Hey!

This chapter probably isn't IC on Via's part but I don't have much to work on and I didn't want to add drama to all the shit that already happened so... Here we go!

Not many warnings for this chapter, just mention of abuse and torture but nothing graphic, really.

Chapter 32 – Heart-to-heart talk

"You know things that you didn't tell me."

It wasn't a question. It wasn't even an accusation. It was a simple fact, that Octavia said out loud as she closed the door behind Loona before joining the hellhound on her bed.

Yet, Loona couldn't help but feel guilty, ears going back as the owlet watched her all the while until they were sitting next to each other.

"Yeah, I do. Sorry."

"Why?" Again, a simple, neutral question. No deception, no judgment, and Loona almost felt like it was worst like this. "Did your father ask you to keep it a secret?"

"Not really…"

"Mine did?"

Loona sighed.

"Listen, it's… Complicated. I knew something shady was going on, and I told Blitz, but without knowing what was happening exactly, it felt like a bad idea to just tell you out of the blue. Stolas would have been mad about it, that's for sure…"

"But then maybe we would have been able to act earlier!" Octavia exclaimed. "Whatever's happening gets him hurt!"

"Yes, he's been hurt. For a while. But trust me, you're the last person he would have talked to about this. Blitz tried to make him open up, only to be pushed away, and your father used to loooove hiring him as a bodyguard."

Octavia grimaced.

"Oh yeah, I know, I remember."

"Then you see my point. I wasn't lying the other day, when I was telling you adults want to protect us. Blitz trusts me with more things than before, but I'm sure if he didn't need me for things only a hellhound can do, he would have spared me this. Hell, your father probably wish I hadn't been involved either just because I'm Blitz's daughter too, adoptive or not!"

Octavia considered it for a while, before she slowly looked up.

"Do you know the kind of injuries my father sustained?"

Loona winced.

"Yes, partly. But I don't think…"

"Please, I need to know. Even if dad accepts to talk to me, I know he won't tell me everything."

"Let's be clear, I won't tell you everything I know either", the hellhound immediately said with a frown. "I'm not just talking about stuff that your father should be the one to tell you. There's stuff he's not gonna tell you and I won't either. That's the best I can say."

The owlet thought for a few seconds before she nodded.

"Ok, fair. Thanks for being honest. I don't expect him to tell me everything anyway. But… How bad was it, when he was hurt? He… Wasn't hurt with blessed weapons again, was he?"

"Most of the time, no, at least I don't think so, I can't really tell", Loona shrugged. "I realized something was weird because he was smelling of blood and moving weirdly. I know he had broken bones too at some point, but they heal fast on you, right?"

"Yeah, but like, not immediately either. You… Said most of the time?"

"Yup, because Blitz is almost sure some of his wounds are different, they're taking longer to heal. Dunno why they'd have done it though."

"And… You know who's doing this? I'm not asking you to tell me, but you were talking about hellhounds earlier?"

"Oh, yeah, them! They're the ones hurting your dad directly, even if they're probably paid to do it. But I can't tell you much more. I smelt them twice, so it's probably always the same people, that's all I can say."

Octavia nodded, understanding that this time, Loona simply didn't know enough to sate her curiosity. Still, they mostly talked about music and other light topics before, since the owlet knew whatever was going on was being handled, but now, it was impossible not to wonder what exactly had gone behind her back for so long, and worry about her father, especially with how he acted earlier. He had looked… Octavia didn't think she ever saw him like that, not even in the hospital. Yes, she knew the other demons there were here to help her dad, including Loona's father, and she probably couldn't do much herself, it just felt so… Frustrating.

She had half a mind to try and sneak back to listen in, but she knew Loona wouldn't agree, and… Maybe Via was glad for it, a bit.

In the heat of the moment, she had wanted to know everything, but looking back at these bloody clothes, she realized not knowing too much was maybe for the best. As long as she could be sure her father would be alright, she didn't want to picture him hurt. Knowing he struggled alone for so long, hiding it from everyone, was already making her feel ill.

"Hey, you okay?" Loona tentatively asked, looking as the owlet's face turned gloomy.

"Yeah, I just… Don't know what to think of all this."

"Do you need some space to think? I can just scroll on my phone and listen to music in a corner, if you wanna do the same, or just have some silence to think."

"Oh, no, thanks but… I think I want to distract myself. I feel like I'm stuck between knowing too much but at the same time not knowing enough, you know?"

The hellhound smiled and tilted her head.

"Yeah, I think I get it. So, didn't you say you'd show me how you do your taxidermy thing?"

"You want me to show you?!"

"Sure, why not? We probably got time, I'm sure they'll take forever to discuss this shit anyway. Just…"

Loona frowned as Via was getting up to gather everything she would need. The youngest stopped and looked at her friend, a bit worried upon seeing Loona's hesitancy.

"You… Ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just… Whatever your dad ends up telling you, just, trust him and let him finish, okay?"

Octavia frowned, puzzled.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

The hellhound winced.

"Listen, I can't answer that without spilling the beans, and I'm not doing that. Just… You may not… Like it, when he'll tell you everything. Just…"

"Ok, now you're making me curious. You know I just want even more to convince you to tell me who did this to my dad now, right? Even if they're some higher up above dad and I probably can't do anything about it, I want to know, I… I want to be able to help, at least, so he doesn't feel like he needs to hide things from me!"

Loona's ear flicked to the side while she squirmed on the bed, still looking unsure.

"Yeah, I know, sorry about that, it's just… This situation is so fucked up."

"I don't know much about what's going on, but even I understood as much yeah", Via snorted while she finished setting up her taxidermy gear. "Okay, if you can't say anything else without fearing for our dads' reaction, let's focus on something else! Wanna help me with my next piece?"

Loona's ears pointed forward, eyeing the incomplete creature in front of Via that she couldn't identify with vision alone, and she got up to join her near the desk.

"You bet!" She smirked.

They were still far from done, Via taking her time to explain each step and demonstrate it before letting Loona try after her, when someone knocked at the door. The two girls were so caught up in their activity that they completely forgot about what was going on in the rest of the palace, but reality was quick to kick back in as Octavia rushed to open the door.

"Dad!"

Loona blinked, surprised to see the owl up. She vaguely heard the Sin of Lust himself had healed him, but even like that, after what she smelt on his clothes and his general health state, she didn't think he'd be well enough to stand, to be honest.

She returned to reality as Via stepped back after hugging her father, and Stolas looked sheepishly at them both.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you, but… Can we talk starfire?"

"Of course! Loona, I'm sorry, do you mind if we continue later?"

The hellhound got up and walked past them with a nod to the owl.

"No problem, take your time! I'll join Blitz, see what he's up to. Remember what I told you, and… Good luck to you both I guess."

"Blitz is in the kitchen with Asmodeus", Stolas called out after her. "I think Fizzarolli is forbidden there for some reason, so he's in the living room with your colleagues."

"'k, thanks."

The door closed, and the two owls were suddenly left alone. Octavia frowned, looking her father over.

In theory, she knew he has been healed, but she couldn't help but worry. She was pretty sure he didn't seem as steady on his legs as he should be.

"Come dad, let's sit down first. Do you need anything, more water maybe?"

"No, thank you Via, I'm alright, if I drink one more glass I'm gonna be sick", he smiled weakly. "They are preparing lunch right now. I know it's a bit late, I'm sorry, but we should be eating rather soon. Meanwhile, there's… Some things I need to discuss with you. I know you want answers, but I… I'll ask you to be patient with me, please. I didn't expect this day to go like this at all, and it's a bit hard to adjust…"

"Yeah, I bet", she tried to return his smile. "I guess I won't die if you need a few seconds more, as long as I get my answers. So… Are you gonna tell me what's going on? Did you find a solution already?"

"We have several options in mind. One of them is almost assured, a short-term solution. But concerning the long-term one, I'm still… A bit unsure. It also indirectly concerns you, so I wanted to know your opinion on the matter. You can take your time to think of course, you don't have to answer right away, but…"

"Dad", Via sighed with a roll of her eyes, both impatient but also a bit affectionate. "I get it. Please spill. Who thought it was a good idea to hurt you every week like that?"

Stolas winced, not daring to reveal it was a bit more often than once a week.

"Well, it was… I'm sorry Via, I don't think there's a good way to answer that."

"Then don't beat about the bush, just say it!"

"It was your mother."

There was silence for a few seconds as Stolas worriedly waited for his daughter's reaction. At first there was nothing, and he almost feared she didn't hear, which wouldn't completely surprise him with how lowly he spoke. Then she frowned, as if she considered his words, wondering if she had heard him correctly. She opened her beak, closed it, then finally settled on:

"… What?"

She looked at him expectantly, as if she was hoping he'd say it was a mistake, or a joke. Stolas winced, trying to gather what little energy and willpower he had left to repeat the hard truth.

"Your mother wanted to get back at me for the divorce, and my infidelity, to put it… Very simply."

"No, she… I know she was angry and yelling at you, but she wouldn't…" Octavia started, before being at a loss of words as reality slowly sank in.

"Ahem, it's… More complicated than that, we never… I mean, we've been sleeping separately for years now, not getting along… It's not as new or surprising as it may look."

Octavia's head shot up to meet her father's gaze and Stolas suppressed a wince, worried what this reaction meant.

"Dad?! What are you… Are you trying to justify her?"

"No, no! I'm not… I'm just trying to explain, to give context, since I know it probably comes as surprising for you."

That made her frown again, analyzing her father's expression.

"Okay? And… you're not surprised? She… She hired people to torture you, and you act as if you expected it."

"I didn't expect it exactly, I'm just… Not that surprised."

He was too exhausted to have his usual filters on, and it took him too long to realize he was being too honest, which, well… Octavia asked for the truth, but he wasn't quite ready yet to tell her about all the abuse just yet, because it came with a whole other can of worms, and he feared it would be too much. On the other side… Maybe it would help Via weight her decision better.

For now the owlet was speechless again, considering the implications of her father's words, what he had said and what was left unsaid but that she could guess. Some part of her didn't want to believe that her mother was behind this, that she could have hurt her father so badly, but the other remembered Stella's anger, after the cheating, during the divorce, how she constantly talked down about Stolas in her presence, how she had seemed calmer recently, since it started she realized, and she almost heard Loona's voice in her head, warning her that the truth would be difficult but that she would need to accept it.

She should refute everything, negate her mother's implication, but… She couldn't. She was even scared to realize that, like Stolas, even if she was surprised to learn that, it also almost felt like if it was predictable… Yet it wasn't! She'd have never guessed it was Stella, doing such horrible things to her father, and when she remembered the bloody clothes, it was hard to picture her mother doing such a thing.

But then she remembered Stella's words while it was just the two of them, all the times Via winced because of the harsh words and insults, the death wish that she thought were just spoken in the wind, because she was angry, but in the end were just empty threats, and she felt like she was suddenly reconsidering everything, seeing everything under a new light.

It was terrifying, like falling from the stairs, but suddenly the steps disappeared and she ended in free fall in the void.

"Via?"

It was a whisper, but enough to suddenly snap her back to reality, focusing on her father, face still worried as he observed her reaction.

"Yeah, sorry, it's just… A lot to take in."

"I'm sure it is", he answered softly. "Do you… Have more questions? Do you need something? Do you…"

There was a lingering doubt in the air, one that made Via frown, until she realized what was left unsaid. She took a few more seconds to think, staring into space, until she turned to her father again.

"Yes, I trust you. I… Couldn't have known, she didn't outright talk about it, but now, I realize there were hints of what she was doing, that maybe I should have seen…"

Stolas' eyes widened.

"No, starfire no! It's not…"

"Relax, I'm not saying I should have seen it coming, even if, now that I know, it kinda seems obvious, just that… There's questions I should have asked before, I guess. Even if you weren't answering anything."

Stolas winced and rubbed his head feathers with his hand.

"Yes, I'm… Sorry about that. Since I didn't know how to deal with the situation, I didn't want you to be torn between us."

"Okay, I guess I see, but… What now? Do you expect me to just go back to her? What… Are you even planning to do to make her stop? I don't think she'll give up easily, she… I can't believe I'm saying that out loud, but I think she enjoys doing… That, to you."

"I know", Stolas sighed. "That's… What I wanted to talk to you about. She was hurting me by threatening Blitz. We are going to take care of the people she hired, to dissuade others, hopefully, give us enough time before she hires new people to try and talk her out of it, but I doubt she will be convinced easily. That's where I need your input. I'm not… I don't want to prevent you from seeing your mother, I know she won't hurt you, but we may need to take this to court, and I need to warn you first, if that ever happens…"

"It's fine, I don't want to go back", Octavia said.

Stolas froze.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't want to go back to mum", the owlet repeated. "I need… Time to process. I don't… Maybe I'll call her, to ask her about it, but I don't think it will… Be enough."

"Via, I don't think… It's a good idea. Please, let me handle this."

The teenager pouted.

"No dad. I'm not staying on the side. I can't, not now that I know. I… Can't just ignore it and let her try to hurt you again. It's… Hurting me too, to know she's been doing that, and I need to tell her. Maybe it won't stop her, but at least if she continues, she knows where I stand. She'll also know I won't come back with her if she does."

Stolas frowned, obviously worried, but nodded after a few seconds.

"Alright starfire, if you're sure… Just, make sure to call her when there's people around, if you need to talk to someone after…"

She rolled her eyes.

"I'll be fine! It's just a call, besides, I know how mum can get. I'm used to hear her talk shit about you. I probably shouldn't, but I do."

Stolas winced.

"Sorry. It's… Not a normal behavior, and if I had left earlier, it would have…"

"Dad, please, let's just… Talk about this later, okay? Let's focus on keeping you safe for now."

He seemed conflicted, but finally gave up.

"Alright starfire. There is… A lot I will need to tell you. Now, I still need to know what you would be comfortable with among the actions we could take against your mother."

The teen raised a brow.

"What are the options?"

"The quickest and easiest that we are going to put in place, hopefully today, is get rid of the people she hired. Then, Asmodeus will have a talk with her. Him being a Sin should be enough to make her back down, but if it's not enough, we may threaten her with taking everything to court. But if that was to happen, it would be long, painful for everyone involved, and bring out more than just what she did to me these past weeks. If she tries to act before the trial can happen, we have more… Violent ways to keep her in check."

Via frowned.

"Like… Hurting her too?"

"If it's the only way, yes. I do not wish to resort to that, for I would feel like I am no better than her, but if it's the only option left to protect Blitz, then I won't hesitate anymore."

Via frowned, and Stolas tried not to fret. Was she offended that he wanted to hurt her mother to protect Blitz?

"Dad, it's about you too. If… That's the only way to keep you safe, I guess I'm fine with mum getting a taste of her own medicine, but…"

"I promise I'll try to avoid that. What about… The court?"

Via pondered for a moment, expression serious.

"You said it would… Uncover more than what she did to you recently?"

"Yes."

"Not… Good stuff either I guess?"

"Indeed, not."

"Okay. I guess it's fair for her to pay, but I don't want her to publicly humiliate you again, even if there's people on your side. But I'll be fine if you feel like you need to."

"Thank you darling, I will keep that in mind and keep you updated. You can change your mind, and we will talk about this again later…"

Just in time, a ting rang from Stolas' phone, and he took it out with a smile.

"But first, I believe lunch is ready."

23/10/2024

See you in two weeks! Take care ^^