Hey there!

There are mentions of abuse in this chapter, but that's the only thing warranting a warning I think.

Enjoy!

Chapter 31 – Discussion

"Oh yeah, about that, I have questions!" Blitz started, looking at Stolas, arms crossed. "What the fuck is that about? Why is she even doing that?"

Stolas avoided their gazes yet again, rubbing his head with his hand.

"It's… Well, I don't really know how to put it… She just… Enjoys it?"

The three other demons looked baffled, even Asmodeus.

"Excuse me?" The Sin frowned. "Is that a weird kink of your ex wife that I wasn't aware of?"

"It's not sexual, believe me, I would know", the owl mumbled. "It's just… She was stuck in this arranged marriage as much as me, but I… I guess she decided to take it out on me. But she still had advantages from my position, so she is still pissed about the divorce, hence why… All this."

"What is her brother's implication?" Asmodeus asked.

"Andrealphus didn't know until yesterday, when they decided to change place because Blitz was staying around. Now, he wants to use this to his advantage to make me cancel the divorce, so his sister can keep her assets."

Fizz was astonished to see the closed-off prince suddenly so talkative. Then he realized that he promised to his daughter minutes ago to work on a solution with them, but… Damn, he didn't think he would be so serious about it.

"So… My presence did have a negative impact on you", Blitz said, frowning. "I'm sorry, I should have listened to you…"

"Don't be", Stolas sighed. "You… You tried to do something, at least. I was just… Am still, mostly letting things happen, because…"

"Hey", the jester called out softly. "We don't know the details, me even less than the others. But you went through all that to protect Blitz, while trying to hide it from everyone. That is impressive. Not the best choice, sure, but fuck, everyone wouldn't have managed for so long. I definitely wouldn't have, and I've been fucking blown up before! You did what you thought was best, with what you had, in a really shitty situation. No one will judge you for dealing with it the way you could."

"He's right! I wish you told me sooner, but I get why you didn't and couldn't and… Thank you, I guess. For thinking I was worth going through all this shit for."

Stolas frowned, eyes on Blitz.

"Of course you are, why wouldn't you?"

The assassin was suddenly very conscious that Stolas and Fizz would probably chew him off if he answered the wrong thing. Still, he rubbed his head, before he decided to be honest:

"I'm just an imp Stolas. You're a fucking prince. My life…"

"Is worth as much as mine!" Stolas cut him. "Even more! I only have my daughter directly relying on me. You? You have your two employees, and your daughter."

"Hey, birdie babe, don't diminish your duties like that", the Sin reminded him softly.

"I am not, but other people can do it. Octavia, of course, even if I don't want her to have to do this if she doesn't want to, but I'm sure my father would find someone else if the need should arise. Truly, apart from Octavia, I'm disposable. You, Blitz, are not."

Blitz blinked at him, too taken aback to react. Then Stolas' words slowly sank in, and he frowned.

"The fuck you mean you're disposable?! Of course not! You're…"

Then Blitz realized that he didn't know what to say apart from Stolas' status. Unless he started to talk about his laugh, his smiles, the softness of his feathers, his nerdiness, so many little things that wouldn't matter to most people but that mattered to him. But… Wouldn't that give himself away a bit too much? Especially in front of two other demons?

Stolas didn't let him time to decide, for after barely a second of silence, he turned toward the other duo with a serious expression.

"Anyway, you're not here about that, sorry for the change of topic. What do you have in mind to make Stella back off exactly?"

"Oh, a little threat of going to court with the evidence I found in yours, Blitz and Via's phones for example?" The Sin smirked. "I would say it is more than enough. I can hire people to protect Blitz until we are sure she won't try anything else. I should have tried to capture one of the snipers, having one of them would be very handy too in a trial, but it wasn't my priority at the time."

The owl blinked.

"I… Could help with that. But, you are not going to truly take this to court, aren't you?"

"Why the fuck not?!" Fizz exclaimed. "She tortured you! For what, weeks? When did it even start?"

"Was it before our last full moon?" Blitz asked.

Stolas nodded.

"Yes, it was."

"And I'm sure there were times she came to do this stuff with her hellhounds that Blitz doesn't know of."

Stolas winced.

"… Yes."

"Then fuck that bitch!" The jester yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

"I can totally kill her if you need Stol's, especially since she tried to kill me. Or just scare her a little", Blitz offered with a feral smile.

"No, no, please, don't!" Stolas asked them, looking panicked.

"Why?" Asmodeus inquired, a brow raised.

"She's Via's mother!"

There was silence, then…

"And?"

"I can't just… Kill her, or hurt her, or take her to court!"

"Why the fuck not? You're not gonna hide this shit from your kid, are you?!"

The look Stolas sent them back was an answer on its own, and the three demons groaned.

"Stolas, for fuck's sake!" Blitz said, exasperated. "Why would you want to keep this from Via? If her mother is such a bitch, then she probably shouldn't even be around her at all! Who knows what she could…"

"Stella wouldn't hurt Via", Stolas answered with a tired tone. "And I… Want Via to have her mother."

"Really? That's the kind of role model you want around your kid, some cunt who is torturing her daughter's father for… For fun, apparently?" Fizz asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I have to agree with Fizz", Asmodeus added.

Stolas blinked, as if he hadn't considered things that way, before he turned toward Blitz, who seemed conflicted for a second, before he shook his head and sent back a serious gaze to the owl.

"They're right. You can't trust her with your kid, even if it's her kid too. When a parent is shitty, trust me, it's better to keep the kid away from them. Via has you! You love her, you can help her grow. She's almost an adult now, she won't need her mother as much as before, if the bitch ever brought her much."

"But… Via already went through so much with the divorce, I can't… She barely forgave me for handling the situation so poorly, I'm not done explaining some things to her, even if it doesn't excuse me. How can I tell her her mother is… Is…"

"A monster? You can say it Stol's. It's fair. And… Yeah, I… Guess she won't be glad to hear it, but I don't think it will come as such a surprise! You probably had problems before it escalated to this point, right?"

"Yes, but… I didn't want Via to see, to worry. It really went down when I slept with you… Not that you're to blame for anything, of course Blitz! I'm not saying that at all! It's just me, I… You made me realize things all of a sudden, things that I should have seen and done way before, but instead it all came at once, and I… Didn't really handle things well."

Stolas was looking down, as if ashamed, while the other demons exchanged looks, trying to process the situation and how to approach the matter. Blitz was the most distressed, probably worried of the implications, but Asmodeus managed to talk before him, wanting to confirm a hunch.

"Stolas, I need you to tell me something. I doubt Stella decided to do all this just because of the divorce, or even because you cheated on her with Blitz. She was probably doing similar things before, didn't she? Maybe not to that level, but I've seen this kind of behavior before, a lot, and it's usually something that takes time to escalate until it can take such proportions."

Blitz's eyes narrowed as Stolas' gaze became avoidant again, head hanging down in shame.

"Stolas? What did that bitch do? What was she doing before, and what did she do to you exactly? She can't get away with this shit, whatever it is!"

He remembered whatever secret Loona was keeping, and his suspicions, and he wanted so badly to ask, but they weren't alone, so he forced himself to calm down and wait. They had a lot to unpack, and they needed to process step by step, however frustrating it felt.

"Well, let's just say that we… Never got along very well… I tried, for Via's sake, but even when we were introduced, she was only mean and cruel, even before actually…"

"Then why the fuck did you marry her?!" Blitz couldn't help but ask.

Stolas sent a quick glance to the imp before he answered, staring off into space.

"The thing is… I didn't have a choice, or I definitely wouldn't have. It was an arranged marriage, and even if I hate Stella and she hates me back twice more, she still gave me the best thing to happen in my life…"

Besides Blitz, but he didn't dare say that out loud, not now, in front of Blitz himself, a Sin, and someone he didn't really know, even if the jester seemed supportive and even quite empathetic with his situation.

"When you say cruel, what do you mean exactly?" Fizz asked out loud the question the other two also seem to be wondering.

"Oh, I mean, well, she doesn't like my hobbies or anything about me, doesn't want to spend time with me, and had her own way of voicing her opinion. Loudly, mostly, and as scathingly as possible. Talking me down was probably her favourite occupation for the whole time we were married."

"And?" Blitz prompted, eyebrows furrowed. "There's more, isn't it?"

The silence lingered for a bit too long, enough for Asmodeus to take over.

"From my experience, verbal abuse is rarely the only one. So I can only guess… If she despised you and your hobbies, she may have targeted your plants as well when she was angry. Not anything star related, since that is linked to your duties… Am I wrong?"

"No, you're right, she often smashed my potted plants when pissed", Stolas sighed. "Image and status mean a great deal to her though, so indeed, she usually didn't touch anything related to my duties."

"I see. I have one more question Stolas. I can tell it's probably your first time talking about this to anyone, but please, speak freely, I assure you no one will judge you. Did she also hit you before all this?"

Blitz's reaction was immediate, he tensed, and he understood from Stolas' reaction that he had noticed, and from Fizz's one that he shouldn't have.

"Sorry", he mumbled. "Please answer Stol's. Truthfully."

The owl cast hesitant glances to the people around, but Asmodeus sighed with a sad expression.

"She did, didn't she? Even before the divorce, even before all this mess with Blitz?"

Stolas locked eyes with the Sin, and slowly nodded.

"Not often", he whispered, as if he hoped that no one would hear. But the room was silent, and even if it was faint, everyone heard and understood the words. "But yes, it happened a few times. When she felt like I was truly a disgrace to my title, to the Goetia family…"

"Bullshit!" Blitz yelled in frustration. "That's just another fucking excuse to act like a bitch! Stolas, she sounds downright awful! You… You really lived with her for so many years?"

"Yes, I did. I know I should have asked for the divorce earlier, I just… Didn't have the courage to. Octavia was the only light in my life, but I didn't think I could have better, it could be better. That is… Until you came into it, and showed me what happiness felt like."

Stolas finished his sentence looking Blitz straight in the eyes, and the assassin felt himself blush.

"Stolas?" He asked.

"I mean it Blitz. I do. I probably… Let myself get carried away, but, that's just the effect you had on me."

"Okay, maybe save that discussion for later, guys? You know, when we're not here, and when there's not a crazy ex bitch wife out there torturing one of you by threatening to kill the other?" Fizz tried to point out diplomatically, even if it pained him to interrupt the moment.

Asmodeus massaged his temples, both the faces in his mane frowning, before he exchanged a look with his lover and stared at the other two demons.

"Birdie babe, I know you're not going to like this, but I heard enough to think you should truly take this to court. Octavia is big enough to handle it, even if it will take time and she will need support. But even if she was younger, that is still something you cannot ignore, even for her comfort, do you understand? Now, you said you could help us find one of the people she hired. Care to elaborate?"

Seeing that Stolas seemed lost in thought, the Sin insisted:

"We'll talk about the whole court thing later, if you're still not convinced, but either way, it would help to be able to track down the people she hired to have solid evidence we could show her."

"Also, I'd like to have a word with the hellhounds that were doing the torture to you", Blitz growled, cracking his knuckles.

"That… As I said, can be arranged, but it would be best to do this last minute I imagine."

"Why?" Fizz asked.

"Well, because I wouldn't want her to know, even if she might already suspect something since you came to Blitz's office. I'm not sure threatening one of her goons would be enough to make sure they wouldn't warn her, and unless you have a way to sequestrate one of them, it could endanger Blitz…"

"Wow wow, Stolas, let us worry about the details later. First, who is it exactly that you can track, and how?"

Stolas timidly looked up.

"Hm… Everyone? After the torture sessions, I used my powers to cast tracking spells on them. The hellhounds who were coming here with her…"

"Wait, she was here too?!" Blitz exclaimed.

"Of course, the whole point of this was so she could watch", Stolas answered without thinking, like if it was the most obvious thing in the world, failing to notice how much the assassin was seething as he focused back on the Sin to answer his question. "There were also people watching Blitz and threatening him. I am not completely sure I was able to pinpoint all the snipers, there were a lot, and I suspect she may have hired demons working in the same building as well, maybe even at the same floor. But I probably got most of them, along with… Less regular people involved."

"Oh we're so going to slaughter these fuckers," Blitz growled. "We just need one alive, right?"

"He has a point", Fizz couldn't help but say. "Killing all her goons would be a nice warning even without going to court, and would prevent her from trying anything on Blitz for a while. Then Ozz just has to pay her a little intimidation visit with the evidence, and I'm sure we can manage without it if you really want!"

The jester was trying to be positive, and Stolas was glad to have at least someone on his side, but he could also tell that neither Asmodeus nor Blitz looked satisfied with this option, at least concerning the last part of the plan.

"That is an emergency plan at best, because attacking someone in court takes time, but I would still feel better if this was officially recognized." Asmodeus said. "Now, I guess your daughter may not be the only reason you do not want to resort to this Stolas. Hell's law system being what it is, going through the procedures would be long and complicated, and let's be honest, probably very unpleasant, especially since even with evidence Stella and her brother would probably try to twist everything they could to get you convicted instead."

"Hey, I have another idea!" Blitz exclaimed. "I… Happen to have a blessed rifle. I can give Stella a little warning shot if she's being difficult, and you really don't want her dead for now, what do you think?"

Stolas couldn't help but snort at that, thinking back of Stella's own mentions of a warning shot for Blitz. It sounded extremely tempting, he had to admit.

"I… Will keep that in mind Blitz. But before taking any decision, I… I think I would need to speak with Via."

"Why? You're not going to ask her to decide in your place?" Fizz asked with a frown.

"No no no, of course not! I just… I… Guess you are right. Stella is not a role model I want for my daughter. I never saw things that way, but, I think it's important to try and talk to her now. I want to have her opinion, even if she may not give me one right now, because she needs time to process. I know her mother has been giving her a bad image of me, and despite my own shortcomings, Via is still by my side and we… Sort of rekindled our relationship, although even if it was damaged it was never severed so it may be a strong word, but… I want to involve her. It's her mother we're talking about, I need to know how she feels about all this, before I take a decision."

The silence was intimidating. Stolas looked up, and saw the three demons watching him with solemn expressions. Asmodeus and Fizzarolli exchanged a look and nodded to the owl, while Blitz's tail was lashing out softly, betraying his strong emotions.

"I get wanting to tell your kid what's happening, but it's not going to be easy, after hiding it from her for so long", the assassin finally started. "You said you hid her mother's abuse on you? While she was trying to paint you as the bad guy?"

"That's… Not exactly what I said, but yes, I imagine it depicts the situation well."

"Then you'll need our help. You need to present proof to your kid too of what you're saying. If you sheltered her so far, she won't want to admit so easily that her mother is not who she thought she was."

The owl blinked.

"I should thank you again, I imagine. I hadn't considered that."

Blitz snickered.

"That's why we're here! To help! Big man here probably has some evidence with the phones stuff that he could show, if it's not too complicated to explain?"

"Would the fact he's a Sin help?" Asked Fizz.

"Now Froggie, you don't convince people of such things just by saying "trust me, I'm a Sin"! Don't worry, I do have evidence that I can easily show, and I'm sure your daughter also has a lot of interesting things to say as back up", Asmodeus finished with a look at Blitz.

"Oh yeah, Loona looked like she smelt stuff on Stolas' clothes from today…" Blitz remembered.

Stolas tensed, feathers fluffing up slightly, and his white pupils even made a quick appearance as he said with a hollow voice:

"Don't. Don't ask Loona to tell Via about this. It's… She doesn't need to know all the details."

Blitz saw the signs of tension and frowned. He quickly felt that he sat a bit too far from the owl, but even more at this moment. So he removed his boots to crawl toward the owl, even more worried when Stolas seemed wary of his approach.

"She doesn't, but I will ask you Stol's. I need to know what I need to do to that bitch and her mutts. Christ on a stick, I'm sure you need to talk about that shit to someone too!"

Stolas has curled up on himself a bit, trying to make himself smaller, but he relaxed after Blitz's words, gaze landing next to Blitz's head.

"I… I don't know Blitz. We'll see…"

"You two have a lot to discuss later", Fizz repeated. "But maybe we can form a few plans, then we'll see how and when to execute them after the prince had his talk with his daughter? We at least need to make sure the bitch will leave you two alone for a while, let us time to decide what to do next."

"Yes, and I am inclined to start now and not loose time, because as much as I want to help, I have a lot to manage on my own, so we need to be efficient! Now, tell me more about how many of her henchmen you managed to track…" Asmodeus prompted with a sinister smile.

09/10/2024

See you in two weeks! ;)