The next big day of I.M.P work arrived, less crazy than it usually is but more peaceful.
Sure, some stakes were now raised for Stolas, but at least the gang were locked and loaded, ready for anything just in case.
In the meantime, Loona snuggled on the couch with Balin, who laid on her hairy belly safely wrapped up in her tail as he played his phone like she was. And this time, he had actual make-up on his face resembling his wolf pup disguise while his fur coat was hanging on the rack near the door.
Every time the boy started getting tired from the warmth of Loona's tail, she'd notice it and give his hair some little licks to try and wake him up.
"Loona!" Balin would pout with laughter.
"Sorry kiddo, but what if I need to get up from this couch?" she'd chuckle in response, as he'd snuggle up to her more.
One time she licked his hair to wake him, Blitzø walked in on the two's affectionate scene in awe.
"Ohhh! Is my Looney-Tooney grooming her whittle puppy?" he cooed.
"Ugh! No Blitzø, they're just kisses." she remarked in a small glare. "If I was ever gonna do such a thing, and I mean 'IF', I'd at least be doing it at home, away from you, EXPLICITLY."
Balin then nodded his head to the boss in reluctant agreement. It wasn't always pretty seeing Loona like this, especially after the first time the two met, but he still loved her the way she was after making her promise of looking after him.
Shrugging, Blitzø walked back into his office while the two stayed in their cozy embrace.
"So... Loona?" the boy began speaking, making Loona look down at him with intrigue. "What's working in this big office like?"
"What's it like? Um..." Loona pondered for a bit. "Well, we're like a normal company, with a lot of paperwork and all that important stuff, but we also just have a lot of fun around here too. Most of the time, I don't, but the others certainly do."
"Ooh, so you guys are like Pixar?" Balin then interrupted with a smile.
"What the fuck is Pixar?" she asked in her head, but tilted it in interest as she replied to him. "...Sort of, like Pixar. Why?"
"Because... can you keep a secret for me now?"
"I'm all ears, kiddo." Loona then lowered her head to the kid, cheekily twitching one of her ears in his face causing him to giggle.
"I heard they ride bikes and play on computers in bed all around the building." the boy then whispered in one of her ears.
"Oh, do they?" she replied with little intrigue as Balin quickly nodded. "Well, maybe that's how they make their movies. With 'fun'damental ideas. *Chuckles* Get it? Fundamental?"
She then gave Balin some belly tickles with her fingers again to make him laugh at her joke.
"But yeah. It is just like this 'Pixar', kiddo." she calmed herself down with one chuckle. "While what we do here can be scary, our clients and the gang can be pretty creative too."
"And you too?" asked Balin.
"Me too? Well, sometimes."
"What do you mean 'sometimes?'"
"Well, my main job here is the receptionist." Loona continued explaining. "Blitzø gave me this time thinking he could keep me safe, being his adopted daughter and all. But when there's targets the three can't handle on their own, that's when they whistle me in."
"Is it really that scary?"
"It can be." replied the hellhound. "And it can be pretty messy at times."
"How messy?"
Loona didn't want to traumatise him again having asked that, so she thought how about how she would put this in a fun answer.
"Well, for one thing, it involves a little... this."
She then began to make soft snarling noises before shaking him about in her arms, pretending he was a target again.
"Oh-oh, okay." chuckled Balin afterwards.
"But you know what?" she continued speaking with a grin. "I used to think that receptionist job was still boring, and that I only liked it for the peace and quiet away from the others. But now, there's something else."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"It's having 'you' here with me." her grin then turned into her cuddly smile.
"Me...?" Balin then showed a happy tear or two in his eye.
"Oh Balin, what's the matter?" Loona asked in concern.
"Nothing, Loona. It's just tears of joy." he replied in a choke. "No one's ever said a nice thing like that to me in a while."
"Aww, here. Lay your head down here."
Like that, Balin laid his head into Loona's chest fur as she began swaying him like a boat rocking on small waves.
This all lasted a few seconds before Moxxie and Millie arrived in the room.
"Oh! M&M!" she called out to them as she rested Balin on the couch. "Just the two dopes I've waited all morning to see."
"Okay?" replied Moxxie as she picked them up under her pits and carried them into Blitzø's office.
Balin then laid back down on the couch and played more on his iPhone, resting on the shedded fur Loona left behind.
"Loonie? What's going on?" asked Blitzø.
"OK, so I left you a voicemail last night, Moxx." she explained. "And..."
"We know. I'm sorry for ignoring it." Moxxie stuttered, trying to find an excuse for his prank. "I just thought you were acting like a treadmill salesperson again."
"If I wanted to do that, Fatty, I'd be using the company line." Loona smirked.
"Touche." Moxxie shrugged.
"Anyway, I wanna do something... thing... ugh... nice for Balin." she continued, trying to open up to them. "To make him feel a bit more at with us."
"So what you got in mind?" asked Blitzø.
"Gather round. But no touching!" Loona crouched down, huddling the gang together.
After 10 seconds of whispering and chatting, the gang took an interest in Loona's little idea.
"Now that, we can do, Loonie." agreed the boss heartily.
"Of course you would." she scoffed in response before asking: "Now what do we know about Balin already that he likes?"
"OOH! Every genre of music!" suggested Blitzø loudly.
"A frail yet loveable addiction to chocolate, apparently." added Moxxie.
"Colourful things!" Millie jumped, raising her hand like a schoolgirl.
"And I know he likes doggy kisses as well." she smirked in her head before replying to the others. "I like where this is at. For, you guys."
"So, shall we do this?" asked Moxxie.
"Gol' danged we should!" Millie seconded with a swing of her arm.
"Then as the founder of I.M.P, I hereby settle this agreement." said Blitzø with a still-hearty smile. "Very considerate of you, Loonie. I didn't think you had it in you, but you really are a softie."
Blitzø wrapped one arm around her furry back giving it a pat. But he soon realised he could've made his last mistake. He felt something dripping onto his head, and he touched it to see it was drool from an angry Loona, who he looked up to see panting with a scary look and growling like a rabid wolf about to kill him.
If there was anyone she definitely didn't take affection lightly from, it would be Blitzø.
So chuckling nervously, the boss backed away from Loona, trying not to turn his back on her like she was a jungle cat, as M&M cowered behind him.
"Well... heh, heh. Why not have the day off with the boy while we get started at your apartment?" he suggested in a shivery voice.
"HERE! TAKE THE KEYS TO THE GODDAMN APARTMENT! MEETING ADJOURNED, NOW GET OUT!" screamed Loona in anger, jamming her room keys into the back of his neck as they ran out fast.
Soon, Loona did her breathing exercises that she's been taking on her phone since meeting Balin.
After a minute, she was back to her calm and aloof self, as she went out to the couch to tell the little human the good news.
"Oh Balin..." she sang to the boy, crouching down to his level. "I had a meeting with the imps and we have a surprise for you."
"Uh-huh?" the boy listened to her, even though he still looked on his phone.
"And while they're helping to set it up for you, I've got the day off." she continued. "We get to spend the day together. How fun's that?"
All Balin just gave was a sigh. He loved what she suggested, but something else was on his mind.
"Sweetie, you okay? What's wrong now?" she asked in concern again.
"It's just my family back home." he sadly said. "They're... they just found out about what'd happened and now they're worried about me."
Balin showed her his phone and the messages that came from each of his family members. All of them were 'Where are you?' texts.
"Oh. Well then, while we have the day off, do you wanna see them?" she asked with a kind smile. "I have the crystal that can take us to Earth."
"No thank you, Loona." he replied. "I just don't feel ready to face them yet."
"That's alright. When you're ready, you're ready." the hellhound knew the kid had a point, but then got another idea. "Hmm... maybe you don't have to see them, but how would you like to show me where you're from? If you'd like to go back for a day."
"Really? Would you like that?" the boy asked, slowly getting a smile back as Loona nodded. "But how?"
Loona chuckled as she held the Asmodean crystal in her paws. "Like I said, kiddo, the crystal. We can go 'anywhere' in the world with it."
"Anywhere?" asked Balin in surprise.
"ANYWHERE..." repeated Loona in a whisper.
"Well then, let's do it." smiled the boy again.
"Attaboy, little bro." Loona then ruffled his hair, before he ran to collect his fur coat. "But first, you don't mind if I grab a coffee before we go?"
"Okay." replied Balin, as the two walked out of the building, closing up shop early for the day.
ON THE WAY TO THE COFFEE SHOP...
Loona was now walking through the street with the boy in his fur coat holding her hand.
Suddenly, Loona felt something light tugging on her tail and giggled in amusement.
"Balin, you don't have to worry about holding onto my tail. Sure there's a lot of demons, but you don't need to tug..."
"Uhh, Loona, I'm right here." Balin said, still walking right next to her and holding her hand, not her tail.
"What the f...?" Loona quickly looked behind her to see it was a familiar hellhound teenager.
Gasping at this, she furiously slapped him into a wall nearby using the tail.
"Ya know? It was always so fluffy to try to sleep under back in the day." he cackled.
Loona stomped over to him and grabbed him by his neck while he was still at the wall.
"Give me one reason not to beat you to death for that stunt, you perverted twerp!" she snarled.
"What's a twerp?" Balin anxiously asked her, standing behind her leg.
"An old enemy of mine." Loona hissed, looking at the teenager.
"Ha! Old cell..." he was about to finish his sentence before Loona covered his mouth with her paw.
"Not in front of him!" she whispered grimly. "Not one word about it!"
"Suit yourself." he shrugged, muffled by the paw over his muzzle before she let him go.
"Now what is it you want?" she asked crossing her arms in an unamused mood. "It's been a long time, and frankly, I still don't wanna care."
"Well, you remember a little deal we made back at the... uh, place?" asked the brat.
"What kind?"
"You remember." he replied to her. "The money in that last dogfight held before you left. Everyone had to pay up each other, and they paired you with me?"
"A dogfight TWO nights before you're adopted is different!" seethed Loona. "You're supposed to have SEVEN to get the money from chores!"
"Doesn't matter, toots." threatened the brat with a grim look. "What matters is that I need that money you've made for yourself since leaving, so I can make it for my own new life."
"No effing way are you getting those paws on my money!" she yelled in a now angry tone.
"Aww, finally gave up cursing for your mutt, MUTT SR.?" he then laughed evilly.
"Oh, that's it, I'm gonna enjoy...!" Loona was about to kick him with her paw pads, when the brat snapped his fingers.
Just then, a group of shark-like demons, known as loan-sharks, began circling the two at the brat's signal, swinging katanas and cracking their knuckles.
"I wouldn't pull that little stunt again, bitch." he said in a normal tone. "I've recently made headlines in the Greed ring and become something of a beginner's success story."
Loona began growling loud as she curled Balin up in her tail for protection.
"So I suggest..." he continued. "For me to pay off the rest of that story; you pay what you still owe me, or your pup gets it!"
"You're ridiculous if you think I'm still paying! The pup may be snug, but my tail has the firmest grip you could... and he's gone, isn't he?" Loona looked down at her tail and gasped in fright. "BALIN?!"
"LOONA!" he cried back, as he was seen getting squeezed tightly by a loan-shark.
"Hold still, ya little mick!" the shark squirmed in a Jersey accent.
"This is why Australia hates sharks!" he sobbed in fear.
Loona was torn out of her mind, until she came up with a quick idea. "Wait!"
"Yes?" the brat's hound ears perked up.
She then walked up to Balin, still struggling in the shark's arms. "Hey Balin, don't cry, buddy." she soothed him in a motherly tone, wiping away his tears as the shark looked at the brat in confusion.
"Just let it happen, Buck." he said. "We all know how sensitive wolves are to each other. Even pups."
"She's not a wolf! She's a hellhound!" shouted Balin in his tears.
"Shhhh. It's okay, just calm down." soothed Loona again. "How about... you take him to that shed over there while I transfer my savings by Pride Express?"
The brat and the sharks looked at each other, before they all shrugged at the deal.
"And you? Why don't you listen to some music in the garage with these earbuds?" Loona gave him some noise-cancelling headphones.
"Sure, why not?" the brat gave in to the decision-making. "Buck! Keep an eye on him in that shed!" he ordered as the shark began walking. "And DON'T kill him! Or else, she'll kill ME!"
Loona then got close to his face with an evil grin. "You got that shit right." she whispered scarily as she unsheathed her claws, making the brat gulp.
Buck took the noise-cancelled Balin into the nearby shed, and put him down as he started dancing to the music while the loan-shark stood his guard. ...And while Loona beat the shit out of every other shark in the mafia, with blood pouring out and bodies flying in the air above the windows.
Thank goodness Balin didn't see that in his enjoyment, and neither did Buck.
When the fight was over, Loona threw the last shark to the ground, dead from her bloody knuckles.
"You're all lucky I just went with punches and kicks!" she screamed in a snarl. "Do any of you want to be EATEN next?"
Hearing that caused all of them to run away at lightning speed, except for the brat.
He was frozen in fear by what he witnessed. She wasn't the Loona he knew at the orphanage anymore. So seeing his spiked baseball bat a few feet away, he tried to run and grab it, before Loona grabbed him by his collar and threw it away.
"As for you... You actually smell like meat." she then sneered, sniffing the fear on his face. "Might as well with you. Only once."
Loona then carried him to a shed farthest from Balin, where she proceeded to maul him to death. After a couple of minutes, she walked out of the shed flossing her fangs with one of his little bones before licking the blood of her snout.
She then knocked on the door for the loan shark to open it as Balin was still dancing.
"The money's transferred. Your boss has it." she said flatly, looking down at her phone.
"Okay. That was easy. Pleasure doing business with..." he tried to shake her hand, but she refused.
"Nah-uh, I don't like being touched." she glared at him as he left.
He then saw the gang was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh fucking dammit, you guys always do this." he groaned. "HEY, WAIT UP FOR ME!"
Loona then took out Balin's headphones and picked him up in her arms.
"You okay now, Loona?" he asked her.
"It's okay. We're safe now." she smiled gently. "Loona's got you now."
As Loona pressed on and carried him in Balin arms, the other shed's door started closing as the hellhound brat's mangled corpse was shown, from bones sticking out to traces of meat being torn out of him.
A/N: See y'all in the next chapter.