Gamelover41592 - Hopefully we get to see more of the Cherubs soon, but for now, Molly joins the main cast.
Guest99 - Angel is still in the Hazbin, albeit with slightly different arrangements.
Guest 1 - Not sure if I can answer these without spoiling too much, but those are some good questions.
TheMasterBlacksmith - Molly and Angel meeting will be important, that much I can guarantee.
Wolvenstrom - Indeed she still is.
PH98 - Yes.
Guest 2 - You just gave me an interesting idea!
M. Haziq - The plot thickens.
Guest 3 - It's not off the table.
Uriel Gomez - It's food for thought, so thank you.
Guest 4 - That'll be quite the family reunion
Tornado man - Thank you for the ideas.
Travian ross - Sorry if it seemed like I misled you, but yeah, glad to have straightened it out, and my moving arrangements worked out well enough.
Guest 5 - His identity is a mystery for now.
Skully13 - I've already decided on the rest of his harem, and after Molly, he has four more to go, and that's all I'll say for now.
Guest 6 - I do plan on Lisa to get involved, but that is a little ways away yet.
bayoujmd89 - The wait is over!
Nest Egg
A limo rolled up to the front of Stolas' mansion, and two passengers sat in the back without much of a peep between either.
It was Stella, Stolas' estranged wife, and their daughter Octavia. It was time for her to stay at her father's place now that her time spent in her mom's custody was over, as it was the arrangement between her parents considering the complicated marital status of the two and this was the most amicable agreement they could come to with regards to how Octavia would live her domestic life.
Octavia made to open the door, but it was still locked, just as her mother decided to start a conversation with her, "Octavia, before you leave, would you mind answering a question for me?"
Octavia would have liked to have said no right then and there, but starting a quarrel with her here won't make her unlock the door any faster, so she acquiesced, "What?"
"Are you going to be seeing that Hellhare fellow?" she asked, her cold composure not flinching as she said so.
"Of course," Via replied, "We are an item, after all."
Stella raised her brow, "Is that right? That doesn't appear to be what I see on the Undernet."
"You really shouldn't be relying on Social Media for news, mom; everyone knows most of what they put out is just clickbait to get revenue with fake outrage that the plebs get all stirred-up with."
"Maybe," came Stella's comment, "But you know, even behind all the exaggeration, there's a grain of truth, and from what I gather of this fellow, I don't like what I see."
"You don't like a lot of things where Dad is concerned," Octavia turned to the door, already imagining herself walking up the steps to her Dad's residence and shutting herself in her room until Lincoln came over, "Can I leave now?"
"I'll not hold you back any further, Octavia," she unlocked the door at last, "But I would suggest you get your head out of the clouds and stop seeing him; he's just another rake looking to take advantage of you. I've seen him cavorting with those other girls, and I know his type, you're nothing but a skirt for him to use until he's tired of you."
Octavia opened the door, setting one foot out before she paused to reply to Stella, "It's different between him and me."
"How?" Stella raised her voice, feeling indignant at her daughter's naïve obstinence, "Listen Via, I had to pay hitmen to kill so many vultures to keep YOUR name out of the tabloids." Her voice began to rise with her temper, "I didn't do that just for me, I did it for you, because Lucifer-help-me if that fucking rabbit ruins your reputation and your life, I will find him, rip his ears out and bite his head off!"
Octavia wanted to protest, to let her mother know that she was crossing a line there, but she knew better than to antagonize her and make this fragile situation worse. Octavia bit back her tongue, took a deep breath and stepped out and started towards the mansion, but not before responding to her mother, "I'll think about it, mum."
Once she was inside, she immediately headed to her room, put on her music, and lied down on her bed, ruminating about what Stella had told her. She wasn't blind, she knew what Lincoln was doing whenever they weren't hanging out together. Besides her, he's been getting around with Hell's favorite succubus popstar, two Sinners associated with Princess Charlie's hotel in Pentagram, not to mention Blitzø's adopted daughter, the Hellhound, who is apparently a permanent resident of his place now, and whom he plows on the regular.
Octavia knew that she and Lincoln were really more friends-with-benefits, they enjoyed each other's company and had a lot of bedtime amusement together. It was nice to have someone to talk to and listen to her troubles, instead of having to make posts on her Voxtagram and get daily affirmations from a bunch of empathic, but faceless, goons offering superficial platitudes hoping that maybe their sympathy for the owlette's plight might give them some cred and get them somewhere.
But she'd be lying if she didn't think about the possibility of her and the Hellhare as something more, something with a bit more intimacy, and maybe give her more of the stability in life she really wanted.
She scrolled through some pictures of Lincoln and all the girls that he has had trysts with – one of them had Loona and Lincoln go on a walk around the neighborhood, the Hellhound smiling goofily while wearing almost nothing, another had Lincoln enjoying a lap dance from Verosika, showing off just how flexible she was as her body contorted in a way Octavia could only surmise was second-nature to succubi, then there was Niffty, a reliable maid from the Hazbin Hotel who was also known for having a bit of a violent streak, though it hardly showed as she and Hellhare went shopping with one another, a bit more peacefully now that no one has hunting for him, and having a little dance party/bar brawl with Cherri Bomb, though Lincoln didn't look too pleased about that last one.
Octavia figured that she had a lot of standing out to do if she wanted to make her fantasy with Linc come close to reality.
Lincoln had promised to spend the next two days at Stolas' place with Octavia, not to mention that Stolas himself had asked if he could spare some time as the thought of the Hellhare with Octavia gave him peace-of-mind.
It took some getting used to but Molly was able to get to grips with life in Hell. It was a major culture shock from the relative peace and easy-going life of Heaven, what with the overwhelming violence and depravity that every other person here seemed to engage in. Thanks to Lincoln and Loona, and with some input from the married imps, she was able to figure out a technique to stay out of trouble if it ever came looking for her, in particular making sure her angel wings would be hidden from view, because if anyone found out just who she was, she'd probably never run out of people wanting to get a hold of her for whatever malice they have in mind.
"I'll make sure to keep the place tidy for you, Lincoln," Molly was straightening up Lincoln's jacket as he prepared to head out.
"Thanks, Molly, and don't forget to give Loona a walk tomorrow, all right?" Lincoln patted Loona, who was sitting down next to him, whimpering at the thought of Lincoln having to leave.
He patted her gently and rubbed her chin, "Don't worry, Loony, I'm not going to be away for long, and once I get back, I'll give you a nice treat, okay?" That seemed to cheer her up, as her tail wagged and she leaned into his hands "That's a good girl."
"Well, I'm off, I'll see you girls in a couple." He gave Molly a kiss on her cheek and Loona on the top of her head, and he started heading towards Stolas' mansion.
Before he got there, Lincoln stopped as B-G called his attention, giving his finger a slight buzz, "Hey, rabbit, you got a second?"
"What's up, B-G?" Lincoln snuck into a nearby alley to avoid any suspicious characters.
"Seeing as how there's a lull in major action these days, I was thinking about going my own way for about a day."
Lincoln seemed genuinely surprised by this, "Um, this is a first, B-G. Also, how can you move about on your own? You don't exactly have any legs."
B-G realized that he hadn't actually told Lincoln about how he went about on his own, "Don't sell me short, Rabbit boy, I have ways to go around." A nearby Trite started climbing up from a nearby rubbish bin, looking like it was trying to find some scrap of food for itself, "Here's my ride." A black, inky shape emerged from the mouth of the head-shaped section of the ring and engulfed the creature, causing it to spasm and flail about as its body turned pitch black. After a few minutes it stopped and the black mass around it faded, B-G was now in full control, "There we go, not the most glamorous way to go about, but it's all that I can accomplish for now."
"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own, B-G? And where are you going, anyway?" Lincoln asked.
"Don't worry, I'll stay out of trouble; as for where I'm going, well, I'm just going to go get some grub for myself."
More firsts, as far as Lincoln was concerned, this was his initial introduction to B-G moving independently of him, and having some basic needs of his own to fulfill, "I didn't think you'd have to eat, B-G, I just thought since we were linked together, I'd handle all the nutritional requirements between us."
"It's a bit different than what you might be thinking of, boy, but don't you worry, I can take care of myself." He turned around but paused a moment, "Oh, in case you were also wondering, you will still be able to use all the powers and weapons we've accumulated together, even while we are apart; I'm sure you won't have much need of them right now, but I thought you'd like to know."
"Thanks, B-G, well, here I go." Hellhare headed towards the Owl House (not that one).
"Be gentle with her now, rabbit boy!" B-G replied with a hearty laugh as he clambered up the wall.
At Stolas' residence, Octavia was planning something that her father would probably have never approved of if he found out, which is probably why she did it while he was away stuffing and getting stuffed by his boyfriend, a thought she still finds pretty disgusting but at least he wasn't around to dissuade her.
Tasked with keeping tabs on her and to manage his Legionnaires assigned to guard his home was the pyromaniac Sinner known as Sierra, whom we had last seen causing a fiery decimation of Marchosias' minions atop the battlements of her fort (as seen in Chapter 10). She was following after the young Miss, who saw the Sinner as being something like an aunt to Stolas' owlette, and while Sierra was a tad unhinged, she couldn't help but feel a smidgen of attachment for Octavia in a way that resembled an older sister of sorts.
Much to the annoyance of her superior, Saltstove, Sierra was known to encourage some unnecessarily brash actions in Stolas' daughter, and although it wasn't very often, when it did it usually resulted in him having to supervise the cleanup operations afterwards. He was not too keen on having to leave her in charge of a Legion unit by herself, and with someone he knew would probably rope her into something ludicrous if she was of the mind for it.
But with the other members of his most trusted squad on other assignments, and Octavia promising to stay within the limits of the mansion grounds, he acquiesced and hoped for the best.
"Octavia, Dearie, this isn't going to work," Sierra remarked as she followed the Goetia princess through one of the halls of the large mansion.
"Shut up, Sierra, just help me out with this." Octavia was setting up one of the rooms in the mansion with some things that she normally wouldn't have considered touching if it weren't for the fact she was in a relationship with Lincoln.
"Suit yourself, little one," Sierra huffed as she pushed a large sound system in place, "but you really think you can get him to fall head-over-heels for you like this?"
Octavia was finishing up plugging some machinery in place, "Only one way to find out." Octavia had put all of her hopes into this, and she was going to go all out for it.
Elsewhere, B-G was crawling about, keeping a low profile as he was scouring Imp City looking for something. He was creeping on the walls of a narrow alley when he saw a commotion down below; a big burly Sinner accosting an imp with a knife.
"It's been a month, buddy," the big guy said, pressing his forehead against the small imp as he lifted him up by his collar, "where's my money, deadbeat?"
The little imp was dressed like a hobo on the street, below him was garbage and various syringes and assorted unidentifiable substances, indicating the imp was probably a junkie who borrowed money and now he was in trouble, "L-look, man, I told you I'd have it by the first of next month."
The big Sinner pinned him against the wall, "And I told you waiting for next month is non-negotiable!"
The details of the altercation between the two didn't concern B-G, but as he examined the Sinner, he could see his aura of Sins around him, and if he had lips he'd smack them with anticipation. He moved closer, neither the Sinner nor the imp took notice.
The Sinner etched a shallow cut on the imp's cheek, "Don't worry, I'm gonna make sure you don't feel a thing, not like that nick on your face."
The imp gulped, preparing for the worst, but his eyes widened as he looked at something behind his aggressor, and soon the Sinner noticed this as well.
"The fuck are you look…" he looked over his shoulder to see a big, black shape loom over him, it was completely black and no light seemed to illuminate its surface. He instinctively dropped the homeless imp, who scurried away in a panic, as he turned his knife towards the large entity looming over him.
His momentary surprise was replaced with a defiant anger, and he lunged with his knife, "Get back, whatever you are!"
B-G mentally mused to himself how quaint his defiance was, but it would avail him none. His inky black and amorphous limbs stretched forth and held his arms in place, and then B-G opened his monstrous maw and chomped on the Sinner's head. A burst of energy sprung from the Sinner's body, a psychedelic mix of colors that warped and ebbed within the confines of that metaphysical mass. B-G sucked it in as an audible slurping sound came from him.
The Sinner screamed, feeling like his blood and bones were being vacuumed out of his physical being. His eyes glowed in that raging red hue that all Sinner demons have when feeling the extremes of their emotion, but it seemed to drain out of his eyes as B-G feasted upon him.
When he was done, B-G released the Sinner and retreated from view, back into the body of the Trite. The Sinner staggered and leaned against the wall of the alley, breathing heavily as he grasped his head. He was initially overcome with a sensation like vertigo, unable to stand straight or see clearly, but then he found his mind suddenly inundated with memories and emotions he didn't think he would have felt in a long time.
He felt guilt and anguish, things that he had ignored or else never considered in his lifetime. He felt a profound feeling of misery well up in his being, as something like a conscience sprang forth and caused the feeling of all his wrongdoings to wrap around him like a python coiling around its prey.
He fell over on the ground and started rolling like he was on fire, clutching his temples and shrieking, "Stop, make it stop! Shut up!"
His body began convulsing like an insect having a stroke, flailing like a maniac as he bellowed in pain and cried for help. It wasn't long before his body ceased moving and he was left as a motionless, catatonic husk, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, his mouth agape and drooling, before crumbling into gray, lifeless ash.
"He should have thought more carefully about his life choices." B-G left to go find more worthy and filling victims.
Lincoln had reached Stolas' residence and rang the doorbell, and he was greeted by a Sinner with a gaunt, skull-like face and hair like a raging bonfire, smirking at the rabbit, "Howdy do, Rabbit, hope you didn't have any trouble getting here."
"Not really, I've come this way before," he responded as he stepped inside and took his jacket off and put it on a nearby coat rack.
"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I need to do my patrol, but if you're needful, I'll be around here and about. Oh, and take it easy with the princess, I think she's biting off more than she can chew with what she's got planned."
"What does she have planned?"
Sierra chuckled a little bit as she was about to turn a corner, momentarily turning to Hellhare, "Oh you'll see it, soon enough."
Puzzled but otherwise not that concerned with Sierra's peculiar words, Lincoln headed towards the direction of Via's room, where he was told to go for a special surprise that she had in store.
Once he got there, he didn't see hide nor hair, or perhaps feather, of her anywhere, but he did eye a note neatly folded up on the foot of the bed. "What's this?" Lincoln picked it up and opened the note to see what looked like a list of snacks and drinks. It told him to text her whatever he wanted from the list, "Huh, is she giving me room service? How nice."
After going through the options, Lincoln decided on some scones and tea, and waited patiently for her to arrive.
Octavia had picked out the finest silverware that her household had, which was a bit difficult considering they had an entire room adjacent to the kitchen holding several pounds of them. She put the scones and arranged them as neatly as she could, if a bit amateurish, and brewed one of her favorite cups of tea, which she hoped Lincoln would like as well.
She also put on a nice little something that she figured would be quite tasteful for a horndog like him. Armed with the snacks and her uniform, she headed towards the room to enact her plan to seduce the rabbit.
Lincoln didn't wait very long when Via arrived, dressed in maid clothes modified to leave her torso and pelvic zone exposed although she did cover them up with some pasties on her breasts and a pair of panties for her bottom.
"How do I look?" She asked, blushing a little, unsure and feeling a bit self-doubtful.
Lincoln felt his meat grow tall and greatly yearned for release from his pants, causing him to smirk, "I think you look perfect, Via."
"Good, because I was unsure if this would, uh, suffice," she explained, walking closer towards him. Everything was going smoothly when Via accidentally tripped on the upturned fold of a rug that caught her foot, spilling the snacks and tea all about with a loud clang of the silverware.
"Via!" Lincoln rose up from his seat, "Are you okay?" but before he was even halfway up, Via held out her hand to stop him.
"N-no, it's fine, Lincoln, I got this!" she exclaimed back.
"B-but…" he took a moment to take a deep breath, "you're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm okay, really!" aside from the shock of tripping and some mild aching on some parts of her body that impacted with the floor, Via was more upset than she was feeling hurt, "Just sit back down, I can handle this."
"Okay…" Lincoln put himself back in the seat while Octavia tried to get her bearings, "You uh, gonna get any paper towels or something?"
Octavia looked at the mess before her, feeling a bit of anxiety building up as it looked like her best-laid plans encountered its first hitch, she had to do something, and then she realized she could probably make something out of this, "No, not how I'm going to do it."
Octavia stood back up and walked around the mess so her back was facing him, "I bet you're going to like this, Linky."
"Umm, Via, what are you doing?" Lincoln asked as she didn't make to turn towards him.
"Just watch me clean this in a sensual way… Sir." She said that last bit with an attempt at a sensuous voice. She then bent down while turning her buttocks upwards and her legs straight at a right angle, giving Linc a good view of her bird cheeks, and with her lady holes peaking just under her tail plumage, and that gave Linc a good burst of blood to his pole.
"Um, Via, I appreciate the show, but what are you up to?" He asked, feeling his curiosity grow together with his manhood.
"What does it look like?" she responded as though it were obvious to him, "I'm going to clean this mess up by lapping it up with my tongue."
"Um, Octavia, aren't you making the floor dirtier by doing that?"
"This is fine!" she rebutted, "I have a very hygienic tongue, besides, don't you find this hot?"
Well, Lincoln did think of women debasing themselves like this to be quite titillating in his opinion, Verosika had instilled the hunger for it in the short time they had dated when he was still human. Octavia couldn't see but she could feel his lecherous gaze upon her, and that excited her and got her to scoop up the mess with a bit more gusto than she consciously thought.
She probably should have paid more attention as an errant dust bunny of a substantial size rolled into the path of her tongue, which she lapped up and quickly irritated her throat, causing her to choke and fall to the ground and coughing intensely.
"Via!" Lincoln rushed to help her, gently rubbing her back while holding her tight, "Via, come on, I'll get you some water!" Lincoln guided her to the nearby kitchen and got her a glass of water to chug and get the irritant in her throat down so she is able to breathe normally again.
"Geez Via, you really should watch where you put your beak on."
She coughed a little bit more, "Ugh, duly noted."
He put on a friendly smile to try and help steer the matter away from this little hiccup, "Anyway, what do you want to do now? Anything else you have in mind for today?"
"Just…" Via struggled to think, she needed some time to come up with a revision to her plan, "just go back to my room, I uh… I have lots more in store."
"Okay then, just don't push yourself too hard, all right?" He gave her a kiss on the forehead, which sent Octavia's heart aflutter and a blush to light up her cheeks, but she had to compose herself.
Once more, B-G was looking for prey to sustain himself. Hopping along the edge of another building, he heard a commotion from one of the floors below; inside was one Jill Mayberry, a prior client of I. M. P. who was going through the usual motions in her life – she woke up to bitter coffee in her sparsely-furnished studio, wrestled with the troublesome plumbing to wash herself up with, and listen to the domestic trouble between another Sinner on the same floor and his on-and-off succubus girlfriend, with one or the other, and sometimes both, taking their anger out on the neighbors who happen to be in the same hallway their spats spill out into.
For Mrs. Mayberry this was the usual routine, and for a while she was distressed about being in the middle of their quarrels, having to shrink away from them every time they needed a proverbial dummy for them to scream and shout and just barely strike and scratch at. Like all unwitting Sinners, Jill was ill-prepared for the rigors of Hell, cowering as she was surrounded, alone, in a wasteland of belligerent and rapacious souls who were all in it for themselves.
Eventually, like everyone else stuck in this hole, Jill's sorrow and anxiety to her predicament ran its course, and she acclimated to her environs soon enough; eventually she found out keeping a pistol on hand and an eager willingness to use it became the most expedient way to get those two off her back, among others.
But there was something about Jill that seemed especially appealing to B-G, so he decided to go follow after her for the day hoping to see what this soul had to offer for him.
Mayberry reached her car and rode off to her job. Since it was all she did in life, she transitioned fairly well into her occupation as an educator in Hell, being a teacher for young Hellborn demons, normally Imps and Hellhounds, although she did get the odd Succubus and Edimmu from Lust and Envy, respectively. She did not see the little Trite carrying the Ring Demon catching a ride on the bottom of her car.
On Earth Jill was quite skilled with building rapport with schoolchildren; she longed to be a mother herself, after multiple stints working as a babysitter in her youth and a caregiver for some patrons around her town before putting them to the test as a grade school teacher, and then finding whom she thought was the one who would give her the family life she always wanted, at least until the "incident" that ended all of that, and her life.
The children of Hell were another breed, Hellborn children had a tendency to be unruly at best, and basically a threat to one's existence at worst, to say nothing of all the kids harassing her in very inappropriate ways, especially the Incubi, who have attempted many times, often quite successfully, to get her in a state of partial or complete undress.
Much like with the odd couple in her apartment, Jill couldn't fathom just how the children behaved and how much of it was just casually accepted as a way of life by virtually everyone in Hell, there was no law and order as she understood it in the Bad Place, the closest was answering to whoever was the most powerful or affluent demon who could muscle in or bribe for control of their territory. They were of no help as the concerns of any individual didn't matter to them unless it was to their advantage in some way.
Demon children were built tougher than the average human ones on Earth, and some particularly brutal roughhousing would break out in the classroom or even in the hall just outside for any possible reason. When scuffles occurred outside her classroom it was easy enough to just hunker down inside and wait out the violence, but when it came to the kids inside it was a nightmare. Not only did they fight fairly often but a lot of the combatants' classmates would egg them on and bet petty change for a winner. Eventually Jill just let them do whatever they want for the chance for some moments of peace, at least whenever they felt like it.
"Poor Devil, but she seems to have made sufficient adjustments to her lifestyle." B-G silently looked on and waited for a good moment for Jill to be alone again.
Once Lincoln returned to her room, Octavia summoned Sierra to meet with her in the kitchen. The Sinner with the flaming head entered, looking a little amused, having seen how Octavia's initial plot unfolded on the security cams.
"What?" Octavia asked, feeling annoyed.
"I just wonder," she began, smirking, "...how do you trip with those legs?"
"I got nervous!" She exclaimed, "Look, just get the stage in the study ready for me, all right?"
"You're trying too hard to be something that you're not, dearie; you need to re-evaluate this whole approach, methinks." Was Sierra's reply, and maybe whenever Octavia was in a much better state of mind she wouldn't think to dismiss Sierra's measured advice but that is unfortunately what she did.
"Look, I appreciate the advice, Sierra, but I know what I'm doing, just do what I ask." Octavia was rummaging through a package that she had gotten, speaking to Sierra without turning to the Sinner.
"Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you." Sierra sighed and shrugged.
A moment later Lincoln was being guided by the Sinner towards the study, passing some time by engaging in a bit of small talk, "So what are you down here for?"
"Well, one day, I got the old owl boy's attention and he saw how well I got along with his little chickadee, he made me her governess." She didn't even turn to face him as she answered.
"Not that," Lincoln decided to rephrase his question, "I mean, what brought you down here, to Hell?"
"Oh that," Sierra mused on the thought a little, "bit of a long story, and I don't think I've the time to tell you the whole entire thing, and I wouldn't want to have you thinking about that while you're enjoying some quality time with the little mistress?"
"Maybe the cliff notes version, then?"
"Fine, if you're so curious," she cleared her throat, "I was a witch on Earth, the real deal at that, not the Hollywood fakes with the dyed hair and ugly piercings you see parading their flags and signs on the streets. I got burned for my trouble."
"That sucks," was all Lincoln could say as they neared the study.
She waved her hand, thinking nothing of it, "Oh it wasn't so bad, now I get to do whatever I want and have the protection I never had in life. Plus it has been such fun messing around with my executioner who had to come down with me."
"I bet he's a real piece of work," Lincoln commented with a light chuckle.
"You would know," Sierra grinned wryly, "It was old Salty who you worked with."
Lincoln blinked a couple of times, "Mr. Saltstove? He had you killed?"
She nodded, "Even gathered the kindling and ignited it himself, although he had to use a pair of flints 'cause I kept putting his torches out with my sorcery, now that was funny watching the old sod fumble about." She guffawed heartily as they approached the door, "Well, here we are. If you'll excuse me, I'd best get back to my patrol for now, you two play nice, all right?"
"Will do, thanks Sierra," Lincoln stepped within and stood within a dim, dark room save for some ambient pink lights, accompanied by mist scented with a smell that made him feel just a little heady, "Now this seems like going overboard."
He saw a beanbag chair in front of an elevated platform stage with a brass pole prominently positioned in the center of it. Lincoln lounged on the chair, appreciating Octavia for giving him such a nice view for the show he was expecting to receive.
From a small slit behind the curtain she put together, and it was a good thing he couldn't see her behind it, Octavia was shaking, as it was now only upon the cusp of having to perform that Octavia suddenly got cold feet.
"I can't do this, why the here am I doing this?" She asked herself, trying to calm her frazzled thoughts. After a deep breath, Octavia looked through her phone and scrolled through the pictures of Lincoln and his other girlfriends, feeling her anxiety leave as she remembered why and how this is important.
She sighed and straightened her posture, "It's showtime."
The opening notes of some sultry music started to play as the curtains parted ways. A big grin plastered onto Lincoln's face as he saw Octavia strut on the runway towards the central platform, dressed in a threadbare negligee that outlined her shapely avian form.
With a slender talon she reached out to grasp the pole, she twirled around, hooking her leg around and spinning around it sensuously, reaching her free hand out towards Lincoln in a beckoning manner, winking at him and licking her beak.
Lincoln liked her motions, as far as he could tell, this show was certainly off to a good start. Octavia leaned her head on the pole as she bent her knees forward to let him see as much of her lower body as she could, before gyrating them in a delightful rotation of her curves that the rabbit's eyes feasted on greedily.
Octavia smiled to herself inwardly, so far, so good. She decided to go for a more advanced move, bending over to her side and lifting her leg up. Lincoln's eyes opened upon seeing her show off the area between her bird thighs, wolf-whistling like some cartoon wolf from an old 20th century cartoon. This was her first time doing this but, thanks to her light bones, she was able to perform the maneuver to flip upside down, hold herself in place while splitting her legs in both directions, and held it for as long as she could. Lincoln could tell she was new at this, but regardless, she was a natural at this sort of thing.
Octavia righted herself and took a moment to breathe and relax, it was time to pull out the big finish. She gripped the pole, and then she hooked one of her legs around while she started spinning round and round while holding her free leg out and her arm beckoning for Lincoln with an open palm. Lincoln hooted and whistled as she did so, thoroughly impressed and loving her performance.
She was feeling a rush of good feelings overwhelm her, everything was coming up Octavia, she spun further, faster, grinning madly as fleeting thoughts of a happy life with Lincoln entered her mind, her very own happily ever after…
"Octavia."
She could hear him call out to her, oh that was such a nice thing to hear.
"Octavia?"
There it was again, clearer this time, if she didn't know any better, she should probably get her ears checked.
"Octavia!"
The loud voice called to her and she opened her eyes to find that she had started spinning a little too fast now, and when she noticed this, she panicked, which caused her to let go of the pole and fly off and out of the room, crashing into a nearby display cabinet and leaving it a broken, shattered mess.
Another day flew by to put in her belt, as Mayberry hurriedly rushed to escape from the school grounds where the little Hell-tykes went crazy while waiting for their parents and/or legal guardians or whatever passes for such in the netherworld.
B-G followed her another couple of blocks, as she ducked into a local store wanting to get something for herself to calm down and decompress once she gets back to her home.
The ring demon hung upside-down from the ceiling as he saw Jill discreetly enter an aisle with both entryways covered by a black curtain and a Ø in red on the fabric, along with a sign that said "ADULTS ONLY" written on it, that let anyone coming in know what this was for.
B-G smirked to himself as he could guess what she came there for, "Looks like she's seeking out a companion for her lonely nights."
Jill quickly scurried towards the cashier. She put the little adult plaything in together with a handful of other items so that no one else would notice, not really willing to take the crude jeers from any onlookers; one would think that in Hell, no one really minded or cared what people did in private, but Jill supposes that this being the Bad Place, most of the population would have bad manners.
The cashier got to the toys, and he paused for a moment to consider it, "You know, if you're looking for company there's plenty of incubi or succubi around."
Jill didn't make eye contact with him, "I've been burned by one-too-many relationships, besides, a lot of them I see around here always mooch on their partners, and I'm not gonna have any of that."
The cashier smirked but responded sympathetically, "I get that, my last ex killed me. Then again, I gave her the clap so uh... yeah, that's why I'm here."
"That makes two of us, I guess," she replied, taking her things and heading out. Once more B-G followed her to see when she'd be alone.
A group of Imp staff appeared a few minutes ago and cleaned up the mess and replaced the damaged furniture. Lincoln was waiting outside of Octavia's room, while she was cleaning herself up after that accident with the display cabinet with some help from Sierra.
As soon as she stepped out, Lincoln approached her, "Sierra, is she okay?"
"She'll be fine," the Sinner replied, "but she's not feeling too good about that whole thing and would like to be alone for now."
"Gosh, I didn't think she'd feel that bad about breaking stuff in her own home."
"Oh, that's nothing, really." She waved him off, "She's by far more upset with herself for you."
Lincoln was confused upon hearing that, "Huh, why?"
"You've been checking out the news on the Undernet, haven't you?" she continued, "You're a bit famous these days, especially for all the ladies you've been meeting."
"Well, I haven't really checked out the online buzz about me all that much," Lincoln shrugged, "besides, spending too much time on social media gives everyone the brainrot."
"Wise move, boy," she remarked, "but getting back on-topic, she's been noticing how much time you've been spending with those other girls, like that popstar succubus, your Hellhound pet, and those two one-eyed ladies from Pentagram; I'm not sure if you've ever noticed, but Miss Octavia has always had trouble with her personal insecurities; her troublesome home life doesn't help her in the slightest."
Are you saying…" Lincoln put two-and-two together, "she's feeling jealous because of the others?"
"That's the gist of it," she replied, "in any case, she doesn't feel like seeing anyone right now, poor girl just wants to go sulk on her bed."
"That's not good for her, I should go in there and talk to her," he made to go inside, but Sierra placed a hand on his shoulder, "What gives?"
"She said she doesn't want to see anyone right now," she merely glanced without facing him directly, "have to look out for my charge, you know, and what she says goes."
Lincoln looked exasperated, "Are you serious?"
"A little bit," she turned to him with a cheeky smile, "maybe I would make sure she was alone in most other circumstances; but you are far more important to her than anyone else she's ever known, so maybe just this once, I'll let you through and talk to her yourself." She scooted aside, allowing Lincoln a way through.
"You are an oddball, Sierra," the Hellhare remarked.
"That's what people love about me." She responded with a smirk.
Lincoln quietly stepped inside, and could see a bump on the bed where Octavia was hiding herself, moping and sobbing beneath it.
Lincoln sat down next to her, "Via?"
"L-Lincoln?" her voice was low and cracking, "What are you doing in here? Get out."
"Via…" he started gently, patting the lump on the bed, "I'm only here because I'm worried about you."
"Well don't," she replied tersely, "I don't need your pity."
"Via, what's this all about?" Lincoln asked, thinking about how she's been behaving and considering everything that Sierra just told him, he needed to get this sorted out right away, "I heard from Sierra about how you've been feeling."
Octavia cringed, and inwardly cursed her decision to confide in Sierra and her caretaker's decision to spill out to him about her problems, "Well don't take it so seriously, she's crazy like that."
"Well, I don't doubt that," he stayed and sat next to her, while she continued to hide beneath the sheets, "But I can tell that she doesn't lie about you."
Octavia just groaned, but Lincoln paid it no mind as he continued, "Anyway, I heard you've been following all the news about me and the other girls, am I right, so far?" the owlette muttered an affirmative response, "You know I care about you, right?" she responded with another confirmative grunt, "Just because I'm seeing the others doesn't mean I'll ignore you."
Octavia finally decided to scoot out an inch of herself from the sheets, "I know…" all that she showed of herself was her face, sniffling as she popped out, "It's just, well…"
"What? Did someone tell you something that made you think that?"
"My mom," Octavia replied, "You know that my mom and dad aren't on the best of terms because of… well, my dad's indiscretions with your boss."
"Yeah, and I'd personally rather not hear or think anything about it," Lincoln said with a tone of some mild disgust in his voice, "not that I wouldn't let anyone not love who they want, but… it isn't my cup of tea."
Octavia glanced up at him, "Well, anyway, my mom talked with me about you."
Lincoln turned to face her, "What were you talking about?"
Octavia hesitated for a moment, but she pulled the nerve to start speaking, "She… she told me to be careful about you, that with all the girls you've been seeing, eventually I'll not be as good enough for you, that you'll leave after you get tired of me."
"Hmm…" Lincoln listened intently, focused on keeping his attention on her.
"I knew you better than that, I knew you wouldn't do something like that, but…" she took a deep breath and sighed, "but I couldn't help it; even if she was being unreasonable, she was still my mom, and I felt like I had to consider what she said. Besides, you know how shit my home life is."
She sat up, allowing the rest of her head, neck and shoulders to be visible, continuing, "I thought that I'd end up like them. I'd be stuck in a loveless, meaningless relationship for fleeting gratification, just to distract myself from my problems – problems that I have no control over, and which I can barely do anything about."
As Octavia bent her head low, feeling the weight of her own recklessness being more and more apparent, Lincoln placed a hand under her beak and raised her face so their eyes could meet. His hand traced upwards and rested on her cheek, "Octavia, you're a silly little bird, you know that?"
She chuckled a little, "I know…"
"Well, do you feel like you got that off your shoulders?"
She shrugged, "I guess so."
Lincoln smiled, "I have to admit, I appreciate what you did for me, Via; actually, I'm really proud of you for spreading your wings and doing something for my sake."
"Can you not? Spreading my wings got me head-first into that cabinet." She joked.
"Haha, sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Lincoln apologized awkwardly.
"I should apologize for being such a tryhard," Octavia leaned into his hand on her cheek, "I uh, I've run out of things for us to do; well, more like stuff for me to do for you."
"Hmm…" Lincoln tried to think, but up until this point he didn't really think about stuff to do when he got here, having been led about by Octavia right up until they got here, "Well, I don't suppose you guys keep any video games in this place, do you?"
"We do," she answered.
Lincoln had made that statement in jest, but Octavia surprised him when she said that, "What kind?"
"Here, let me show you," Octavia guided him to a lounge-like room where various game consoles and a colossal library of video games rested, with shelves built into the wall from the ceiling to the floor holding them, "What do you think?"
Lincoln walked up to one of the sections of the wall, surprised "Whoa, I don't think I've ever seen such a massive collection of games, except maybe from all the streamers I followed who have, like, a whole wall of games, but not one where it took up a whole room."
"Impressed?" Octavia asked, "I built up quite the stockpile over the years."
"This is all yours?" Lincoln glanced at her, looking quite pleased, "Gotta admit, this is the first I've heard of you being a gamer girl."
She placed her hands on her hips, standing proudly, "If you spent some more time with me, I'd probably show you more things about me that you didn't know."
Lincoln continued browsing, eventually setting his eyes on a familiar title he played as a kid, "Wanna go one-on-one with me?"
Octavia smirked with a cheeky expression, "Let's have it."
Jill had returned back to the apartment she called home, she had her gun on hand as she saw the succubus step out of her abusive partner's apartment. She was carrying a bottle of Beelzejuice and looked smashed. She saw Jill coming down the Hall, and put on the most shit-eating-grin you can imagine. She slouched towards Jill, "Hey there, sweet thang…" she hiccupped, "You wanna have some fun docking with me?"
"Piss off," Jill responded, trying to get around her.
"Come on," she said in a playfully immature tone of voice, "I promise you'll enjoy every minute of my company."
"Sorry, I don't swing that way," Jill replied as she reached her door.
"Come on, I'll be your best friend." The succubus kept nagging her.
"I wouldn't have relations with my worst enemy!" Mayberry retorted, while somewhere else in Imp City, Martha looked up from her meal of some poor sod's dismembered forearm, feeling like someone was talking about her.***
"You sure you don't want any o' this?" The succubus crept closer towards her, hands ready to make some inappropriate movements.
Mayberry pulled out her gun and planted it on her nose, "Dead sure."
Jill wasn't sure if the succubus didn't care about life anymore or if she was just too drunk to react appropriately, but she didn't seem very perturbed about having a firearm to her face. She just took a cursory glance at the gun, then at Jill, and then threw her hands up in defeat, "Whatever, you're no fun."
Jill kept her gun trained at the succubus before she got inside and locked the door shut, breathing a sigh of relief now that another day was over. She proceeded to the bathroom where she decided to go wash her face. Putting the gun on the side of the bowl, she lathered, rinsed and dried up with a towel, exhaling into it as the day's stress melted away.
She put the towel away from her face and looked at the mirror, but was shocked to see an ominous dark shape behind her on her reflection. She grabbed her pistol and made ready to take aim, but the black mass engulfed her hand and locked her in place. B-G reached out and gripped her neck, raising her just a little bit off the ground, but allowing her to stand on her tiptoes.
"Time to see if you can pass this trial, Sinner," B-G opened up as Jill let out a scream, which he quickly muffled by chomping down her head.
She felt her head get squeezed like a lemon between the ring demon's jaws, and from every pore of her body she felt like something metaphysical was oozing out of her. As before BG slurped and devoured this ethereal substance while all Jill could do was squirm and struggle to no avail.
Once he had his fill, B-G retreated and scurried out of her sight, and she fell to her knees on the bathroom floor, eventually she grasped her head as she felt the immense pain of her guilt overcome her mind, "Enough, enough!"
"Tsk, looks like another one's biting the dust," B-G lamented that another Sinner seems to have failed again.
Mayberry felt as though she was about to die for the second time, the agony she felt in this instance was far worse than all the abuse she was forced to endure down here up until now. She was absolutely terrified, and she felt completely alone.
"…berry," a voice, faint but audible rang in Jill's mind, "…Mayberry…" between the feeling of intense pain and the ringing going on in her skull, she heard a familiar voice, "…Mrs. Mayberry!"
The children… it was all the children she ever knew and had the pleasure of being their educator, their memories appearing as a bright point of light in the overwhelming darkness that seemed to be enveloping her soul. With all the strength she could muster, she swam towards that shaft of light in that pool of darkness, reaching towards it and breaching through.
Jill eventually stopped writhing on the floor and opened her eyes, breathing heavily and covered in a cold sweat. Tears streamed from her eyes as she felt like an unbearable burden was taken from her, and replaced with a sense that she was "complete" once again.
"Oh, what a twist; I suppose there is hope for the Sinners, yet." With his hunger alleviated, B-G decided to stick around a little bit and see what Jill would do now that she was no longer shackled by her "burden."
Lincoln and Octavia were busy playing Muscle Fish Fighter Five, and so far as can be determined between the two of them, Lincoln was winning every match they played.
"This isn't fair!" Octavia complained, "You're not letting me win!"
Lincoln turned to her, "Hey, all's fair in love and war, Via, and you seemed quite sure of yourself when we started."
Octavia stammered for words, "Well that was before I found out you wouldn't give me a fair chance at beating you."
"I never made that claim, Via," Lincoln prepared to start another round, "Don't worry, maybe you'll luck out on this next one."
Octavia thought of something while Lincoln got ready, a sneaky, underhanded idea, but which would certainly work in her favor.
They started, and once again, Octavia wasn't faring very well against the more experienced Hellhare, but she had a plan to get the upper hand; without giving him any heads-up, Octavia leaned on his lap, used her magic to undo his pants, and started sucking on his dick.
"The fuck are you doing, Octavia!?" Lincoln was so rattled by her actions that he was too distracted to notice she was quickly whittling down his character.
"Winning!" Octavia said in a muffled voice, clamping her beak tightly around his scepter.
Octavia won, and she let go of Lincoln, breathing heavily, and laughing in satisfaction, gloating to Lincoln about her victory.
Lincoln just looked mildly annoyed, "That was a tad unwarranted, Via."
"So?" she had a smug look on her face, "You said so yourself, 'all's fair in love and war,' remember?"
He narrowed his eyes, looking mildly annoyed with Octavia's cheeky response, but he smirked as he thought of the perfect retaliation, "Wanna take this to the bedroom, then?"
"Huh?" She didn't have much time to respond when Lincoln picked her up and hoisted her on his shoulder, carrying her like a sack of grain, "Hey, hey! Put me down you bloody long-ears!"
"Oh no, my dear, we're dropping all civility and going all-out!" Lincoln took them back to her room, and he laid her down on the bed, "Anything you want to say before I start?"
"W-will this hurt?" Octavia gulped, feeling herself shrink as her lover asserted dominance.
Lincoln leaned into her ear, "My dear, you'll enjoy yourself too much to notice."
First things first, Lincoln reached to her neck and started kissing and sucking it. Octavia moaned as Lincoln carefully pulled her negligee apart, and taking her little A-Cups in his hands, fondling them lovingly.
"Ah… Lincoln…" the way his name rolled off her tongue sent goosebumps through her.
"Via," Lincoln started as he moved his face down towards her breasts, "You do perhaps lack a little something from the others," he sucked harshly on her avian skin along her clavicle, "But you do have something that the other girls don't have."
Octavia let out a lascivious sigh, "What?"
He ran his tongue across her nipple, "You're like a fresh egg that I got to scramble first." He then gripped her bird tits together and sucked on both of them.
Octavia clamped her legs around his waist and grasped her bedsheets, squealing ecstatically.
Lincoln's dick was already out and pushing through Octavia's shy love-nest, forcing the sides to open up a little for him, she moaned several times as he made to breach her.
He pulled up to her face, firmly but gently grasping her hair to face him, "Octavia…" he began, his eyes soft as they locked sight with each other, giving her reassurance, "you know I love all of you, because each of you are so special to me in your own ways; don't compare yourself to any of them because there is nothing to compare."
He pierced her, but as Octavia made to let out a moan, Lincoln kissed her and dug his tongue into her mouth, muffling her voice. He pushed in and started his lovemaking. Octavia tightened her legs around him even harder and threw her arms around his neck, as Lincoln pushed harder and deeper, Octavia felt, despite the weight holding her down, she was where she was the safest and happiest right then and there.
Lincoln released his sperm into her as she gripped him tighter, determined to hold on as long as possible as the soup poured inside her. After a minute or two of their warm embrace, Lincoln let go and laid down beside her, the two of them breathing heavily and basking in the after-glow. Octavia rolled to the side and hugged the happy-but-drained Lincoln.
She traced one of her talons gently on his pectorals, smiling, "Lincoln, am I… I mean, you really don't have anyone you'd say is your favorite?"
Lincoln shook his head, "I learned a long time ago, mostly from my sisters, that playing favorites can be a hassle, and one that is just not worth my time or energy dealing with; besides, all of you have something I love, as I just said."
"Hmm…" Octavia thought about it for a moment, sighing, "I'm… I'm sorry, Lincoln."
"About?" He asked, though he had something of an idea about what she was going to inquire him on.
"I, well, you know about my family life, how my mom and my dad are both in a problematic marriage." She started, staring into space while leaning on his shoulder, "If… whenever I got into a relationship, I told myself that I wouldn't end up like they have, that I'd meet my soulmate who'd make me feel loved and safe and feel like his queen."
Lincoln gently stroked her hair as he listened intently, making sure that Octavia felt certain he was there and present, physically and emotionally.
"I know this sounds a bit corny," she laughed softly before continuing, "but when you saved me and allowed me to confide in you, I couldn't help but see you as something like my knight in shining armor. You barely knew anything about me and yet you accompanied me, you protected me, you gave me a shoulder to cry on and…" she blushed as she remembered when she just barged into his residence and kind of forced herself on him, "…you let me be intimate with you."
"I saw someone in need of a trusted friend, but I was not expecting that little visit in my trailer," Lincoln fiddled a finger just beside his nose, "Still, I owe you an apology, Octavia. I know that I wasn't really the guy you were hoping for, whom you were dreaming of, and it does give me second thoughts."
"No, please don't be sorry, Lincoln," she hugged him tightly, pressing her face on his skin, "I had gotten ahead of myself when I visited you that night. I thought if I got to you first I'd have you all to myself, and you seemed a lot different from every other jackass Sinner who I've ever met."
"No contest there, but I am guessing you weren't expecting to learn that I had actually had my first time with Verosika Mayday, right?" Not too long after being reunited, Verosika had briefly made a point to share that Lincoln was her special someone from before she got into rehab on her social media, causing a fair bit of buzz on the Undernet in the process.
A bunch of her diehard fans whipped themselves into a frenzy about how "their" beloved Verosika had been taken, and I. M. P. was briefly harassed by these angry, self-righteous fans for a while, though with some help from Stolas and after rumors started circulating that the Hellhare had bested the Lemegeton Marchosias, it appears that they had lost their nerve.
Octavia looked up at him, "That was a bit of a surprise, but I guess it isn't too unexpected now that I think about it; after all, you are a dashing gentleman who can handle himself in a fight, and you seem to know just what a girl in need wants."
"That's sweet, Via, really," he kissed her on the forehead, "but now that you know… well, found out my deal, I feel a bit guilty not being able to give all my time to you… I don't want to force you into this, that isn't me, but the others need me too, and I can't leave them."
"It's okay, Lincoln," she said to assuage his concerns, "I think, maybe I can learn to get used to this, I'm just not sure when, or how yet."
Lincoln hugged her tightly, "I'll do my best for you too, Via, maybe figure out something together."
She returned the hug, "I look forward to it."
The rabbit and the owlette slept peacefully, but Lincoln stirred awake feeling a bit restless. Octavia noticed him waking up, "Something wrong, Linky?"
Lincoln smacked his lips and rubbed his belly, "Feeling a bit peckish, just realized I hadn't had a lot to eat just tonight."
Octavia told him where the kitchen was and to help himself to anything there that he liked. Inside he was delighted to find a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a pack of sauerkraut, and he made his childhood favorite that, to this day, only he seemed to genuinely enjoy. He stepped to the window and stared out into the night sky, observing the black, pentagram-marked moon of Hell up above.
"You seem to be in a somber mood, rabbit-boy," B-G skittered up the window Lincoln was gazing out from.
"Oh, B-G, you've come back," he took another bite of his sandwich, "well, me and Octavia have had, uh, a bit of a chat about our relationship… it's complicated."
"I'm sure it was," B-G noticed someone coming in, "Heads up, you've got company."
"Huh?" Lincoln turned around to see Stolas coming towards him, a friendly smile on his face, but with an air of caution about.
"Are you enjoying my house and my daughter's company?" He asked as he got close.
"O-oh, Mister Stolas..." Lincoln struggled for words, "um, I asked permission."
"Lincoln, Lincoln..." Stolas shook his head, "it's all right. My sweet young Octavia is free to live for herself, if she chooses to entertain you, regardless of your... record, let's say, why, that is her business. I am not one to really judge either."
B-G just quietly observed the two "get along" as it seemed, "Thank you, sir... I'll promise to make it up to you, and her."
"Oh, I know you will. But one small thing..." his eyes lit up a violent red, as his friendly demeanor made way to a strict expression, "If you harm her, maliciously, I will make you answer for it. I hope I need not elaborate."
Lincoln gulped, "Of course, sir."
The Ring demon slipped back into his vessel on the Hellhare's finger, sending a telepathic message to the owl, "Ease up, my boy, he won't do anything untoward to your youngling, his thoughts I see assures it."
B-G's message and some brief images of Lincoln's genuine thoughts calmed him, "Ah, but you're a fine young man, and she's taken quite a shine to you... are you staying the night? I can make popcorn."
"Thank you, sir, but, I need to get back after this, I want to be with her for the night, make sure she isn't alone." he stared back towards the direction of Octavia's bedroom, looking rather fond-in-the-heart.
Stolas had to admit, seeing and sensing Lincoln's feelings gave him a slightly warm and fuzzy feeling that dispelled the last of his doubts. In spite of the rabbit's polyamorous tendencies, he cherished each of his lovers dearly and would do all he can for them, and Octavia was no exception, "Well, if you'll have us for one more day, we can watch a movie together later, will that be acceptable?"
His ears perked, "Oh thank you sir, I think Octavia and I will love that very much!"
Lincoln finished with his meal and made his way back to Octavia's room, but had a question for his partner, "Hey B-G, how was your day?"
B-G sounded excited to tell him something "Oh, it was quite fascinating, after I had my fill I decided to check some of the people and goings-on around the city, especially this rather proactive young lady I had been following…"
The succubus who drunkenly made a pass at Jill Mayberry made her way back to her boyfriend's place, her stride unsteady as she made her way inside, trying to get a sip from her mostly-empty bottle, before dropping it once it was clear she wasn't getting a drop more out of it.
"Babe, you in there?" she stepped into the living room, and saw him tied to a chair in the middle of the living room, "the fuck?" She felt a sharp blow on the back of her head, and she was knocked out.
When she came to, she was tied to another chair and was positioned next to her boyfriend, "Ugh, my head, what's going on?"
"How would I know, you damn slut!" He exclaimed out loud, "I was just done cleaning myself up after taking a leak when some bitch clocked me in the back."
"You need to wash that mouth out with soap before you say another word, pal." Jill suddenly walked in, cocking the slide of her gun as she stepped into view.
"H-hey…" the succubus tried to remember her name, but her drunken mind failed her, "…you."
"It's Jill," Mayberry replied, "Now before I let either of you go, we're gonna talk through your issues."
"The fuck are you talking about, woman?" the Sinner said out loud, "Get me out of this chair right now or I'll…" Jill aimed her gun near but just away from his ear, and fired, "Fuck!"
The succubus just laughed like a naughty child before Jill pistol-whipped her and she tumbled onto the floor, "You're not off the hook either, little lady."
Jill sat on the sofa and helped herself to a glass of milk she got from the couple's fridge, waiting for them to recover from the clobbering she gave them, "Unlike you, my time is precious, but we're gonna stay here for as long as it takes until you two get along!"
After a fun little weekend spending time with each other, it was time for Lincoln to go home as the sun set on Hell's sky. Lincoln gave Octavia a hug and a kiss while Stolas was looking on with a smile from a window near the entrance.
"Thanks for the weekend, Octavia, I had a blast." Lincoln held her hands tenderly.
"Just let me know if you want to come over again," she fiddled her talons on his hands, "Maybe I'll be able to beat you in Muscle Fish Fighter for real by then."
"We'll see about that." The two had a good chuckle before Lincoln waved her goodbye and started walking home.
Lincoln had managed to come back to his trailer just as the last bits of light descended and nighttime began in earnest. He opened the door to his trailer, "I'm home…" He came inside to see neither Molly nor Loona anywhere, "Huh, wonder where they are?"
Lincoln heard a kerfuffle behind him as he caught sight of Loona running after what looks like a squirrel, running on all fours and moving at top speed, with Molly barely holding onto her leash and screaming for her life.
"Loona, heel!" Lincoln rushed to help poor Molly before something bad could happen to her as a result of his Hellhound pet's instincts.
So sorry for the extended wait my friends.
I know that I was in the middle of moving in the last chapter, but a fair bit more happened since then, moving to new job locations, getting back to playing my video game backlog, working on some side projects here and there.
That said, I've been feeling a bit troubled lately, though I am seeing a therapist to help alleviate these concerns, a part of me can't help but feel a bit, well, fearful. I won't bore you too much on the details, as it is my battle to fight, but any support you may give would help me feel less alone, and I'd be grateful for that.
*** Oh and in case you were wondering - yes, Mayberry was referring to the fact that she and Martha are apparently a couple now in the show's canon. Now, I knew Viv and her writing staff were... questionable, but that is probably the most god-awful and bizarre turns of events I have ever encountered.