"Fuck my life!"

Those were the words Stella Goetia would often say to herself when she would have a particularly hard day… most often blaming her idiot of a husband for it. After storming off this morning, after a particularly unpleasant argument with Stolas, Stella had hoped she'd be able to relieve some of the stress by attending a Polo game in the Ring of Greed. Unfortunately, that only proved to add to her anxiety when the team she was betting on lost by three points.

Now here she was, back at home, unaware of the present circumstances of her husband and daughter, dressed in nothing more than a fluffy pink bathrobe as she made her way over to her favourite bathroom. After arriving home an hour ago, she had one of the housemaids draw her a bath, hoping a nice relaxing soak will at the very least take some of the edge off. Walking down the hall, she passed by the boarded-up door that contained the cause of the argument that made her storm out. Groaning in disgust at the memory, she thought it best to simply ignore it for now and continue on.

Entering the bathroom, she let out a small sigh of relief upon seeking by the steam bath, already heated up and filled to the brim with vapour so thick, one could get lost in it, which exactly how she liked it. Undoing her robe and letting it slide off her to the tiled floor, she then opened up the crystal panels, allowing the trapped waft of steam to escape and envelope her. Feeling the warm, lavender-scented vapours against her exposed body, Stella let out a calmed sigh of relief as she stepped inside and closed the panel behind her.

Wading into the warmth of the herbal water, feeling the gentle caress of the liquid against her feathers, she turned herself around, and began to lower herself into it until it was at least up to her shoulders. It didn't matter how thick the steam was, Stella had used this tub so many times, she could practically navigate her way around the tub in her sleep. However, instead of the usual sponginess of her bathtub seat, Stella felt something quite different against her bare ass, something softer, and… furry?

It took at least 20 minutes for Stolas to FINALLY hang up on the annoying phone call he was forced to take, and not a moment too soon in his opinion, given the massive migraine forming in his head. Making his way into the extensive kitchen to grab an aspirin, a large grin spread across his face as he was met with quite the amusing sight. There he saw his daughter with her sleeves rolled up, trying desperately to give Snowflake her own little bath in the sink… albeit with some difficulty. As it turned out, when Mick said that the tiny fox got fidgety whenever she was given a bath, he was somewhat understating the truth. No matter what the young Goetia Demon tried, the Kitsune just COULDN'T keep still! Every time she even got close to scrubbing her clean, Snowflake would always shake off the water and shampoo suds or try to jump out of the sink. At some point, Octavia ended up getting more shampoo suds on herself than the fox she was trying to bathe.

"So, who's washing who again, Via?" Stolas joked, trying desperately to hold back his laughter.

Octavia, of course, wasn't amused in the slightest as she looked back at her father.

"Very funny," she replied sarcastically, wiping some of the bubbles off her face.

Alas, even though Snowflake seemed to enjoy being a handful, which was evident by the fact that her yips were beginning to sound like amused laughter to Octavia's ears, the young Goetia Demon still couldn't stay mad at her forever. By Lucifer, how could one tiny creature be so damn CUTE!? Despite being difficult to handle, the Kitsune's fur was still looking a whole lot cleaner thanks to Octavia's efforts, so much so that it practically glistened like starlight, something which Stolas was quick to notice as he walked closer to his daughter.

"I will say though, you are doing a marvellous job, my Owlette," Stolas said, giving Snowflake a scratch behind the ear. "I don't think even your mother will be able to resist THIS face."

Octavia couldn't help but wince at that. In all honesty, given how much attention she was giving Snowflake she had almost forgotten the fact that she still needed to talk to her mother about Mick's arrival. If her relationship with her father was strained, then the relationship with her MOTHERwas as tense as a hangman's noose. In fact, she had often lost count of all the times her mother had scolded her for just having an opinion different from what was expected. Maybe if she could get her drunk first before talking to her, like REALLY drunk, then perhaps she MIGHT be a bit more accepting of Octavia's decision to give Mick a job.

"I hope so," she admitted with a small sigh, a stray thought suddenly popping into her head. "Come to think of it, when do you suppose she'll be-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The moment the combined screams of two familiar voices, followed by the sound of shattering glass ran in both the Goetia Demons' ears, the pair of them instantly froze in horror. However, it was Stolas in particular that had the biggest expression of fear out of the pair of them as a certain memory suddenly popped into his mind… namely the fact that in his haste to find the telephone earlier, he had failed to realise WHICH bathroom he unintentionally sent Mick to.

"Oh… SHIT!"

"Come here, you filthy little bastard!" Stella yelled, reloading the crossbow she had grabbed off the wall. "No pervert touches my flawless skin and lives!"

Mick just couldn't believe the sheer size of his misfortune. One minute, he was soaking in a tub filled with herbal water, dozing off to the sweet smell of lavender, and the next thing he knew, a large, naked bird lady was sitting on his LAP! After that, everything was nothing but a blur consisting of screams, shattering glass and frantic panicking as he basically left a Cat-shaped hole in the door as he burst through it in his attempt to escape. Now here he was, running for his life, wet and stark naked while dodging bolts being fired by a crazed madwoman chasing him through the corridors like a hunter chasing a deer.

As if being hunted alone wasn't bad enough, the fact that he literally had nothing on AND didn't get a chance to dry off made him look like the perv that the Bird Demon was dubbing him. In fact, the one article of clothing he did manage to keep in the bathroom with him was the Rosario he kept in his pocket, before tying it to his wrist, and his mask, which he was lucky enough to grab and place back on his face before bolting through the bathroom door. Granted most other people would have used the mask to cover their nether regions in this situation, but Mick had his reasons for keeping his face hidden, and the fact that he was being hunted wasn't going to change that.

As for Stella, to say that she felt violated after the circumstances in the tub would have been an understatement. To put things simply, the woman was out for BLOOD! The moment the strange Cat Demon broke through the door, she quickly replaced her robe without drying off and grabbed the nearest weapon she could find, namely one of the crossbows that were displayed on the wall just outside the room, along with the few bolts that were near it. Now, normally she would have let the servants of the house handle the situation on her behalf, however, given the circumstances this was one of the few brief moments that she couldn't care less about what she would usually do.

After narrowly dodging two more bolts that embedded themselves in the wall near his head, Mick let out yet another yelp of terror. If she didn't find a way to lose this crazy bitch soon, then he was gonna end up stuffed and mounted on the wall along with the rest of the decor. After rounding another corner, Mick eventually came to yet another long corridor, one that had a great number of doors. Quickly rushing his way further down said corridor, he then opened a random door and slammed it shut behind him, hoping the woman pursuing him wouldn't discover which room he was in for at least a while. Leaning up against the door and placing a hand over his heart as he desperately tried to catch his breath, Mick's mind was reeling over what he needed to do next. If he could just get to wherever Reginald took his clothes, perhaps he could grab his stuff and sneak out a window before he gets caught. Sure, it would have been easier to just jump out the nearest window right now, but if he were to end up streaking in the streets, every single pervert and rapist within a 10-mile radius will be gunning for him left and right.

"Oh… my,"

All of a sudden, Mick was snapped out of his train of thought by the sound of a new voice in the room. Snapping his head around, he found himself in what appeared to be a small guest bedroom, complete with a four-poster bed… along with a Maid who was in the process of turning it down. A youngish Imp woman who appeared to be in her late twenties, with long, messy black hair that reached the base of her tail, two short horns white freckles on her cheeks, and wore a green, short-sleeved dress and apron that barely covered the snake tattoo going from the base of her neck, down her arm and ending at her wrist. Needless to say, the moment the pair of them saw each other, both Demons found themselves in a state of awkward silence.

"Oh god," Mick muttered, a fearful gulp trapping itself in his throat as he forced out a helpless plea. "PLEASE don't scream!"

At first, the Imp Maid said nothing back in response, instead choosing to stare at Mick's exposed body, specifically his lower half, with a look of complete bafflement.

"I… I won't scream," she finally said in a soft, gentle voice… before an unnerving grin suddenly spread across her face. "… not yet anyway."

Quickly sensing something VERY scary about the way the Maid was suddenly staring at him, Mick's first instinct was to reach for the door handle and slowly leave the room… However, when the handle of a feather duster was suddenly flung across the room and was impaled into the wood of the door just above his hand, that plan was quickly thrown out the window as the Imp was slowly walking around the bed and edging closer towards him.

"Ah, ah, ah," she said, playfully wagging her finger at him. "I didn't say you could leave yet, big boy."

"Big boy!?" Mick repeated, not liking where this situation was going one bit.

"So young and fresh," the Imp muttered, her grin spreading ever wider as a sliver of drool leaked out of the corner of her mouth. "Just like a ripe fruit ready for the harvest. Tell me, honey, do you prefer top or bottom?"

"Huh!?"

Just what the hell was this Imp's deal!? The moment she even took a glance at him, she suddenly started looking at Mick as if he were a piece of meat ready to be devoured! Seriously, even the Succubae in the Peppermint Puss were never THIS thirsty! If Mick didn't find a way out of here soon, Hell knows what kind of things this lady will force upon him.

"Now come on. Come to Miss Jewel and we'll make some magic," The Maid cooed, giving her name while also edging even closer, her fingers twiddling with excitement. "Come on, I won't bite… unless you're into that kinda thing!"

Mick couldn't tell which was worse, the crazy Owl Lady trying to skewer him on the other side of the door, or the lust-fuelled Imp clearly getting ready to force herself on him on THIS one! No which way you looked at it, either way, he was fucked!

"Okay, lady, why don't we both just take a moment to cool ourselves down, eh?" Mick pleaded, hoping to at least TRY to quell the Imp's desires long enough for him to escape. "Because you've got a crazy look in your eye, and frankly, it's starting to freak me out here."

Unfortunately, the attempt proved fruitless.

"Oh, I'll show how freaky I can be, big boy!" The Maid yelled, causing Mick to hang his jaw as she suddenly tore off her top, revealing a black, lacey bra underneath. "Now shut up and get inside me already!"

Before Mick even had the chance to blink, the Imp suddenly launched her way towards him, causing him to yell in terror as he narrowly ducked to dodge her. Unfortunately, between the screams and the slamming of the door as the Maid ended up face-first into it, Mick knew in an instant that it wouldn't take too long for the crazy lady out in the halls to figure out which room the noise came from. Before he had the chance to crawl away, however, the Imp quickly recovered and made a quick grab for his tail, pulling him closer towards her like an unruly pet.

"Oh, come on now, no need to be shy!" she said giddily, her mouth completely salivated as he took a good look at what was underneath Mick's tail. "You really expect a naked guy to walk in here and NOT get lucky!?"

"You're CRAZY!" Mick snapped back, his claws digging deep scratches in the floor as he tried desperately to pull himself free from the Imp.

"No, just horny!"

Seriously, how can one tiny Imp be so unbelievably strong!? As he was pulled closer and closer, Mick couldn't help but curse his rotten luck, and the fact he had such a long tail. Snapping his eyes around the room, he quickly spotted a fireplace just within arm's reach, one that had yet to be cleaned by the look of it. Then, with one swift movement, the Cat Demon seized his chance. All it took was for him to reach out his arm, grab a handful of soot and toss it over his shoulder, after that he only needed to pull his tail free from the Imp's grasp as she spattered and gagged due to the rancid black powder in her face. After that, it was only a matter of getting to his feet and making for the nearest exit… which turned out to be the fireplace itself.

"Ugh!" Jewel groaned, spitting out any soot that got in her mouth, before gasping upon seeing the tip of Mick's tail shimmy up the chimney. "Hey! Get back here!"

Alas, it was too late, before she could even make a second grab for Mick's tail, it quickly disappeared into the darkness, leaving nothing but a few clumps of soot falling into the fireplace in its wake.

"Aw, shit!" She snapped, stamping her high heel in frustration. "So close!"

Meanwhile inside the chimney itself, Mick was currently struggling to move through the exhaust flue, secretly thanking his lucky stars for the fact he was so skinny and had night vision to boot.

"Goddammit," he grunted, shaking off another clump of soot. "How in the hell does that jolly, fat bastard make this shit look easy!?"

In hindsight, using the fireplace was definitely not the best choice for an escape route, but in all fairness, Mick didn't have much time to think of a better idea, given the circumstances. It was at that moment, he actually couldn't help but sympathise with the poor chimney sweeps who had to go through the same thing back in the 1800s. Thankfully, because of his Cat-ish features, he was able to squeeze through the narrow flue a little better than they ever did. But even so, he NEEDED to get out of this narrow space as quickly as possible. Maybe if he could make it all the way up to the chimney stack and onto the roof, he can make his escape by shimmying down the drainpipe or something… unfortunately that plan quickly fell flat when all of a sudden Mick found himself plummeting DOWN the chimney instead.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

About 10 seconds later, Mick suddenly found himself skidding against a downward slope, painfully collapsing into a completely different fireplace at the very end. As it turned out, when Stolas mentioned how his house was built, one of the things he failed to mention was the fact that a good chunk of the fireplaces were all connected by each of their flues. Getting back up to his feet, feeling every one of his bones ache from the impact, Mick quickly noticed that this new room he was in was another bedroom similar to the one he had just escaped from. Which probably meant that he wasn't too far away from where the Demon with a crossbow was still hunting for him.

Knowing that, Mick instantly realised that he couldn't stay here. Quietly making his way towards the door, he carefully put his hand on the knob and pushed it open ever so slightly. Peeking his head out and quickly looking in all directions, Mick couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief as he saw that the coast was clear. After that, he carefully creeped out into the hall, trying desperately to make each step was as soft as possible. At this point, he couldn't help but feel grateful for having padded feet so that he could walk along the carpeted floor in complete silence… even if he was still leaving black footprints as he went. In fact, for a brief moment, Mick actually thought he was going to make it out of here alive, until…

"THERE you are!"

At the sound of that shrill voice, Mick only had a brief moment to stop before yet another bolt narrowly missed the side of his head and embedded itself into the wall. Snapping his head around, he once again saw the pissed off Owl Demon reloading her crossbow, her eyes practically burning with rage at this point

"Oh, fuck me!" Mick exclaimed, once again breaking into a run.

This was getting ridiculous! Just how relentless can one Demon be!? If Mick wasn't being pursued by her, he'd almost be impressed! At this point, he had to wonder how things could get any worse!

"Someone, kill this little fuck, NOW!"

And THERE it is! With one ear-piercing scream, the feathered Demon called in for reinforcements! If Mick didn't find a way out before the house staff started coming out of the woodwork, he was so FUCKED!

Then… he saw them. The stairs! If he could just reach them, he might just still have a chance! Without even giving it a second thought, Mick made the appropriate turn and bolted for the route to the ground floor, he didn't care that he was naked now, he just wanted out! Unfortunately...

CLANG!

Everything seemed to fly by so quickly after that. The dizziness, the agonising pain, the brief image of a shovel blade just before his vision started to blur, and then before he knew it, everything went black. As his unconscious body swayed there, somehow still standing for a brief moment at the edge of the stairs, Mick wasn't even aware of the tiny Imp named Buzz cackling to himself as he stood atop of the staircase volute.

"Yeah! I got 'im! I got 'im!" he cheered, laughing maniacally at his success… only to suddenly stop upon seeing what state he put Mick in just before he suddenly went rolling down the stairs. "Oh shit, I got 'im!"

When Mick's body reached the bottom of the stairs, it ended up laid out flat on the ground floor like a rag doll with his bare ass on display for all to see… along with his masked face! As it turned out, Buzz managed to hit him with the shovel so hard, Mick's entire head spun around to the point that it was facing the opposite side of his body! Basically, while the rest of his body was face down, his actual face was facing up!

"MICK!"

Soon enough Octavia's scream of concern managed to at least cause Mick to stir. Hearing the clicks of her heels run up towards him, followed by a small gasp, the semi-conscious Cat Demon could only imagine what was happening around him as his eyes began to twitch.

"Oh… wow," she uttered, her face turning bright red as she couldn't take her eyes off Mick's exposed backside.

"VIA!" Stolas exclaimed, running up to the scene and gasping in horror as he quickly put a hand over his daughter's eyes in an attempt to shield her innocence.

"Dad! Knock it off!" Octavia snapped, embarrassed by her father's action as she swats the hand away.

Once she was able to see again, the young Goetia Demon quickly snapped back to reality just long enough to take a better look at Mick's condition. Upon seeing the way his head was positioned, she couldn't help but gasp in horror.

"Oh no!" she uttered, quickly running over towards Mick's body. "Please no!"

The moment he heard Octavia's voice again, only then did Mick's eyes finally snap open, causing him to yelp as soon as he saw her looking down at him.

"Octavia?" he uttered. "What are you…?"

However, Mick had to stop talking mid-way through his question due to a strange feeling he had in everything below his neck. Trying to lift his hands up to his face, he gasped in complete shock when he saw that not only was his thumbs on the wrong side, but his elbows were also facing the wrong way.

"Oh no, not again!" he snapped irritatedly, instantly figuring out what had happened to him after getting smashed in the face. "Damn this fucking neck!"

With that, Mick then pushed his body up, put his hands up to his head and gave it a firm twist, squealing in pain as he turned it back to its proper place. With everything somewhat back to normal, Mick snapped his eyes wide open in horror when he looked up and saw Octavia blushing and averting her gaze.

"Oh, sweet Jesus!" he squealed, slapping his hands over his crotch with an embarrassed blush of his own that seemed to seep through his mask.

Once again, Mick couldn't believe his rotten luck! First, he gets hunted, then he gets assaulted, squeezed through a chimney, has his face smashed in, and now he's exposing himself in front of a Princess of Hell! Normally he would ask himself how things could possibly get worse, but if the last few minutes were any indication, it's to NEVER ask such a question, even in one's head, otherwise life will find a way to give you the middle finger anyway.

"Mum!?"

Case in point. The moment Octavia let out that surprised cry, Mick knew in an instant that the shit was once again gonna hit the fan the second he turned his head. As he had feared, both Stolas and Octavia were staring up at the top of the stairs, where Stella was staring down at them and Mick with a glare in her eye and a few heavy breaths escaping her beak. Seeing the nervous look on the Goetia Prince's face, Mick knew in an instant that more trouble was on the way.

"Stella!" he exclaimed, a sheepish smile on his face as he cringed under his wife's furious stare. "I… can explain?"

At that moment, everything suddenly became deathly quiet, the only sound to be heard being the blood-boiling in Stella's veins and the cracking of wood as she gripped the crossbow in her hands tight enough to shatter into splitters.

"STOLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSS!"

As Mick sat on the couch, tapping his foot against the floor with anxiety, he couldn't help but wonder whether or not this was going to be the end of him. Neither Stolas nor Stella had stopped arguing ever since they dragged him into the living room with them, so much so that neither Mick nor Octavia seemed to even be listening anymore, Mick due to his overwhelming stress and Octavia because she was far too used to the arguing to even care about the context anymore. But even so, the moment the two Goetias stopped fighting each other and returned their focus on the Cat Demon sitting next to them, he knew that nothing was going to end well. The only consolation he could even think of was the fact that they at least allowed him to get his clothes back before they sat him down… of course, Stella claimed it was only because she didn't want a filthy peasant's ass on her clean sofa. Plus, all of his other belongings, namely the stuff he had in his pockets were confiscated by the screaming Owl Demon in front of him.

"Out of all the stupid things you have ever done, Stolas, THIS has to be one of the top 10!" Stella screamed, now fully dressed in her usual gown and pacing across the living room with a furious fire burning in her eyes.

"Oh, come now, don't you think you're being a LITTLE overdramatic?" Stolas retorted, trying his best to be the calm one out of the two given how gentle he was trying to be in his counterargument. "Besides YOU were the one who gave the poor boy a lap dance."

"EXCUSE ME!?"

Placing his head between his knees, Mick felt his entire body shake with a mix of fear and embarrassment. This had to have been one of the most awkward situations he had ever been in, and considering how long he's been in Hell, that was a high bar. At that moment, he suddenly felt the cushions shift next, lifting his head, he was surprised to see Octavia was sitting next to him. Even more surprising had to be that she was actually looking him in the eye, if anything, Mick would have thought she'd be too embarrassed to even tilt her head in his direction after seeing his… private area.

"So…" she said, trying to figure out the right words to say. "...this feels… troubling."

"Y-yeah, it is," Mick replied awkwardly, unsure of what to say himself.

Seeing that this conversation wasn't going anywhere fast, the Goetia Demon let out a heavy sigh and tried her best to once again break the ice.

"Okay, I know this might be a little bit on the personal side," she said. "But that whole neck thing… How…?"

Seeing her struggling to finish her question, Mick couldn't help but smirk under his mask.

"Yes, you are right that IS personal," he replied, this time with a more relaxed tone. "But if you must know, it's mainly because a broken neck is how I died. Now every time some dickhead punches me in the face too hard, I end up staring down at my own ass."

Hearing that, Octavia nodded her head with complete understanding. She didn't FULLY understand how the process worked, but more often than not Sinners DO have physical traits that derive from how they met their demise. If someone was burned to death, chances are they'd be a Demon whose head was nothing but a flaming skull, if they had drowned, then they'd be some kind of Fish Demon. Hell, even that bitchy news lady Katy Killjoy was a prime example, given her neck literally snaps from side to side every time she moves. Whether or not that was the result of her falling down the stairs and getting her neck deliberately broken by a pissed off liver was anyone's guess, though more than likely it was the latter.

"Well… if it helps it's a NICE ass." Octavia commented, hoping to lighten the mood a little despite her face turning beet red at her own words.

"Oh? Well… thank you," Mick awkwardly replied, mentally thanking his mask for covering his own blush.

At that moment Octavia felt the urge to smack herself upside the head. Of all things she could say, THAT was what she went for!? Granted it was an honest opinion, but still, you don't just say something like that to someone's face like that! Surprisingly enough, however, Mick didn't seem to be at all freaked out by the statement, in fact, he almost seemed… flattered? Was that it? It was difficult to tell with the mask.

"Octavia!"

Hearing her mother cry out her name, the young Goetia Demon let out an irritated groan. Of course, her mother would pick NOW to take a break from her argument to actually take notice of her.

"Get away from that ingrate, right now!" She snapped.

"But Mum—"

"Right NOW Octavia!"

As much as the Goetia Princess didn't want to leave Mick by himself, she also didn't want to push her mother's temper any more than it already was. So, albeit reluctantly, she did as she was told and rose from the sofa, and chose to walk across the room just enough to keep everyone in full view as she sat on a nearby windowsill. On the other hand, Stolas wasn't amused in the slightest upon hearing his wife's tone.

"Stella, there is no need to speak to our daughter like that!" He snapped, only to be ignored for his trouble.

"I want this little swine OUT of my house, Stolas!" Stella snarled, completely disregarding anything her husband had to say. "I don't care if it's through the door or through that fucking wood chipper, I want him GONE!"

Seeing the look of anxiety on Octavia's face upon hearing that, Mick knew in an instant that this whole situation was starting to get too hard for her to handle. After everything she had to go through to bring him here, offering both a job and her hospitality, now everything was going to go to shit because Mick was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If he didn't do something to put an end to this right now, then he would never be able to forgive himself for putting her in such a position.

"Um… excuse me," he said, clearing his throat to get both Goetias' attention. "Can I say something here?"

"WHAT!?" Stella snapped fiercely, her eyes glowing with burning rage as she turned her head towards him.

Swallowing a fearful gulp, Mick thought hard on his next choice of words. Right now, he was being allowed a chance to talk, which according to Octavia was a rare opportunity when it came to her mother, so he had to make sure he didn't waste it.

"Okay, I'm not going to pretend that I had no fault in this whole situation," he said, trying to be as respectful as he could to the married couple in front of him. "However, I believe it is unfair to pin any blame on Prince Stolas or Princess Octavia for what happened. The only crime either of them are guilty of is being too generous in regards to the debt they believe need to be paid"

At those words, Stella's rage seemed to have quelled, if only by a little. Apparently, Mick appeared to be making some progress.

"Yes, Octavia spoke quite fondly of you, as I recall," she said. "The Cat Demon who saved her life, whom she seems to believe to be worthy enough to work in our household."

Despite the fact she was clearly stating the obvious with that last sentence, Mick knew that Stella was only saying it to make sure she herself was fully aware of the basis of the situation, while also using her words to try and sound intimating. However, Mick was not going to falter if he could help it.

"Yes," he stated matter of factly. "And though I doubt I will receive any forgiveness no matter how much I beg for it, for what it's worth I am REALLY sorry for what happened… and everything else afterwards."

After that, all Mick could do was rise to his feet and give the Goetia Demon a respectful bow, hoping both his words and his actions would be at least enough for him to walk out of this house alive. Watching the entire scene from the sidelines, both Stolas and Octavia couldn't help but drop their jaws in awe. As far as they knew, not a single Demon below the rank of a fellow Goetia had ever spoken up to Stella like this, much less to another Goetia's defence. Even Reginald, who had been watching from the doorway with Snowflake in his arms to keep her out of harm's way, couldn't help but gaze upon the Sinner with a small hint of respect… and a great deal of sympathy.

As for Stella herself, she couldn't contemplate how to respond to this. On the one hand, she still loathed this plebeian to no end for what had happened, yet at the same time, she couldn't help but feel curious as to how he can show such courtesy with perfect mannerisms even though she had literally tried to kill him not too long ago. Taking all that into account, Stella hardens her gaze once more, looking down at Mick as if he were an insect… a DANGEROUS insect, one that needed to be crushed quickly.

Suddenly a familiar cackle rang above everyone's heads, followed by the sound of smashing glass. Tilting her head up, a small thought appears in Stella's head, one which quickly formed into a devious idea that made an unnerving grin spread across her beak.

"The job opportunity was already presented to you by both my husband and daughter, correct?" She asked, receiving a small nod in response. "Do you TRULY wish to work here?"

Mick didn't know whether this was a legit question or an attempt to lure him into some kind of verbal trap, but either way, the Goetia's enquiry took him by surprise. Even Stolas and Octavia couldn't figure out what was going through her head at the moment, and they knew her better than anyone. In any case, whatever Stella was planning, Mick was still going to face her question head-on.

"I do," he answered confidently. "If only to make up for my transgressions."

For some reason that answer seemed to satisfy Stella, judging from her grin suddenly growing wider. Needless to say, no other Demon liked this development one bit.

"Then I shall give you the chance to prove your worth," she said, much to everyone's confusion. "We have a certain pest problem on the second floor, perhaps you've noticed?"

"The boarded-up door?" Mick asked, his answer given to him in the form of a nod. "Yes."

"Take care of said pest problem within the hour and the job is yours," Stella proceeded to explain, her smirk never leaving her face. "Fail to do so... and I'll have you impaled and put you on display outside the front door."

The moment those words left the Royal Demon's beak, the entire room was filled with the appalled screams of the other two Goetia Demons in the room.

"STELLA! / MUM!"

"Now hold on there, I'm pretty sure saving your daughter's life is more than enough proof of his worth!" Stolas exclaimed.

"That was before he trespassed on MY personal space and caused damage to our home!" Stella retorted, before snapping her head back to face Mick, glaring at Mick with eyes red enough to burn through steel. "Now those are my terms, if you're unhappy with them, I'll happily have you stuffed and mounted right here and now!" Stella yelled,

"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Mick screamed in response, not wanting to invoke her wrath any further.

Needless to say, Mick didn't have time to think about his answer. Even if he said no, he'd be filleted by the end of the night. Fair or not, Mick knew that there was no real choice here. Something which Stella seemed to relish in given the snark that was oozing from her smirk.

"Good," she said, her face quickly changing from a grin to a sneer. "Well, what are you waiting for? Hop to it!"

At those words, Mick then rushed past the Goetia Demon and headed towards the living room door. However just before he left the room, he suddenly stopped for a moment and turned back to Stella with a nervous look on his face.

"Um… could I at least get my weed back?" he asked, hoping for at least some leniency when it came to his personal belongings.

Stella was slightly thrown off by the question. Was this peasant really hoping to get intoxicated in her house? He actually had the gall to ask something like that!?

"Um… no," Stella replied condescendingly, a deadpan expression plastered across her face before it once again twisted into another scowl. "Now, move it!"

Not wanting to lose a single minute, Mick then ran out of the room and straight to the stairs. Taking a moment to take a deep cleansing breath, he couldn't help but wonder why his luck was so terrible that found himself in such a situation. If he was being honest with himself, a part of him wanted to escape through the window and hope to never come across the crazy owl lady ever again. However, even if he did, he knew he'd regret it, mainly because he knew how disappointed that it would make Octavia once he was gone. No. Even if it did cause him severe bodily harm, Mick was NOT the type of guy who would let a lady's efforts go to waste. So, taking in one more cleansing breath, he decided to suck it up and do what needed to be done.

By the time he managed to pry off the last of the boards barring the guest bedroom door, 10 minutes of his time limit had already passed. Letting out a small groan as he tossed the last board off the side, he then twirled the crowbar Reginald gave him in his hand with every intent on using it. However before he could make another move, he suddenly heard a set of footsteps walking up to him. Turning around, dreading that it might have been Stolas' crazy wife again, must to both his surprise and relief, he was met with the sight of an apologetic Octavia with Snowflake resting in her arms.

"Hey, Mick," she said, letting out a small sigh as she tried to figure out what to say. "Look, I'm sure I've told you I'm not really used to actually saying this, but… I'm sorry you had to go through all that. My mother can be… difficult."

"I wouldn't worry about it, it's not your fault your mom has it out for me," Mick replied, giving the Goetia Demon a reassuring nod. "Besides it's not the first time I've had to deal with Demons like that, believe me."

Hearing that, Octavia couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, assuming Mick had to be referring to someone he might have worked for in the past, which would explain how he was able to act with her parents earlier. In any case, she still couldn't help but worry regardless of his words.

"Just… be careful, alright?" she said, turning her head away awkwardly.

If Mick's mask hadn't been blocking his mouth, the Goetia Demon would have been able to see a small smirk spreading across his face at that moment.

"Didn't know you cared." he joked playfully, earning himself a small jab in the shoulder for his trouble.

"Dick," Octavia retorted, a small smile spreading across her own face.

With the tension somewhat eased for now, Octavia felt a little bit better, deciding to have a little faith in the Cat Demon before she turned to leave.

"Seriously though, be careful," she said, giving Snowflake a small pat on the head. "Hate to see what the little miss here would look like if her daddy got hurt."

"Hey, I'm a cat, remember?" Mick replied, giving Snowflake a small scratch behind the ear, to which she gave a happy yip. "They say we have nine lives for a reason."

Satisfied with the response, Octavia gave him one more smile and walked away with Snowflake, making her way back to her parents downstairs and leaving Mick to his job. As soon as she was gone, the Cat Demon took a moment to breathe and syke himself up for the task at hand.

"Okay, so you have to take care of a little pest problem, no big deal," he told himself, tapping the crowbar against his hand in an intimidating manner. "Just go in there, take this crowbar and bash its fucking skull in. Problem solved."

However, no amount of siking up could have prepared Mick for what he saw as soon as he reached for the handle and pushed open the door. Even in the darkness caused by the closed curtains, the room looked like it was been the location of a mass murder. Deep gashes on the walls and floor, broken pieces of furniture scattered all over the place, many of which had been smashed, splintered or just plain shredded, and of course, the black splatters of what Mick could only assume was Imp Blood oozing down random area, dripping to the floor. In short, it looked like nothing short of a scene from a horror movie.

"Oh, mama,"