Side Story II - Entrenching (IV).

"Fire in the hole!"

Instead of cowering or preparing for the next blast, nine out of ten people, or perhaps ten out of ten in most cases, just cheered. Mayhem and destruction were common in Hell. Appreciated even. And everyone else watching this was enjoying the explosions far more than they should.

Hecate had to admit it felt good to be appreciated, even a little bit.

That didn't stop her from blowing shit up. In fact it only encouraged her further. Was this why that chick Cherry Bomb blew shit up all the time?

Fuck, she could get addicted to it.

Having wings helped a lot, you know? She had gotten every explosive in place in no time. It was also nice to 'see' in the dark. Echolocation was a motherfucking bitch, but she had been dead long enough to know how to deactivate it, more or less. Most of the time Hecate and her brother heard things like normal people now. But miss a beat and there you were, like a fucking sonar underwater. And if you are curious: That could literally shred you from the inside.

Not so fucking marvelous technology now, eh? A sonar ping is far more dangerous than you think. And for her and her brother? Think that, but it fucks up your brain. She was lucky that such wounds fixed themselves, but the experience was NOT pretty.

Anyways, this had taken less than a second in her mind. Far too long for her to wait. There was an innate desire in her, a mandatory requirement, an itch and an addiction.

All of it demanded her to KARSPLODE something!

And Hecate did just that.

The next explosion shook the ground and made many of the 'guests' to this show stumble. But the plume of mixed materials exiting the deep hole was a bit of a spectacle in itself. There were more and more chunks of minerals and jewels mixed as the excavation deepened. Nothing worth fawning over, but with the clear sky today it created an interesting shower of dirt and sparkly fragments that mesmerized the bored 'population' of The Tower.

It didn't even faze her when a chunk of copper smacked her on the face. All she let out was a half aware 'ow'. That would heal itself in minutes, though she could feel a fang had cracked and had to spit out the lower section with a small drop of blood.

Still worth it.

The smoke and debris barely cleared by the time she heard a voice calling to her and saying. "Are you alright, dear?"

Explosions and adrenaline were Hecate's main thing, but she'd be lying if she said she disliked one particular development of her new employer. And that thing? Okay, two things. Having Rosie as a boss was… constricting, but she was generally nice, and her protection was fucking awesome. But the family she was 'more or less' working for had been damn nice until now.

"I am fine Antonia." Hecate tried not to show it of course, but she did enjoy the old woman's attention. And as she turned to see Antonia coming closer with some medical supplies she probably had in hand for this moment, Hecate allowed herself a small smile. "The attention is appreciated, though."

"That may be so. But don't give me that look, young lady." The older woman waved a finger her way, and while Hecate found this embarrassing, there was a big part of her that had wanted something like this when she was younger. "We both know any regeneration of yours hurts less if you have it well cared for."

It was unsurprising to see many of those working with the family acting nice, or with clear fondness. Most of them were actively helping, usually for nothing in return, or at least were open and friendly. Sure some were dicks, but not everyone could be a winner.

And yes, Hecate knew the truth. Some of those now living here were genuinely nice and more than happy to work with these people, but the majority were acting nice for the promised payout, because they were forced thanks to their contracts and deals with Rosie, or just because doing so meant they weren't going to be either eaten or killed and dumped somewhere.

The family was genuinely nice. Politics in Hell weren't.

But Hecate would be willing to bet that, sooner or later, if these people stayed here long enough, they would mellow for real. She didn't know it for a 'fact', but her gut was usually right when a hunch hit her.

"Going to have your boo boos fixed, sis?"

One thing that wasn't going to change, or get 'fixed', was her brother, but that one she had lived with both in life and in death. So with a deadpan and a grunt she turned and flipped Ashley the bird.

"Fuck off, bitch."

At least Ashley's company snickered or openly laughed. Carlos and his women were walking Hecate's way, with Carlos openly smiling.

"It is always fun to see some sibling infighting." Carlos' words likely meant it in the fun, roughhousing kind of way. Hecate said nothing, but she saw the women surrounding Carlos biting their tongues in various ways. Those words could mean a lot more here in Hell. "But I'd prefer to see more explosions. I'll admit I was excited to see them in person for the first time, and they did not disappoint."

Hecate beamed at that, but she reigned her ego damn quick. "Glad to hear, but that was a baby boom."

Carlos seemed to understand,a t least until he spoke. "I mean, I know that is likely a small explosion, but-."

"I mean we are going to have to be even more brutal to dig the thing up." Hecate interjected the moment it was made clear Carlos misunderstood her. "This mountain is going to regenerate in record time with all the magic here. This hole will be close, with the terrain healed, in a week, two tops."

That seemed to leave the man speechless. "You nuked the damn surface of the mountain. Is it going to be that fast?"

"Or faster." Evelinde hummed as the woman took off her mask. Her face was somewhat neutral, missing her usual smile. She clearly hadn't enjoyed the spectacle as much. "Hell dislikes these wounds. You have to keep digging at it to tame the land."

Such an absolute truth in Hell was rare. A chaotic land by nature, very few things stayed the same, except Hell's surface… whenever Hell wanted it to, of course.

Very few things could permanently alter Hell's land, other than the will of those in charge, like Lucifer, his wife or his family. Every Sin could alter Hell almost at will, even if sometimes it took a lot more effort than they'd like. Hecate hadn't been here as long as many others, but she had made sure to learn who was powerful and why, if only so she, and her brother, could be safe.

"Shit!"

Safe, not free of pain. And when that little bit of cotton, with whatever fucking medicine had been doused on it, touched her, Hecate was reminded that painless was not an experience you tended to enjoy much of in Hell. At least if you had hobbies similar to those Hecate enjoyed.

"Don't be a baby." Antonia chuckled as she removed the cotton. Hecate could see specks of blood dotting its surface. "I'd be far harsher and forceful if I didn't know this won't really hurt you for long. But letting that wound regenerate on its own will not do."

"Don't tempt my grandma." Carlos cautioned. "She may not chain you down to try and heal you, but she will do the next best thing."

While there were a few more chuckles inbound, Hecate noticed Antonia didn't seem willing to join in. "I'd do that with my children when needed." She said with a hum as she made Hecate hiss the moment that cotton touched her again. "And I'll do it still. At least if they allowed me. Everyone is doing their own thing or worried sick. Even with how things are I rarely get to see them all unless I fight my way into their houses."

"A good mother cares." Leonor let out, if far too soft for most to pick up. Only the Imp at her side seemed to notice, and likely because she at least had some experience picking on the shark's mutterings. "Speaking of which… I have seen everyone but your oldest."

"Mireya wanted to be close to her new house." Antonia let out a light hum as she picked a bandaid and, with humiliation on overdrive, planted it exactly where Hecate was bleeding from. The poor bat Sinner tried her best not to blush at the treatment and how much like a child it made her feel. "So she remained on the first floor, like my husband."

"That woman needs to relax." Zana grumbled, likely not caring when the older matriarch sent her a glare. "It is the truth. She keeps worrying about her son. I understand, I also come from one of the few families down here that won't try to stab each other. But we KNOW when to let go of those that don't want to be near each other anymore."

Don't want to be near each other didn't cut it. Few had seen Mireya's oldest around, but he was one of the few mortals that people had come to dislike. That young man was meant to be in Hell, Hecate didn't need to see him as a Sinner to know.

There was something fundamentally wrong with him. Part of it seemed to come from outside, but there were things… Hecate was sure that the young man had done something, something bad.

"That may be s-."

Carlos stopped mid sentence. There was something, something that even Hecate noticed. It was… How to describe it? A pulse? A pinprick? It was a tugging of her soulstring. As if the one owning it sent a notice her way, but for some reason it was faint. It still 'hurt', in a sense, as if she was being called to attention.

Carlos felt it far stronger. His eyes were wide open, his mouth closed and her face slowly morphing from surprise to anger.

"Aunt Mireya is in danger."

That is all he said before he turned around, brought the knife from somewhere Hecate didn't see, and took off running.

It seemed explosions weren't the only messy thing on the menu today.