what had happened. In a way she would've preferred it to be a more familial event, like back home. But what was done was indeed done and gone. "Which brings me to ask: Does this little problem have to do with what you want me to do?"

"Yes, it does." Stolas took a deep breath. "There is little for me to gain trying to ingratiate myself with my fellow nobles. None of them care for me and I hardly am any different. No… What I wish is to know more about imps." The admission made Zana look askance at the owl. "You have your family and other friends, many imps. Right?" Of course the woman would nod. The roll of her eyes was guaranteed too. "Then you know that, yes, your kind is very devious, but not nearly as prone to backstabbing as my own. In fact; would you believe the first ever friend I had, probably the closest to a real friend, even if only for a day, was a circus imp?"

"Get out." Zana's eyes widened. "You? Friends with an imp? Having servants and shit, fine, but that I did not expect."

"Neither did I." Stolas chuckled. "Bought time my father paid barely anything for, yes. Not exactly a 'natural' friendship, but as close as you can get there." He sneered, something Zana mimicked. Though Stolas quickly laughed at the following memory. "I don't fault him for 'robbing us blind', as my father put it. Then again, I am sure it had more to do with his father than him. What little I could learn from the man marked him as an imp of… 'questionable morals'. And that, in imp society, is saying quite a lot. Am I right?"

"An imp with 'questionable morality' is the closest thing to 'shoot on sight' for anyone with half a brain." Zana nodded, trying to think just how much of a dick someone had to be to have such a colorful description. "But, seriously. That is it?"

"In a sense. See, I… have hopes." Stolas couldn't help looking away. Embarrassment was not a new feeling, but this was a particular kind he enjoyed less than usual. "Stupid ones, but still. Whatever the case, I have had a lot more contact with imps than any other demon species, if you were to ignore the Goetia of course." He took a deep breath. "Despite that… I don't really know much about imps, or any other species. Their customs, their behavior, the-."

"And I am not going to help you there."

Stolas' could feel the whiplash as he turned again. "What?"

"Don't get me wrong." Zana crossed her arms, but still pointed a finger at the Prince. "With this little exchange I think you are MUCH LESS of a shit than most nobles. That is an accomplishment. Heck, I may think you are being really sincere." Of course Stolas was being sincere, but he was probably lucky to get this much from the woman. "But what you are asking me is to help you prepare for social interactions with people you should be familiar with anyway. You are socially awkward and will try to approach this as someone that took lessons instead of a normal person." She let out a grunt. Putting this into words wasn't easy, even if she knew what she wanted to say. "And that is the point. You are to be awkward, perhaps incompetent, whenever you meet him again. It has been a long time if you EVER see that guy. You cannot have a speech prepared, Stolas."

The imp looked at the demon who, by all accounts, should either terrify her, make her envious, or drive her hate. But, to be honest? Their little talk had been a mess, but a 'normal', mess. Perhaps it was because two people she trusted, if nothing else, vouched for him. Maybe it was because, unlike the previous asshole that came to Wrath, he wasn't looking down on her 24/7.

Or maybe it was because he wasn't anything like his bitch of a wife. Take your pick. At this point Zana was searching for excuses, more for other people's sake than her own. Right now she couldn't give any less of a fuck if it wasn't because she had a question she wanted to ask Stolas after her nugget of knowledge was shared.

"I don't know who your 'first friend' was or anything like that. I don't know how it happened, how it ended or anything other than what you told me. But tell me." Zana came closer, far closer than she had ever wanted to be to a Goetia. Even when walking alone she had remained much further away, trust all but nonexistent. Right now Stolas looked like he was ready to drink her words as if they were water, so that alone told her she could be a dick and he would still remain eager. "What would you have changed? Would you have, I don't know, prepared for it? Would you study to make it less awkward? Would you make it this plastic, fucking act instead of that singular day you had? Perhaps stopping him from stealing from you, or-."

"No. I wouldn't." Stolas surprised the woman by cutting her out of her tirade. His eyes clearly looked past Zana and into the past. "I see what you mean. Mess or not, it was perhaps one of the best days of my life… And a healing balm to boot, considering that same day I was told not only of my duties, but that I was to marry Stella when I was mature enough to create a cautionary heir." The owl sighed in dejection at the memory, yes, but also at the realization of what he had asked. "So, in fewer words, you are telling me that 'preparing' for such an encounter would be… counterproductive."

"I am telling you that an artificial encounter with an imp is going to blow on your face." Zana grunted and gave a gruff nod to Stolas. For Wrath imps? That'd be a big no-no. To any other imp? Depends on the fear, awe or respect, felt by that particular one. But for what Stolas seemed to want? It wouldn't work. "You want to someday reconnect with that buddy of yours? I highly doubt a circus imp is going to like going through a practiced speech you had rehearsed for who knows how long."

Stolas felt himself slump. "Perhaps… I doubt he would like any of that, more so considering what likely happened to him."

Zana raised an eyebrow for a second. "You said he stole from your dad. Did he do something?"

"Oh? No, no. He couldn't be bothered." Stolas shook his head. "In fact my father couldn't care less the moment it was made clear no one knew where the artifacts and other riches came from the moment they hit the black market." Zana nodded. That checked out. 'Out of sight, out of mind', and so long as no one connected two and two, it was normal for the Goetia not to give a shit. "No, what I mean is the fire that consumed his circus years after that day."

Okay, that made Zana wince. "The fuck?"

The owl frowned. "I don't know much, as I didn't want to delve into whatever sordid details were found, nor was I gifted with the time to inspect the event in much detail even if I wanted to."

Stolas took a few steps away as she thought back on the photos. Rarely would've he cared about such an accident. This was Hell after all, but in the cases that he did it was clear that he was told NOT to. This particular case was more irksome than most. The idea of that particular imp dying in a Hellfire based catastrophe, small as it was for most, left a foul taste in his beak.

"I was told, harshly, to forget about him. But when one has a singular friend and nothing else? I consider it to be hard. Then again, I am not like most of my kind." Stolas looked 'outside' of the room. The things there seemed curious for a second, but quickly left. Luckily for the imp, she would, hopefully, never lay eyes on those monsters. "So I checked, from time to time. No more than a day or two every year, and never in person, of course. If I did that my father would eradicate the circus out of principle. He would've been physical with me too, I know that much. In the end he didn't need to; all I know is that a birthday party, of all things, ended burning the place down, killing many, maiming and crippling a lot more. The least everyone got were scars and burnt marks, except for a few very lucky ones."

Zana sucked a breath through her fangs. Shit, that was harsh. She wasn't going to voice her thoughts, but despite knowing something like that was usually common, be it in Pride, Wrath, Greed or anywhere else (Fuck, you could get underwater fires in ENVY), it always sucked to hear. It didn't have to be a birthday party, of all things, but accidents (and sabotage) are common. Considering the propensity for some Hellfire to fuck shit up in Wrath, and how easy some used it to screw the competition over, Zana could sympathize.

"As you can guess, I lost track after that." Stolas turned back again. "I know of the dead. In fact I double, then triple checked. But none were him. A few of the wounded and so on were named, including a few that were 'important', but we both know news focuses on death and misery first: The more shocking, the better. Everyone else was left on the backburner for when the little event lost even more importance than an imp circus already would in the eyes of most demons. It wasn't hard for many of the survivors to slink away unnoticed." The owl prince felt tired all of sudden. "I was already an adult as far as my father cared. I had to do my duties, ALL of them. So whatever time I had for my 'frivolities', as my father put it, was to be dedicated somewhere else."

Put like that, it sounded more like he was in a nicely padded prison more than in a powerful position. Then again, Zana had no real expectations of what a noble's life was like. Well, except the top of those already AT the top. Lucifer had it the best for fucking sure. Everyone else? Eh, it depends. Stolas' dad likely had it very well, and the cruelest, most powerful nobles were most likely the same.

Stolas, as it appeared now that she looked at him, was more akin to depressed than anything else. Fuck, Zana could bet her ass that the guy was taking some kind of pills if nothing else. Fucking Satan knows Zana herself had to do that for a while, and then had to get herself clean from that addiction the moment she felt better and caught on on what was happening to her body, again.

Zana put those thoughts behind her. "Then tell me, Stolas. Is that why you brought me here? Were you trying to prepare for the 'perfect' encounter with a childhood friend with the help of an imp that wasn't scared to tell you to fuck off?"

The fact that Stolas grew a small blush told the imp enough. "Maybe? I mean, I know it sounds stupid and all, but…"

"Hey, it could be worse." Had this been a different setting, with someone she wasn't just ambivalent about, Zana would've been more supportive, or direct, depending on the demon in question. As it was? At least she wasn't going to tell him off. "You could've ended up blurting all of this on some other Goetia by accident and got into a lot of shit."

Stolas chuckled in his own way, sending the door to the place a furtive look, as if someone could burst at any moment. Luckily for him, this was not a damn hellenovela, Hell owed him THAT much at least.

It was enough that he had spilled his guts in front of someone most of his family would kill him for talking to as an equal on a bad day. Not that he gave a shit at this point, other than because Octavia would be alone without him. But after Carlos' talk? Stolas felt ever so slightly bold, or at least bolder than before. This was clearly not going to do anything, considering Zana said 'no' to his little request, but still.

"But look." Zana looked at the engine at her side. The idea of tinkering with it had gone from what interested her more on this damn place to getting shelved in exchange of a more pressing matter. "I am no guru about the imp shit, okay? I am JUST an imp, and one most people leer at. My own family, at least direct family, is on the same boat thanks to my father. You wouldn't believe how much shit she gets most of the time." Stolas grimaced. Of course he had expected far too much. What else could she do? Hope for the exact opposite? "However." But Zana knew that throwing him a few crumbs was better than nothing, and it looked like the owl would devour them just the same as he'd a feast. "I feel safe betting that Carlos offered you to talk more often and all that shit, not just during magic training."

"He did. Everyone that came over has been… largely pleasant." Stolas bit down on part of his reply. Zana's deadpan look told him that she probably knew who he was about to badmouth. "Okay, so I may be far more patient than most, but we both know at least one of his cousins isn't exactly a people's person. It surprises me that no other demon has taken a swipe at him."

"Oh, Gonzalo is a pain in the fucking ass, that much is true. But he is also a social butterfly, if you can survive his stupidity." He wasn't Zana's least favorite person, but she had to admit punching him in the balls was tempting. "Point I am trying to make: You are out of touch speaking with regular people often. You need to do THAT, not a convolute plan, or 'lessons', or any other shit. Heck, if you do visit my family and do us a solid? Maybe you could visit Wrath here and there for a conversation."

Stolas let out a hoot at the thought of his particular duties. "I am expected to be at least somewhat condescending during my visits, my dear Zana. I have far too many eyes on me despite everything. Most want me to screw up and get chewed on. In fact there are those like Andrealpus that wish for me to fail so they can take my place. But still…"

The imp groaned. Andrealphus was a name SHE knew. He was a fucking CUNT. She much preferred Stolas if that prim asshole was anything like the rumors. "Then perhaps hire one of my sisters or something. Someone that isn't going to suck your dick and would talk to you should be enough." She then looked at him with a deathly serious stare. "Because if you come over our lil piece of Hell with your wife, she may not be coming back."

"Believe me, that is not going to happen. She made it clear that she doesn't want to visit Pentagram JUST to get stuck with 'a bunch of cannibals, mortals and the scum you invite over'." Stolas said something under his breath, and in a language Zana didn't understand. Though you don't need moonspeak to understand when someone was calling you a bitch in that particular tongue. "Perhaps whenever she isn't around I could drop in for a quick chat with Octavia in tow, if time permits. As for perhaps bringing one of your siblings over?" The Prince mulled it over. There was always a need for more servants. More so when some of those 'meant for the job' kept doing stupid things around his plants. "It would be nice to have someone willing to talk from time to time, not just offer some platitude or a quick 'yes sir'. Are any of them good with dangerous plant life?"

Zana's expression turned into a grin so viciously evil Stolas had to admit it threw him back a little. It looked like a piranha was about to end a whole cow all by itself.

"We have someone, yes." The impette chuckled in a way that made Stolas shiver. Somehow he had the inkling that he had done something very stupid. "So long as you have a truly, and I mean truly, ravenous and dangerous species, she'd love to come over. Mom and dad would even be relieved, really. She'd stop trying to grow Blood Rotters around the field for 'defense' at least."

"Ooookay… I suppose that is… 'good'?" Perhaps Stolas had indeed fucked up. The Goetia did his best to compose himself however when the imp gave him a nod, still wearing that predatory smile of hers.

He would've gone back on his word if Zana had said what she wanted to say: She meant her own family's 'Gonzalo', in a way. In fact her sister could be even more of a cunt. Hopefully she wouldn't end up getting into a fight with the lady of the house though. Zana's sister was a massive cunt, but she wasn't a fighter. Someone that'd punch you in the nuts? Sure. That is where Zana got her favorite tactic from. But a fighter, or a killer? Not really, unless you were flora, that is.

By the way, Blood Rotter? Think of a vine-like creature capable of 'stinging' you with its roots to coagulate your blood as they hug whatever body part they grab. The moment your veins explode as your blood solidifies and ruptures the blood vessels, likely making you suffer an agonizing death, the Blood Rotter uses those same roots to drag you down, perhaps still alive.

Not a gentle plant.

"Well, that is as close as we'd get to 'fix' that problem you didn't mention needed 'fixing'." Zana's crazy psycho smile went down a notch, ultimately remaining more neutral, if happy, when it came to her expression. She hadn't expected to really click with Stolas in any way. But hey, miracles do happen. "However, considering you sprung all this shit on me, not only the supposed 'job' you were asking me to do." She nodded towards the still untouched engine. "I need something from you in exchange, no bullshit."

Stolas was slightly caught off guard as the apparently happy Zana had such steel in her voice. "Of course, wha-."

"I am being serious, Stolas. Since we are being open, I'll tell you the truth here." The woman procured her weapon from within her jacket. The meaning was rather simple, even if she hadn't raised it or taken the safety from the gun. "I will do something very stupid, very fast, if you don't respond to a question I am pretty sure you know the answer to."

Stolas looked at the gun, the specks of light coming from within, and the seriousness of the imp. The Prince had already guessed many of the people he had been made to deal with had a particular 'flaw', or an advantage, depending on who you asked. Everyone in Carlos' family had been graciously granted what even most demons lacked.

A lesser fear of death. A lower sense of self preservation, in a sense.

By now some of them should've noticed. The idea of dying was probably more distant and less terrifying than it should. Stolas would believe it if none of them had noticed, or at least most of them hadn't. But the same hunch also spoke of how the imp in front of him was likely the more aware of something going 'wrong', in some way.

"Ask away, then."

The smartest move was to learn what she wanted, and see if he could go from there.

"Why do we love him?"

Simple questions are a lie. There are no simple questions, nor simple answers. Stolas knew that and, sadly for her, Zana did too. Something that sounds simple, like 'Do you love me?' is not simple at all. Love is a very complex thing that can come from anywhere and for any reason.

It can also go away just as easily.

And to ask someone else why YOU love another person? It would probably be easier to ask 'Why are we here?'.

Would it be described as lucky for Stolas to know, then? The owl couldn't answer that one. But he *could* answer the imp. Still, he had a question of his own first.

"Why do you want to know that?" He expected the imp to get angry, and her face turning into a scowl from the clear positive expression she had before told him he had achieved just that. "I will answer, Zana. I swear. But why do you want to know?"

The door to this sanctum of magic opened. A new person came in, catching the last bit of the conversation as she did so. Neither of the previous occupants noticed, facing away, far enough to miss the event.

"Because I know about this shit, Stolas." And by her shaking it was clear that she wasn't either kidding, playing around, or in the best mental state. She had thought it would take time to find someone she could ask, but Stolas had given her a way. "I lived with the most degenerate succubi and incubi, as well as their impish family, for far longer than I ever wished, if only because it was AGAINST my will. And I mean the people that follow the worst tenets of Lust as if they were dogma. I was as drunk in love potions and pheromones as you can get EVERY fucking day! I know when something fucks with my mind, Stolas. So tell me." Zana had to fight the urge to lift her shotgun. She knew the weapon was a stupid thing to bring out, but it made her feel bolder. Not that she could use it if she really wanted to. Mellow as Stolas was, he wasn't a Prince for no fucking reason. "Why, despite trying my best to distance myself, can't I get him out of my thoughts? What the fuck is going on?"

Stolas didn't want to answer, for a myriad of reasons. Trying to divert Zana's attention away wouldn't work, even if he wanted it to. The imp made it clear that she knew.

"And before you say anything." Zana prepared to drive the point home. "I took precautions to never get in that kind of spot again, ever. And I went the extra mile, too. Not the usual shit Belphegor and her bitches peddle out. I went for something custom made."

Zana lifted the other side of her jacket, procuring a purple glass bottle with the form of a woman in a relaxed posture. Human, by the looks of it too. The words 'Calm Thoughts' written on the black sticker that covered all of the woman's privates as a dress. A small fire stamp was placed on the bottom, the mark of the particular alchemist that made this batch.

"These aren't cheap, Stolas." Both imp and Goetia knew she wasn't speaking just money wise. "You have all the cash in the world to go for Sloth's actual effective medicine, but living here as you are I am sure you know these are straight from Pride of all places. I know YOU know how much of a sly fuck as well as a crafty and skilled chemist you have to be to sell any kind of medicine that doesn't go through Sloth, so you can't tell me these don't work."

She almost slammed the bottle down on the engine, only stopping at the last second as she took a very deep breath. Stolas knew the manufacturer, ironically enough. And Zana would soon, too. But she was right.

Those pills were meant to help 'block' outside influences, and even normal hormonal reactions. A human would end up acting high, and completely absent minded, if they took one pill. A demon would basically end with a 'mental block', in a sense; basically laser focused on their own thoughts without certain needs (like sexual desire) being an inconvenience.

"So why am I feeling drawn to the fucker? Why am I not trying to punch Leonor straight in the cunt whenever she runs her damn mouth? I even tolerate Evelinde's posh bullshit, for fuck's sake! I haven't said anything to any of them because I don't want THEM to worry. I should NOT give a rat's ass about that if I am taking these fucking pills!" At this point she did point at Stolas, but only with her free hand. "And I know YOU know the answer. Magic is your crap. So spill. NOW."

"Zana-."

"Answer." The shotgun came to bear. Again, stupid. But it was clear the imp was so against her mind being manipulated that everything else was secondary. "The fucking question, Stolas."

Of course Stolas could bat that weapon away. Of course his magic could, well, not nullify the holy ammunition inside, but deviate it enough to, at worst, hurt him. Very few Goetia fully prepared, as he was now, would be bested by a singular weapon. More so one that was 'basic' as Zana's own simple shotgun. Modified as it was, it was not meant to kill demons whose only downfall was meant to be an angel, or someone extremely devious and with money to buy an angel's remains, or at least an angel's armory.

But doing anything other than answering would sour things with the imp and, truth be told, Stolas found everything that was happening now to be very informative. As selfish as it was to be using the woman, that was, in a way, part of his nature, nice as Stolas was on average. He had never been told not to inform anyone he thought could use the knowledge, although telling Carlos raised so many red flags in his mind that he right away took the option and shredded it within the confines of his mind until not a speck of hope remained for that possibility. Carlos would consider that to mean Stolas and Lucifer 'lied' to him, even if neither did anything to warrant it.

A different thought played in his mind however. Technically he had lost control of the conversation he wanted to have. But what if it could still end in a 'win' for him? In some way Carlos had all but handed him a blank cheque for the future, and the idea to use it had been playing time and time again in his mind. Not now, but when his daughter was old enough. When he could… explain.

Perhaps.

In Stolas' mind the idea of being given such a thing just because was, well, 'wrong'. Maybe it was his more sympathetic side, or perhaps the more utilitarian part of his mind, but he considered this to be a fair exchange. In fact, considering Zana was much more crash and direct, he knew for a fact that she'd respect a deal without the need of shaking hands. He answers her questions, she answers his own. Safe, simple and another reason to trust the Prince.

So Stolas sighed and made one thing clear. "Fine. But not telling this to Carlos. You'll see he is innocent of any wrongdoing." He rubbed his lower set of eyes, mentally tired at the prospect of this conversation lasting any longer. "No one is… except the woman that tried to kill him."

Zana's eyes widened for a second, then decided that locking away the weapon was the right course of action. This did not mean she was done as she demanded. "Explain."

"You are right. There is some kind of manipulation afoot, but not like you think." Stolas began with a more subdued tone and way of going through this than originally thought. For a second he thought it ought to be brutal and direct, but doing so could do more harm than good. "Carlos' soul, maimed as it is, is indeed pulling at yours, as well as those of your companions."

The imp frowned. Machines were her expertise. Magic? Nothing. Souls? Worse than that. She needed him to be more clear than this. "Pulling… How?"

"You are aware of what a demon's soul is, right? The very essence that impregnates us, then mostly, MOSTLY, attaches itself to whatever is nearer?" At the nod from Zana Stolas went ahead. It was hard for any Hellborn to be unaware of where all those eyes and 'living things' came from after all. She knew shit all about souls, but certain things were 'basic'. "That same essence, a demon's soul, means we are very, hmm, 'malleable', yes. It is why we are far more capable with magic than modern humans. However, it also means that we are 'greater' than humans in many aspects… while being weaker in just as many. Although these weaknesses generally don't favor mortals anyway."

With a flicker of his fingers he conjured a simple, small flame. "Imagine this is Carlos' soul. While this one here, is your own." And the other did the same, but with a larger, if darker, flame. His particular ability with magic, the arcane, was generally colorless, so such manipulation was easy and drove the point simply enough. "Carlos' soul is very weak. All our dear mortals are in such a state after the curse. But it is not their mortality, or the smidge of holiness in most of them that makes said souls capable of special things, like pulling you to Carlos. But there is something to be said before I explain."

A simple movement of the hand made 'Carlos's' soul sparkle, but also 'glitch', in a way. The image Stolas conjured now burned in various ethereal colors while 'Zana's' own representation remained the same. Then, as if wind blew and directed the flame, 'Zana's' representation either was pulled, or repelled, straight towards, or away from, the other 'soul'.

"This pull is not only positive, it is also negative. If he does something you dislike, then it will push you away more. If he was to anger you, or any of the others, it would make you much more irate. Something silly, or without importance, could make you turn violent against him." As Stolas explained, 'Zana's' representation tried to almost pull away, as if Stolas' fire was trying to run. "On the other hand, if he were to please you, to do something you like, to give something you crave? Then you'd be more inclined to repay in kind. Any demon in your situation would be affected like you are, my dear. No matter how vile or gentle, the effect would still work as intended."

Zana bit her lip at the explanation. Still, the reason WHY wasn't yet given. "But why is this, then? And how isn't he aware of it at all?"

Well, this was the bleak part. "Because Carlos should be dead." And unsurprisingly enough, the admission stopped Zana in her tracks. "His life, alongside the rest of those in his family still alive, should've been extinguished." Considering the curse's effects? Zana knew the family should've died. But it still shocked her to find out that, yes, that was MEANT to be the case. "Destiny barely guides singular lives, Zana. But the lives of large groups? Of important bloodlines or incredible figures? Destiny influences those. Carlos was anything but important. He remains the same now. Destiny ignores him… but not his family, nor does it ignore a spell as powerful as the one meant to take his life alongside most of their soul and weaken him in his arrival to Heaven, as it likely did to everyone else that fell to its dark powers."

"There is one thing, however." Stolas played with the flame that was meant to be Zana's soul. "Such changes in destiny are massive. It affects other lives, although usually in minute ways first, then with more intensity if the change sticks. In this case the 'change' will mean Carlos and his family surviving. But for you?" The Prince made 'Zana's' flame dance between his fingers before crushing it. "My dear Zana. You should be just as dead as his bloodline. Probably long before Carlos ever made it here."

The moment Zana's eyes almost escaped her head was unsurprising. As an imp she was more used to death, both killing and being killed, than most demons. And that's saying something. But being told that you avoided death because destiny basically had a brain fart? That probably was a bit much.

"Small ripples can mean many things, and this is why Carlos is so special when it comes to you." Stolas finally dispersed the other faux soul. "He is the one that, as his destiny changed, was meant to join us in Hell no matter what. It is his self-sacrificing persona that marked him as the most likely, if not only, mortal willing to forge a contract with Lucifer so the rest of his family would be safe. He forged his new destiny as the one to forge a contract with Lord Lucifer. You, Evelinde, Leonor, even Destina and however many more join your group, even demons, humans, perhaps angels, that you will never meet? All were meant to die. But none did. You didn't die because destiny changed and the echo spared you. As such you are naturally attracted to the change itself, to the eco of its effect. To the man you have bound yourself to."

Zana opened her mouth, then closed it. It happened a few times as she lifted a hand, made a gesture, but nothing came of it. Not exactly surprising. She was told she should be dead indeed, and that someone else not getting offed was all the reason behind her survival.

That, and that said survivor's soul was pulling at hers. Doubt was the least of the imp's problems.

"Then what does this mean?" Her words came softly and weakly, unlike any other time had spoken. It was as if the imp had lost something with the revelation. "Am I to be manipulated until I love or hate the man?"

"Again, it is not manipulation, not willingly and not maliciously." Stolas corrected with a low hum. "Carlos would never do that to you, probably not to anyone, even the woman he wants to murder."

"That he isn't doing it of his own volition doesn't mean he ain't doin' it!"

Zana nearly burst out into a tirade as her temper flared. The previous pause was gone, replaced by clear agitation. She did not calm down, though, she only held back how pissed off she was when she threw an accusatory glance at the Goetia Prince. There was little she could do other than ask one last question.

"How do I stop it?"

Stolas grimaced. Of course she'd ask that question. Why wouldn't she? It was a simple enough conclusion, wasn't it? Imps were the most chaotic beings in Hell simply because of how many things they had to do. The things they must do. As the workhorse of Hell they were all bound to the whim of others.

And as such, many of them fought tooth and nail to do their own thing. Most failed, but that didn't stop the next one to try again, even if they were to be squashed all the same. This was one of the things Stolas admired when it came to imps: Their passion and determination.

"You leave." So let's repay some of the inspiration he got from them. Stolas was unsurprised the moment Zana moved as if struck. "I'll admit I was surprised when Lord Lucifer told me of your supposed fate. I deal in prophecies and grand events. Lucifer is far less experienced at that thanks to his own focus, but our Lord is attuned to all of Hell far more than I. That he found out your fate was unsurprising, but shocking enough that I acted as if I didn't know what that meant." The owl chuckled a bit, self derision evident. "For a moment I all but forgot how it would affect you, what effect it would have for those that would drift towards Carlos thanks to destiny taking another path."

Zana bit her lip. Why tell her all that? The first two words should've been plenty. "So I leave? That is it?" Even then, the idea of getting away, as enticing as it should've been, felt wrong. "Just, find another imp to take my place, then book it?"

"Well, yes. Again, there are many souls touched by this change in the future. Many would be imps, so finding another one would be 'rare', but doable." Stolas' eyes went back to the imp. "It is just that simple: You take your name from the contract through the stipulations that allow you to slip away and the deal is done. You live your life and any pull from Carlos is broken alongside your connection."

"..." Zana opened her mouth a second, then thought about what was to be said. A moment was all she needed. "Then what happens?"

"Most likely? Not much. Carlos will be hurt, the others may be too, considering the empathetic link present at this point. Even if normally they wouldn't care, it will still have an effect. Similarly, you will likely feel 'bad' yourself as the link severs on your end." Zana nodded at the explanation. Stolas had no reason to lie, but it still felt like it was too little. The owl Prince wasn't done of course. "The rest of his family may be of the same mind of course. You haven't been around much but I am sure many of them have taken at least a liking to you. That, and they all have a link too, albeit faint when compared to the one you share with Carlos and the others." He sent her a look. "Faint link or not, did the family welcome you?"

"... somewhat." Zana spoke far softer than Stolas expected the imp to. "They have been far more open than most demons, not gonna lie. Carlos' grandmother, not the asshole one." Zana pointed, almost smirking as she did so. "She has been among the friendliest of them all. Far too motherly and smothering, but it rubs on ya."

"Then you know that would be a thing of the past, right? They may be a loving bunch, but most of them wouldn't take kindly to how this hurts Carlos. Still, if this 'pull' truly bothers you, then you must choose. You must ignore anything other than your desires, my dear." Stolas felt it was only right to kneel down to try and be at eye level with the imp. This was a delicate situation he didn't want to end badly, for many reasons. "I will not pressure you here in any capacity, but leaving the contract would mean you would need to leave in every capacity. Rosie may still employ you, I know you are a hardworking woman, but I don't think it would be a good idea to stay close to the mortals if you choose to depart. They would likely do nothing to you of course, but emotions may linger…"

Zana snorted as she looked down. Of course it wouldn't be a good idea. Carlos, she knew, hadn't tried to be nice just to gain something. He was genuinely cordial and friendly towards her. Heck, she could say he tried to be loving. Perhaps going too hard for her taste, but the human didn't act like most people that had had any interest in her before.

"And while this should not dictate your decision, you should also bear in mind something else." Zana's line of thought was cut as Stolas decided to deliver all he had on this. "Your second chance, as it were, does not affect only you."

The imp took only a second to understand. "You mean my family could be-."

"I am unaware, nor do I think Lord Lucifer would share this with me, or anyone else, without asking for something else in return." Stolas stopped Zana before she could ramble on in fear. Her eyes, her face, her body language. Everything screamed that she understood the implications damn fast. "But there is a chance, yes. Of course, the ramifications depend greatly on how closely tied your life is to theirs. For Leonor and her estranged sister? Anything that happens as a result of her survival and contact with Carlos and his family may take years to show up, if Carlos' life has any effect on her sister's life that is. For Evelinde? She has close ties with her family, but Cannibals are fairly independent, so I cannot say any result should manifest soon. Likely they will end up taking some time, but her family WILL feel it at one point or another. As for Destina and others? Goetic demons rarely care for family, I am sure you are aware, so it is unlikely that they will have any other change in their future beyond having their bloodline spared. Anyone else bound to be attracted to the pull of his soul? Well, that depends."

Stolas opted not to think on the 'what ifs'. It would just be a waste of time. He could look into the future all he wanted with his powers, but it would take time for things to be concrete. The best guess he had was 'years', because five to ten were the least he expected for the flux of time to create new paths and for any destiny, if indeed it was important enough, to manifest.

"But your own family? Dear, you have tighter connections than most. If you break away from Carlos, then it doesn't mean something bad will happen to them. If they were meant to have fallen BEFORE all of this? Then that is clearly averted. They are alive now, after all. The future is likely open to them." Stolas let out a little chuckle. "In fact, considering the messes he will be in, it may even help if you do leave." But that mirth died down quickly. "Of course, if there is anything Carlos could do to help you or your family, if his involvement was necessary in the future for them to be safe and well, or perhaps succeed beyond what was 'meant' to happen if he wasn't around… Ending your part in the contract would put an end to that."

"... Fuck." Zana felt her shoulders sag. It would be an understatement to say she felt like shit right now. "I don't want anyone yanking my chain like this, Stolas."

"None of that here, dear." Stolas knew the imp hadn't been implying a thing. But considering her past problems? This probably felt like she had no 'out', so to speak. "You have options here, young lady. You must choose whatever feels right. Ignore anything but what you want. Is this situation truly as miserable as you think? Or can you excuse something Carlos has no power to change? Just think about how you feel about him, the situation, everything. This is not all that strong of a compulsion and it relies on your desires far more than the effects themselves."

Yeah, like that was fucking easy.

That was what Zana wanted to say, but her throat felt dry and her mouth numb. She had done her best to not think about this from the moment she sighed the fucking contract. It felt like an easy out at the time, then got worse as the first month rolled over.

First day of the next month and things went tits up.

The imp felt herself sit down. It wasn't so much a willing act, more like her body going into autopilot. She wasn't in a good state of mind to begin with and all of this just added far too much weight to her inner thoughts.

She had been trying SO fucking hard not to get attached. Zana would be lying if she said she hadn't noticed anything from day one. She did. It was clear as day the moment she came to find many of Carlos' cousins 'endearing' far too quickly. It was unnatural. She knew it because she kept a lot of people at arm's length, and being 'married' to Carlos meant shit when it came to liking his family. It was clear that whatever fucking effect this bullshit had, it also included Carlos' family, even if to a lesser extent.

Working on machines and having minimal contact had helped. But the moment she was told of the mine in the Tower and that little trove full of treasure at the bottom? Well, originally she had gone at it all efficiently like. Then the family brought music to spice it up (and because they didn't want Hector trying to use the computer to connect to any of Hell's porn sites) and Zana found herself immersed in that little bullshit act Rosie had arrived at during their impromptu visit. After that Zana had been finding herself among the humans more and more.

She soon found out that, much like Leonor and Evelinde, Carlos treated her differently.

No, not in a bad way. She wouldn't be feeling conflicted if that had been the case. And she would have gone and castrated him this morning if he had been a dick.

Leonor did treat her like a 'friend'. A friend you try to fuck over regularly, but not in a way that'd be too uncommon in Hell. Zana could deal with her well enough and indeed call her a friend nowadays.

Evelinde wasn't a bigoted piece of shit. Condescending from time to time? Sure. But she was generally nice and approachable, if far too interested in having literal human skin ready for Rosie's cars. Zana had no problems there, really.

All of that was normal. Heck, better than that. What wasn't, was Carlos.

Carlos tried to treat her like a normal person.

He tried to be accommodating. He tried to be nice. Heck, he didn't 'try'. He WAS. He was the first partner that, yes, looked at her like he wanted to do everything and then some to her, but she had expected that. What she hadn't expected was how he didn't just look at her with lust, but with care. He took the idea of them being together, contract or not, seriously. Carlos had proven it many times, not just today.

What irked her was just how easy it felt. This loss of control was not what Carlos had basically promised. He had made it clear he wasn't going to force anything on any of them. But was this really forced on her part? Evelinde was all but desperate, same as Carlos, for a relationship that wasn't pure shit. Leonor had made it clear that now that she was out of her previous 'job occupation' that the desire to take someone and keep them around had gained ground from day one, just because Carlos hadn't batted an eye the wrong way at her.

And Zana?

Despite her Lust blood, she wanted someone that didn't see her as a fucking sex toy. Time and time again she revisited that little 'epoch' of his life, that episode in which she had all but been a prisoner to her estranged family in a way that would make the King of Lust at least blush if nothing else. Zana had replayed that episode in her life so many times, and found just as many ends that had her enjoying it enough to stay, if things had been different.

But in the end things hadn't. All it had been back then was sex, perversion and her 'family' trying to get her hooked up to anything that'd make her stay. She didn't want that. She didn't want manipulation or addiction. Her time in Lust had shown Zana just how bad, how really screwed up, Breeders had it in Hell. The imp just wanted someone to see past that if she were to ever be intimate for real.

Carlos filled that niche. He looked at her with hunger, yeah, sure. But that was a given. What wasn't expected was how much care he put when talking with her, like today. A simple kiss on the cheek, or a hug, was uncommon in any Ring, at least without something else attached. Family could do that, but you'd see more bickering and fights here than almost any country on Earth.

Roughhousing, or just plain hate between family members, was the order of the day sometimes, more so in certain species. Zana at least had the 'luck' of being born an imp. Imp families could be caustic (a lot of them were), but, at least in Wrath, family WAS important, for many reasons. The closeness and warmth most households held was fairly rare in most other Rings, with Envy being chief among them.

Zana liked the feeling. The feeling of her parents and her siblings snuggled close was nice, yes. She missed it greatly now, in this mess of confusion. But the one Carlos gave her with just a few words and a hug? She liked that even more. Perhaps it was this 'compulsion' bullshit, but something told her that she wouldn't find something like this again if she left. There was an uneasiness there. Not fear, not quite. The idea that this was somehow artificial with how quickly it developed wouldn't go away, though. It was gnawing at her insides like a pack of piranha in a feeding frenzy.

The imp knew just how gut wrenching her thoughts could become when it came to this. Love life, to her, had always been deemed a, as she put it, 'motherfucking disaster, a car crash and a train steamrolling the result'. As such she had never truly tried.

And now every moment she had to think about it, far away from any work, only added to her stress.

A hand stopped her thoughts, merely having taken a few seconds to mess with her mind, not the minutes (or longer) it felt like to Zana, from making her inner struggle worse.

"Are you alright?"

Zana chuckled at the genuine concern on Stolas' voice. "Of course I am not, Stolas."

"Feeling trapped, I gather?" Stolas did his best to sound as gentle as he could. When Zana simply nodded, Stolas could do little but share a sad smirk with her. "Welcome to a noble's life, my dear. All of us feel like that."

"It fucking sucks, Stolas." Zana grumbled. She was still sitting down, with now desire to get up as she stared at the ground. "It feels like all this is going too fast, like it is artificial. It doesn't help that all this crap also means my parents and siblings may be hit by the same shit."

"It feels like it, yes. And I know what it means to worry about those you hold dear, even if in my case it only means one person." Stolas retracted his hand the moment it felt like Zana was growing weary. "But tell me… Has Carlos done anything to displease you? And remember: Both good and bad are enhanced with this 'pull' in effect."

Zana scrunched her face for a second as she thought. "Little annoyances here and there. I haven't been spending too long with him. Job aside, this 'feeling' has kept me away."

"And what about the good?" Stolas pressed the point.

"He…" Zana sucked up a breath as she finally looked at the owl demon again. "I cannot say he loves me, or Leonor, or even Evelinde. Well, perhaps Evelinde is a stretch now. I think he is trying. He wants to. He is desperate to have someone that loves him and that he can love in return." There were tears there, willing to come out, but Zana refused to yield to them. "I haven't been with anyone that so much as TRIED, Stolas. He hears me out, he talks with me and pays attention, he tries his best not to piss me off. His whole family doesn't care about my looks beyond ribbing here and there."

"But it SUCKS." The imp could hear the many pops of her hands as she squeezed so hard both of them hurt. Perhaps she even caused a wound here or there with her claws. "Because it feels fake! Not because he was being a sneaky asshole, but because of that damn 'pull'!" She got up with a single motion. It didn't surprise Stolas, but the emotion in her face did make him take half a step back in his still kneeling pose. "And it feels wrong! If you aren't pulling my leg, then he is not at fault, but it still feels like it shouldn't be this way!"

Stolas couldn't help but smirk at her outburst. "Then you make it right, my dear."

Zana did anything but share the sentiment. "How th' fuck do Ah do that!?" And her accent hinted at just how close she was to trying to claw Stolas' eyes out.

"You have done your best to stay away from him, despite his attempts to the contrary, right?" Stolas didn't need Zana to reiterate, just for her to understand his point. And she did, quickly, as her expression turned more pensive. "Then do exactly as your friends are doing: Spend time with him. Stop having him come to you as you try to avoid him. Seek him out. Share your interests. Just talk with him. And remember: Anything that makes you feel good? Chalk it down to be much less than it is. But anything that pushes you away? Go ahead and make even a bigger deal. See just how willing he is to truly make you feel like you matter. Just remember that he is trying. Despite everything, he is doing his best, isn't he?"

As Zana closed her eyes, a pensive look in her face, Stolas couldn't help but smirk. So, Hellenovelas are a waste of time, eh, Stella? Suck on that, bitch! Stolas would love to rub that on her face whenever he could, but he was just as aware that he wouldn't do that so as to not piss his wife off.

Ironic, in a way. If destiny itself had a voice, it would be laughing. Stolas somehow managed to help someone else come to a realization born from watching really bad TV drama in Hell, all the while being a complete disaster in his own right. Worse yet, the future was set for him to mess up when his own time to shine was up. Helping others was, on most occasions, far easier than helping yourself.

And when the time came, as it was written, Stolas would fail in his first attempt. What was meant to happen after? Well, destiny had decided to leave that one up in the air. Ironically, this was done thanks to Carlos' involvement. Stolas' own life was now no less at risk of change than anyone else involved with the humans residing in Hell. His daughter had given a slight push towards the gothic lifestyle thanks to a twelve year old barely capable of really explaining her own point of view, much as she tried to act mature, while Stolas had entertained the idea of pushing Stella away even sooner than he would otherwise.

Destiny did not like being thrown around that much. Stolas was meant to read it, interpret it, not help change what was to come. Making his future nebulous was, if destiny was to answer 'why', a fair exchange.

"... You know, Stolas?" The Prince could hear just how tired the imp sounded. It did make him feel better to see that she was at least offering a slight smile. "You are right. I should try, give it a chance. See if… see if it truly feels 'wrong'." She took a deep breath. What came next was sincere this time, and it was clear it hurt her to say. "And… perhaps not as bad as I thought you'd be."

"Dear, I am FAR from a virtuous man. You should see some of those I have to deal with…" Stolas got up as he tried to hold back a chuckle. "But I hope by now you see not all Goetia are, shall we say, 'close minded'. And that you feel slightly more at ease if nothing else."

"Pff, sure." The imp at least had enough courtesy not to laugh at his words. "Let's say everything feels *a little* lees shitty, alright?" Then Zana turned her head to face the engine. "I didn't expect to have this conversation this soon, or that it'd turn out this way. All I thought I was going to do was slave away at this machine and have you spew bullshit my way all the while."

"Neither did I." Stolas admitted as they both focused on the engine. "I suppose trying to spring a little something on you was not quite the good idea I first thought."

"Impulsiveness tends to breed ill results."

A new voice. The sound of it alone made both imp and goetic demon look to the side, startled.

There, unphased, was the source; another demon of Stolas' ilk.

A visitor that should've been here much later.

"But I'll say…" And her melodic voice, sweet and gentle, was also filled with unnatural cold and a feeling of distance. "I may not have been here for it all, but I thank you for the show and knowledge nonetheless. This promises to be a nice experiment at the very least."

Destina Featherfire had caught sight of something not meant for her, yet.

The possibility that this had turned things against both Zana and Stolas made the imp say it how it was.

"Well, shit. Should've seen something like this coming."