"Okay, now just hold your breath, steady... steady, keep it stabilized. There, don't pull it right away, light pressure until you feel it's the perfect moment."

"...how will I know when it's the perfect moment?"

"Well, first of, you don't say anything, you should be holding your breath and focusing. Second, it's like... a gut feeling, you will get it the more you practice."

"Did you taught Loona how to shoot?"

"What?! No. She can hardly look at me, although she's been... very lenient lately. Nah, that was Blitzo, but even him said she learned fairly quick. I gotta say she's really good at it, especially after that day we were at the secret agency and killing them out rather easily."

"Huh... if you say so. Can I just ask you something?"

"Sure! What is it?"

"Why am I learning how to shoot at something that is at the other side of the town?"

Moxxie blinked. His attention going from a confused Collin, proned on the rooftop of the building that I.M.P resided, then back all the way towards the target he set around twelve hundred meters away. The outdoor was filled with Blitzo's agency banner and the services he offered. The Imp had, without any guilt whatsoever, directed Collin to aim right in between Blitzo's plastered eyes.

"Well, I think it would be for the best if you learn to engage from a safe distance, at least until you know how to handle weapons on a closer range. Reaction time and the way you position will play a big part on it, especially great awareness to your surroundings. Now, I can teach you guns, not really how to deal with Overlords, unless you can just pop angelic weaponry out of nowhere. That kind of stuff is insanely rare." Moxxie carefully explained, picking up a pair of binos and focusing towards the outdoor. "Now, back to basics again, and make sure your shoulder is sustaining, not pressuring. If you break something Loona will have an excuse to break my bones."

"I don't need an excuse." Came the voice of the Hellhound from close by. She was sitting on an improvised chair alongside Millie. The Imp girl was seemingly enjoying spending time taking some fresh air, not having to worry about Moxxie and Blitzo getting into another argument about something silly for once in a work day.

"You two were there the whole time?" Moxxie asked while looking back, stunned by their presence. Loona snorted.

"What were you saying about awareness?" She asked rather mockingly. Moxxie frowned in annoyance as he turned around to focus on the task at hand.

"Tch, let's just keep on trying to hit the target. There's no wind conditions here, so you should adjust the range without worrying about deviation an-

"Huh, Moxxie?" Collin interrupted apologetically. "I do have a rather unnatural talent of learning things from just seeing them once. Don't you... have a video tutorial I can watch instead?"

The Imp stared, unsure if he should take that kind of information seriously or not.

"I think Humans have plenty of those. Yet, we cannot exactly make use of them since our... Internet is different from theirs." He replied hesitantly. While cellphones, radio towers and TV were common things to see around in Hell, computers were not widely used, most of them used merely for data storage or questionable source material for several types of disturbing events. "Besides, it would a much better learning experience if you use an actual gun, getting used with the sound and weight will get you far right off the bat."

"That's fair." Collin replied, accepting that reasoning without any trouble. "Say, where did you learn how to use guns?"

The question was simple enough, but it made Moxxie freeze for a moment. He scratched his chin uncomfortably, his attention deviating elsewhere.

"It was a long time ago. I... so, let's just focus on you learning, okay?" He replied forcefully, which surprised Collin. The wolf nodded quietly, looking down on the scope again, adjusting his elevation slightly. Nothing but the echoing sounds of cars and other chaotic noises followed for the next few seconds.

Millie watched with expressive concern the way her husband was acting. There was still a great deal of things she didn't know about Moxxie, and she wondered why he kept his past self so guarded. She was surprised that he agreed on helping Collin for some target practice, at least it seemed that way. Both her and Moxxie haven't got themselves involved much with the Fallen, which would've also meant getting close to Loona. The Hellhound had been acting very different these last few days, her behavior far more tolerable, her words more thoughtful, and her mannerisms toned down a bit. It was one huge improvement, to which she couldn't complain about, fully aware Collin was the main (and only) reason Loona even bothered to change at all. It was surprising to learn they are actually a thing, even if she was actually hoping that Loona would give it a try, despite Collin's far too innocent nature.

The Hellhound, even if clearly overly upset with Blitzo, was on a more joyful mood. No longer on edge at every second, no more constantly frowning at every single thing she saw or heard. She seemed more aware of things going around, even while on the phone. Millie suspected that Loona was being mindful enough to make sure Collin was out of trouble, even if that meant shifting her attention from her own problems for a moment.

The Imp girl also couldn't help but take notice how awfully similar Collin and Moxxie were regarding some of their own mannerisms, which made her internally debate if Loona's issues with getting into a relationship had something to do with extreme lack of trust. Millie never cared for beefed up guys, her ex wasn't exactly a walking mountain of any sort, but seemed more like a sweet kind. Until he wasn't. She could totally understand if the Hellhound had been struggling to find the right match for this long. Ironic as it is, perhaps Collin falling into Hell turned out to be a blessing after all, at least for Loona.

"Say, Loona. I know this is not something you wouldn't want to talk with anyone, especially us." Millie started hesitantly, not wanting to get on the Hellhound's bad side after so much progress was made. "Do you... have any idea how did you end up in... a pound?" The Imp grimaced. She saw one of those facilities that held Hounds before, she wouldn't never dare to call it an Orphanage of any sort, even if she didn't have that much of a high opinion about Hellhounds overall.

Loona glanced at the Imp briefly, her expression blank for a moment. Loona was surprised and unsure of why Millie would care, but even now there was no point of avoiding that topic, especially due Blitzo's carelessness. Besides, Millie, Moxxie and herself are on the same sinking boat now, the difference being that she found a bigger boat to move on.

"I wish I knew. Never really got a clue." Loona started, her words came out a bit sluggish, she frowned at how difficult it felt to even talk all of sudden. "Guess... best I can think of is that they are dead or didn't care. Life goes on, so that's it."

"Is... is that normal? What happened with you at the... you know." Millie asked carefully. She couldn't grasp the idea of the Hellhound being abused for so many years of her life, that struck a chord and the Imp couldn't help but feel extremely undignified about it. Loona merely shrugged.

"It is what it is. No rules about who stays where and with who. You sit there, eat, sleep, drink and get fucked. Unless you can fight back. The sick ones never cared if their cellmate was male or female, as long they get off as many times they can."

"...if that so... how didn't you..." Millie couldn't muster the courage to ask the obvious confusion that she has about these events. Loona quickly caught onto what she wanted to know.

"Population control is still a thing. They don't want more Hellhounds, so they drugged water, food or even did it by force. It got to a point I became completely sterilized." Millie couldn't help the gasp of shock.

"So... you can't..."

"Nah, never will. Honestly? It's for the best... don't wanna risk doing the same shit my parents did." Loona replied bitterly, her eyes focusing back on the wolf. "Not that I need it. I'm fine with just being with Collin. I have enough headaches as it is."

Millie couldn't help but feel sorry and upset by what Loona just told her. She was skeptical when Moxxie told her about what he found at Blitzo's office many days ago, even more so when hearing Loona yelling at Blitzo about her struggles. Sure, the Imp girl took joy on running killing sprees here and there, but torture and rape is a line she never dared to cross, nor wants to.

"Don't you wanna know?"

"About what?"

"What happened with your family? At least know for sure what happened."

Loona glanced back at the Imp again, this time she felt like she has no real answer to that kind of question. She frowned lightly at the idea of caring for people that never cared for her.

"Why? It doesn't matter. Why you even asking? Do you also go around nosing into everyone's families or something?" She argued back but without any animosity. Millie shrugged.

"Not really, is just... I don't know much about you guys, even Moxxie never really told me anything about his family. Yet, I feel odd cause ya'll know about mine at this point." That reply surprised Loona.

"How come? You two are married. Weren't his parents at the ceremony?" The Hellhound questioned with a raised eyebrow. Millie let out a loud huff of exasperation.

"As if. My parents didn't really care much for Moxxie at that time, and since Moxxie avoided saying anything about his own, we just had one of those cheap paper ones. Not that I cared much. I was just happy being with him."

"Damn, that's shitty for them to do. I get me not liking him very much, but I would think parents to be more... err, dealing with it." Loona said hesitantly. She wasn't even sure what to expect regarding proper family behavior. She never really had one herself and the topic felt alien for her. Still, she would expect a decent family to stick with one of their own, despite someone's personal choices.

"Yeah, about that." Millie said, looking back at Loona with a bit of spite. "Why you were so harsh on Moxxie since we met? I never got that. It's not like he made anything to insult you, well, before that day we had that nasty Human kid at the office."

"Urgh, do we really have to talk about this? I get enough of Collin nosing into how I feel about stuff. At this point I'm used to him, but not anyone else."

"Well, if you really don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I just wished I knew why." Millie shrugged, not really that much concerned on getting an answer anyway. Loona glanced at the boys exchanging small talk about angling and other math related stuff. She sighed heavily before muttering.

"Look, I will tell you. Just... not now. I rather not say this where anyone else can hear. I... it's kind of embarrassing." The Hellhound said uneasily. Millie was surprised Loona actually relented to share that info, nodding in agreement for the need of privacy.

"Sure thing. I w-"

"Hey! Fatty! Did you give Collin ear protection?!"

The sudden shout from Loona took all of them by surprise, making Moxxie jump for a second. He turned around, looking slightly annoyed as he glanced with a raised eyebrow.

"What for? I think he can handle the noise just fine."

"What you think does not match the real world. Just because Collin may have heard gunshots before, that shit doesn't compare to blowing that big of a gun right next to his face. He's a wolf... sorta. His hearing is far more sensitive than usual. It would be nice if he doesn't go deaf for the rest of the day."

Moxxie grumbled something under his breath. Collin chuckled at seeing that the Imp had no real argument in his favor.

"Fine, I will grab a set, be right bac-

"Actually, I can just... you know, summon one?" The wolf suggested sheepishly. Moxxie blinked, unsure of what that even meant. "Oh, right. You don't know yet." Collin sighed before focusing his mind on what he wanted, he extended one of his clawed hands slowly, palm facing up, before a bright beacon of light flashed for a second, revealing a pair of comfy ear mufflers resting on his hand.

"Wha... how did you do that?!" The Imp asked, astonished at the fascinating display. "Is this Heaven magic?"

"More or less." Loona said before Collin could reply. "He's good at it, but it's not really a thing that he could do whatever he wanted. Maybe Collin got good at it when he got here. Can't really tell how that works. Maybe mixing Heaven and Hell energy makes some weird stuff."

Collin found Loona's deduction plausible, but it was still a wild shot to be even remotely certain.

"Well, that's very convenient. I can only imagine how very useful it would be to summon whatever you need at any given time." Moxxie said, looking slightly jealous of Collin's ability. "Would be extremely handy in any type of dangerous situation."

"Perhaps, but still requires some focus from my part. Being under stress would make it far more complicated to be executed." Collin replied, aware of how much he struggled at times to conjure his old blessed crossbow when dealing with dangerous creatures. Not that Keenie or Cletus made it any easy for him during those times. "I'm working on making the process faster, but it can be quite taxing if done too often."

"I take it requires a lot of energy?" Moxxie inquired, to which Collin nodded. "Well, that's a bummer. Still, better to be able to than not. Say, what else can you do?"

At this the wolf frowned in thought. He hasn't really tried to do much other than what he already did previously. Charlie did mention working on developing his range of spells. He often wondered on trying on his own but, until he was taking actual lessons, he wouldn't know where to even start without guidance.

"Not much. Charlie talked about me developing my skills on that regard." Collin replied slowly, suddenly feeling worried about the possibility of being taught dark spells.

"Oh, right! You guys actually got to work with the princess!" Millie quickly said, looking very enthusiastic. "Not gonna lie, I'm jealous! That's like the best job you can think of. At least on the amount of money you make out of it." She added with a smirk. "Damn, if this wasn't so hard to happen, I would love to work there! I bet she has all types of crazy trying to get to her."

The fact that Millie was excited at the dangers Charlie would potentially face on a daily basis wasn't surprising, at least not for Loona and Moxxie. Collin raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's an hotel. It shouldn't be dangerous. Mostly." He added quietly, quickly reminding of the incident on the day before. Suddenly an idea popped into his mind, one he highly doubted to be appropriate, but he made sure to voice it regardless of consequences. "Actually, we are understaffed at the moment. It just so happens that one of the areas we are lacking is security staff. What you g-

Before he couldn't even finish, Millie rushed at him, grabbed his arms tightly while closing her face on his on a very intimidating manner.

"IM IN!"

"Wait, what?!" Said both Moxxie and Loona in unison. They regarded each other with odd looks before focusing back to Millie.

"Mills, what? We already have a job here! Y-You love, w-well, murdering!" He clumsily tried to justify. Which in Collin's opinion was a very morbid thing to hear. "Why would you give that up for an hotel?"

Millie let go of Collin swiftly, regarding her husband with an exhausted stare.

"You know why, Mox. Do I love killing? Yeah, I do. But I would like to get paid for doing my job even more." She replied with some bitterness. "As much I insist we do things without getting stressed out and just focus on the excitement of it all, things are getting... difficult." The Imp girl crossed her arms, she looked downcast for a moment, which took Moxxie by surprise.

"We live in a horrible place, with terrible neighbors. We are struggling to keep our house supplied with the bare minimum, you know that!"

"Err, well. Yeah, I mean. We've been cutting some stuff out of our routine." Moxxie sheepishly admitted. "We've been doing alright so far." Millie let out an irritated growl.

"And for how long, Mox!?" Millie threw her arms forward on a gesture of frustration. "We had months we didn't get paid! Blitzo took it away for his own selfish bullshit!"

Loona glanced at the Imp girl with some astonishment. Millie always regarded Blitzo with some admiration, never once speaking out against him in any sort of manner. Now it seemed clear that she had been keeping her disagreements about her boss stored away, but it was finally coming out.

"We are running out of food, we have lots of old clothes, all our windows have been smashed, several gunshot holes on the walls, deteriorating wooden floor and roof, it's incredibly lousy at night. We cannot go on killing and getting only pats on back forever! We need a decent job, even if that means I won't get to kill anyone for some time. It's better than starving! I refuse to ask my parents for money! If I do that, I..." She moaned, seemingly agonizing at the idea of asking financial help to her family. "I just can't. I don't know what's wrong with Blitzo. He's just... I don't know. He seemed okay at the start, but we can't just keep pretending everything is fine, it just isn't!"

Loona and Collin exchanged surprised looks, the latter abandoning his sniper position and making his way back to the girls. He glanced briefly at Moxxie's guilty expression.

"I guess things are far worse than presumed." The wolf said, his eyes studying Millie's reaction carefully. "Say, if given the chance, would you two actually quit the job to work elsewhere? At least a job that would actually pay you properly."

Millie nodded quietly. She crossed her arms, a frown on her face as she dwelled into her own thoughts. Any other day she would've asked Moxxie for a second opinion right away, but this wasn't such a hard choice to make as the problems amounted during the last months.

Moxxie seemed more hesitant, several concerns playing into his mind, mostly regarding Millie but also Blitzo. There was no telling what would happen if Blitzo ended up losing all his workers in a single day. That particular concern was not exclusive as Loona suddenly spoke.

"Hey, I get if you two wanna bail. I'm off already, but I don't know how to feel about everyone leaving at the same time. Blitzo... fuck, he's a messed up jerk, sure. But I don't feel like messing him up even more."

"What would we do then? We just can't stay here. Not like this." Millie replied bitterly. "I get it sucks, but this is his own fault. I got bills to pay and he ain't helping." Collin raised an eyebrow.

"People pay rent in Hell?" He asked dubiously. Moxxie, Millie and Loona gave him flat stares.

"Of course. Whatever bad that Humans had in their world will carry into this one. All things they hate will exist here." Moxxie explained calmly. "Although it will be far worse since there will be a much poor return for any sort of investment."

Collin nodded quietly, watching the sulken expressions of the Imps with a strange feel of pity and empathy. To think that last week he was working as a Cherub and helping those in need, now a week later he was doing sort of the same but, instead of helping, he was befriending Imps in literal Hell and even dating a Hellhound. He shook his head at the incredulity of it all. Loona took notice of his nervous reaction.

"You ok? You seem a bit... frightened." She said carefully. Loona was still unsure if Collin would ever feel comfortable in their presence, despite all they've been through recently. The Fallen has always tried his best to express neutrality or forcefully smile during rather tense situations. She had no idea of how exactly he felt about lots of things, especially her own appearance. The Hellhound was starting to feel a bit guilty for subjecting the sheep to such drastic changes to his body, but she never really did anything to herself to make him feel more at ease with her presence. At least not visually.

"Yeah, just... I've been thinking... on everything that happened these past days." He responded quietly, a brief glance at the Hellhound before he shook his head again. "Anyway... I was wondering if... maybe..."

"What? You got an idea?" She asked, feeling her curiosity peak.

Collin was about to respond when suddenly a very loud noise was heard, similar to one of an explosion of sorts. The entire build shook, making them feel the vibrations under their feet. Loona immediately raised up while Millie and Moxxie pulled their respective guns into a fighting stance.

"What was that? Haven't felt this building shake this much since Blitzo brought that microwave and tried to heat an entire pan of water inside of it for a warm shower." Moxxie asked, reaching over the edge of the roof to see below. His eyes widened at the sight. "There's smoke! Shit, we have to go down, quick!"

Alarmed by a possible Demon attack both I.M.P members rushed back to the staircase, Loona went after them with Collin following close behind. Yet, before he could take two steps further down the stairs the Hellhound blocked his access to the lower floors.

"What?" He asked, stunned by seeing Loona stopping in front of him. She regarded him with an even stare.

"You stay here." She told him, not requested. Collin huffed in indignation.

"Why? If there's troubl-

"Which probably will involve a shooting or worse. You cannot really get into that kind of situation just yet." She explained, looking at him with a bit of puzzlement. "Collin, fights around here are rather intense, you should know that."

"So? I can still do something! I faced Millie, Moxxie and Blitzo when I was still a Cherub." He justified, starting to feel a bit annoyed that she thought of him to be so helpless. Loona snorted, albeit surprised at that new piece of info.

"Really? Then you got lucky to not have ended up dead in the first few seconds." She said with humor, but her smiled died down once she took note of Collin's unamused expression. She sighed. "Just wait for us to be back here, it will be quick. If we take too long... well, feel free to come down and check it out, just don't come into danger like a fucking idiot."

"And that would be exactly?"

"Oh, you know, yelling, shouting, letting everyone know how much you think yourself to be the biggest cock in the room and whatnot." She shrugged. "Stuff like that." Collin regarded her with incredulity.

"Who even does that?"

"Who else?" She said with a smile. She turned around to leave, stopped and looked back at him. Collin wasn't sure why she stopped. He was about to say something when Loona leaned down and pecked his cheeck with a kiss. The wolf's eyes widened, surprised by the unexpected gentle gesture of affection.

"Hey, don't get used to it. We got more interesting things to do later on." She said with a sly smile. "Now behave while I get to shoot some shit. Be right back."