A/N: Thanks for the support and understanding my take on how to write this story from now on. Also, I don't usually update this quick, but it felt easier to go with the motions now that I don't feel obliged to wait for anything in particular. Also, as for the story lenght? I have no idea eactly. I know it's not even close to 1/5 of it. I already have planned the mid and end and most of the character arcs at this point. This story is probably the longest I have planned but also really hard to write about. Hopefully I can provide some idea of where it will go in future chapters, at the moment I'm mostly focusing on Characters and expanding the world itself.
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"I just realized how many pictures there is on the walls... why you made so many?"
"Why, I cherish the memories we had, even if they are not as much I hoped for."
"It's kinda weird. I see you got some family pictures... I really never stopped to look at them, but now? I wonder why I never asked."
"Well, I don't think I would ever have told you about it even if you did. This is... rather hard to talk about."
"Blitzo... when you adopted me... did they made you sign anything? Contract or something like that?"
"Yeah? I had to fill some papers to make stuff legit, even if that didn't make much sense."
"Did you read what you were signing?"
"Huuuuhhhh, well. I think so? Why?"
"Urgh, seriously? You haven't figured out yet that signing shit in Hell is a really quick way to get fucked over?"
"How would I get fucked over about an adoption contract?! It's not like I would return you and be bind by some wordy magical chain bullcrap."
"I'm the one who's chained!"
Blitzo blinked, giving Loona a stunned glance in return. The Hellhound sighed, crossing her arms while glaring at the small table by the couch. She hated to let him know of something so problematic for her but, at this point, she has no choice but hope that with this little moment of trust the Imp will finally have a decisive moment to show that he does care about her as a person. It was dawning on her how hard it was to talk with Blitzo without Collin at her side, she was just realizing how much she relied on him to give her that confidence boost to voice her problems to someone other than the Fallen himself. Yet, she choose to be alone with Blitzo, knowing full well this was far too personal to get anyone else involved.
"Loony... what ar-
"Okay, look. I get you have a nickname as a way to show affection, but that one is just awful. I'm not crazy." She cut him off right. "Yes, it is annoying." She added once seeing the expression of disappointment on his face. "Like... Loo or something like that is fine. As what I'm talking about... the contract you signed is cursed."
"What?! That can't be! I read it... carefully enough. I saw no line that would cause any kind of binding." He protested, looking rather spooked and concerned, which made Loona a bit more confident.
"Did you? Do you remember everything that was written?" She inquired heavily. Blitzo huffed, scratching the top of his head with one of his claws in thought.
"I... maybe? It was a long time ago, I can't really remember all details, fuck. How bad is this curse?" He asked immediately. Loona's grimace was already a bad sign for the Imp.
"Remember all those times you told me to do things? Yeah, I probably wouldn't have done most of them if I could. The binding is forcing me to act more as a servant. Although there are enough loops that I can explore, like not exactly doing things right away. Still, no matter what you ask, I have to do it, whether I like it or not. But it only works if your order me, not with a simple request or suggestion. Also... I cannot harm you in any way. If I do it my skin will be scorched until I pass out." She added while grasping her arms more firmly to contain a shudder. "That day I scratched you, it felt like my skin was melting off. I managed to not scream and play it off as having a really bad stomach ache."
Blitzo stood with his mouth agape, he was at loss of words and his mind raced into multiple different thoughts that were far too incoherent with the present situation. Shock, frustration, anger, sadness were a bunch of emotions that came all at once the he didn't usually felt so often. Yet, hearing Loona saying that she was suffering all these years with him just took him into a spiral of uncertainty about everything.
"I... I don't understand. W-Why you didn't say anything?" He asked, taking a quick breath to ease his racing heart. He was struggling to keep his emotions in check. Loona regarded him with a sad smile.
"Because... I was afraid that if you knew... you would take advantage of me." She replied quietly. "I never wanted to be adopted, it took me some time to realize that you didn't know the power you have over me, but by the time I did... it's been few years. I got a bit hopeful that you would come around... and stop treating me like some fucking adorable animal."
Blitzo couldn't help the grunt, he rolled his eyes at yet another of her usual complains that he never understood.
"I treated you with all love I co-
"I'm not a kiddo, I'm twenty-fucking-two! Also, not a puppy, nor a dog!" She shouted, finally losing a bit of her patience. "What? I have a tail, so what?! So what if I have fur?! You think I choose to be like this? Isn't me being able to talk and think for myself enough for you? What else do I need to do with my fucking body for you to stop thinking of me as a fucking bitch?!"
"I don't think of you like that! You're not a bitch!" Blitzo was also getting unnerved. "You're my daughter! I'm trying for five fucking years, Loona! All I get is you hating on everything I try to do for you, no matter how much it hurts me, I still try! I get it, I fucked it up sometimes, I get that you don't like the way I treat you at times. I get that! I didn't mean to embarrass you like I did that day! I'm sorry! I said sorry so many times but you just don't care!"
Loona blinked, feeling slightly confused at what the Imp was referring to for a moment, until that memory of her first attempt of making friends at a party three years ago came into the front of her mind. She gave him an incredulous look in return.
"Wait, you think I'm still mad because of that day!? Blitzo, I was mad as fuck, yes! But it was years ago! This has nothing to do with that anymore! Sure, I will never forget how much I hated you for getting wasted and saying shit you should never..." She paused. Her anger was rapidly increasing and remembering that horrible day was not making it any better. "Forget it, okay?! This is about me being stuck with you and the way you kept giving me fucking COLLARS as gifts. You think I was okay with that?! How could you even think that is even okay?! Every fucking chew toy felt like a slap on the face, it was just a reminder of how much you seemed to pretend to give a fuck! Pretend! Not that you fucking care! Stop bullshitting yourself! You never wanted a daughter!"
"What was I supposed to say then?!" The Imp shouted back, hands closing into fists in barely contained fury. "Oh, Loona, don't worry, I'm just adopting you cause I don't want you to get fucking killed once you get past acceptance age." He acted with a whinny voice that made her even more livid.
"You don't even know how shit works! Is that what they told you? I'm far more useful to anyone being a bitch than dead! If I was a male, then... yeah. Probably I would be shot." She added more calmly, a heavy sigh escaping her muzzle. She was so beyond frustrated. This was too exhausting mentally and she was just so done trying to make him understand. "I wish Collin was here."
"Tch, so? What would he even say? The little shit can't even talk without shaking like a bamboo."
"I wish he was here, because at least I would have someone in this fucking room that loves me for who and what I am, not because of what he wishes me to be." The Hellhound retorted heatedly. "You keep wanting a daughter. I was never your daughter, I don't love you, and can't, the way you want me to."
That hurt Blitzo a lot, and she could tell by the devastated look on his face. She shook her head, knowing full well she had to go all the way.
"Whatever happened with your family and you... it has nothing to do with me. Whatever issues you had with the folk you tried to get into a relationship with... it doesn't concern me. You're sleeping and fucking with a Demon Lord. You spent lots of time chasing after Millie and Moxxie and filming them when they have sex and other things. You obsess over horses and has some weird fetishes about it. I don't really care if someone has a kink, but that's still more important to you than treating me with any fucking dignity. I mean less to you than all of them. I'm less of a person to you than they are. Stop pretending that isn't true. You're just like any other fucking Imp and Demon out there. We're always less to any of you."
The silence that followed was deafening. Loona held her stare firmly, not daring to let her stance weaken at any moment as she regarded Blitzo with the most serious look she ever expressed. The Imp was clearly in shambles, but she dared not to pity him more than he deserved.
"I thank you for giving me a chance to see something more than that cage. But... after those five years... this is just a bigger cage."
The Hellhound stopped, noticing the tears swelling on his yellow eyes, his lip trembling slightly and the anguish building up on the Imp. It made her realize that, perhaps, deep down he did care, but just never knew how. She let out another sigh, already feeling regretful.
"Don't think this means I don't want to talk with you ever again. Or see you again, or that I will hate you forever in some way. This is just a matter of trust. I don't feel I can trust you, I had plenty reasons not to. You made life difficult not only for yourself, but also Millie and Moxxie. You're not a good boss Blitzo, nor a good father figure." She said, giving him a rather apologetically shrug. A more sympathetic glance made way towards the trembling Imp, who was struggling a lot to keep himself firm. "Maybe... we can try again. Something less personal this time around." She tentatively reached a hand towards him, palm facing sideways. "How about friends this time? Feels like it may be a lot less pressure, doesn't it?" She suggested with a tiny smile.
Blitzo blinked, mouth opening slowly as he looked at her stretched hand with hesitation. Loona huffed, not really caring for being much more tolerant than she had these past years.
"You want things to be different? Then you better start listening. Look at what happened! We are being chased, the office is gone. You got involved with folk you shouldn't. Because of the book? Why we even agreed with this whole thing? Why you changed from the business we had before? I asked you many times but you just thought I was some dumb pet acting silly." She remarked with disgust. "Acting like you can do whatever you want and that everything will be fine will get us killed!" She shouted with despair, making the Imp flinch. "I don't want some Demon Overlord to come after us and torture everyone into insanity or worse! Do you even think about what can happen if you're found out by the higher ups?! I don't get how Stolas let you use this fucking book knowing what you're doing with it! Is he crazy too? Are you two that desperate for fucking that you're willing to put everyone in fucking danger?!"
"Loona... it's... it's not like that." Blitzo mumbled. Even if the reasons for having the book were not entirely as what she said the Hellhound's concerns were not far from the truth. This game he's been playing of invading the Human realm has a really high stake, which could cost way more than his career. Yet, after a whole year he became confident that no one cared to stop him, even despite the amounts of propaganda he posted about his business. "It's... surprising, I have to admit. At this point I would think even Lucifer would know what we're up to. Yet, since Stolas never really came at me saying he was being investigated or anything of the sort, I just thought we were on the clear."
"Yeah, that doesn't make sense." Loona conceded his point, forcing herself to calm down a bit. "Perhaps they just are looking at you the same way you looked at me when I tried to be serious, nothing but a silly joke." She huffed. "Also... what's gonna be? Deal or not? I won't keep my hand hanging for any longer."
Blitzo hesitantly reached his hand towards her, but she pulled back slightly before he could touch it.
"Just to make it clear. I'm not a dog, I'm not a pet, I'm not your daughter. I will be your friend, but you will have to do better." She detailed her conditions with severity. "I won't look down at you for being an Imp. I just ask you to do the same."
That, Blitzo thought, was something he could heartedly agree with. Loona pushed her hand back to him and he shook it lightly. Strangely it felt like his chest got much lighter, despite thinking he should be feeling otherwise.
"There, no more feeling bad about yelling at each other. Just the usual friend-being-a-dick kind of relationship." She said with some humor. Blitzo chuckled lightly.
"Probably... yeah. I guess we should go to this hotel of yours. I... kinda need to talk with Eminem."
"Hmm, job related stuff?" She asked while raising from the couch slowly, stretching her back to pop some stiff joints. "Urgh, how long we been here being shitty? Fuck, time to get going."
"Yeah, before we get another unwanted visit." Blitzo said in agreement while reaching towards his own back with a thoughtful expression on his face. There was a lot of things in his mind right now. He was barely acknowledging that he lost his adoptive daughter, but strangely enough made a friend at the same moment. He couldn't even remember when was the last time he made a friend. Millie and Moxxie are his co-workers/employees, and he's more than invasive about their marriage. Stolas is a different matter entirely, Verosika is in that odd romantic, messed up list of his. Perhaps... "Wow, it's been a while."
"Huh?" Loona asked, glancing back at him with an inquired stare. The Imp shook a hand dismissively.
"It's nothing. Hey, get that portal going. I kinda want to talk with your new boss too." He added with a solemn look. Loona gave him an even stare.
"Cool, don't do anything stupid, she's Lucifer's daughter after all."
"Yeah. Yeah, I know that. Don't worry about it. I will keep this on a professional level." Loona snorted before making pattern gestures to open the portal.
"Heh, that we gonna see soon."
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"Soo, your specialty is... chopping limbs?"
"Yep! I had a great amount of different techniques just for arm and leg slicing. Or heads, or half mid-section or just the vertical split!"
"Huh... that's... nice? Err... and you?..."
"Oh, weapons are my specialty ma'm. Long range to close range, not melee. That's more Millie's expertise. I prefer using explosive rounds, is messy but avoids wasting ammo with double tapping."
"What kind of security guard needs explosive ammo?! And this is security, what kind of excessive slaughtering talk is this?!"
"Well, to be fair Vaggie, we just had a Demon Overlord trying to invade the hotel with a giant metal spider thingy. I think we could use a bit more of... extreme measures when dealing with that kind of situation."
"Or you could have just killed him!"
"Vaggieeee. I talked with Serpentious, he promised he wouldn't try to invade if Angel and Alastor weren't inside. At least he didn't get too overly upset with Loona."
"Urgh, of course you would bring that up. Yet, it's not like we will have to deal with that moron all the time, we don't even have guests to be worried about whether or not someone is trying to kill them."
"Well, from what Collin said, these two, another Imp and Loona are in danger. I'm sure this will become quite a recurrent problem as, hopefully, more people come into the Hotel. I don't think that a place, in Hell, that is looking to redeem people will be left alone."
"That's surprisingly thoughtful... Collin warned you of this, didn't he?"
"...yeah."
Vaggie rolled her eyes, groaning as she rubbed her temples, feeling the beginning of a headache. Their interview with Millie and Moxxie was not going so formal as expected but, Millie's enthusiasm got the best of Charlie, the Morningstar was more than delighted to have the Imps working in the hotel. Not to mention that seeing how adorable the couple was to each other made Charlie's heart swell. Vaggie, despite not really thrilled about their qualifications, couldn't help the surprise at seeing a couple of Imps being so lovable.
"I gotta say, you two will give Razzle and Dazzle a run for their money." Vaggie commented with a mischevious chuckle. Charlie gave her a brief deadpanned glance before checking her phone.
"I wonder if Loona and her foster parent will get here soon. It's been an hour. You think they are okay?" She asked with concern.
"Yeah, I think they will be fine. Loona is more than capabable of ripping anyone apart if necessary." Moxxie replied nochantanly. "And Blitzo is really good with all types of weapons. They know when it's the right time to bail if it gets heated up."
"Is everyone in this... what was it called again?"
"Immediate Murder Professionals." Millie quickly responded, to which Vaggie nodded her thanks.
"Yeah, are all of you great at killing? I thought the Hellhound was just a receptionist. Sure, she kinda harassed Serpentious, but still."
"W-Well, it was required for us to be competent at it if we wanted to work at I.M.P." Moxxie explained, feeling slightly on edge. It wasn't every day he had an interview with Hell's princess and it astonished him that Millie seemed so relaxed through the whole exchange. "Of course, we can easily take a more safe and less violent approach if necessary. We have experience on doing security jobs for important Royal Demons."
"The Goetia?" Vaggie inquired with a flat stare. "Sure, they are a bunch of snobs. Can't help themselves out of a fruit salad without their legions of Imps and Hounds to keep things from derailing."
"Well, at least they pay their... staff." Charlie tried to justify albeit awkwardly. "It's more to say than the majority of other Demon Lords and so on. Not that we really need to worry with usual things like thieves and attempted bounties."
"Oh, yeah. The cult gangs are the worst." Vaggie couldn't help but agree. Millie and Moxxie exchanged confused glances.
"What... cult gangs?" Moxxie asked hesitantly.
"Ah, right. You two are from Wrath. I forgot." Charlie sighed heavily, crossing her arms in thought as she carefully picked the words to explain one of the many particularities of Pride ring. "Pride has lots of... different folks that have excentric tastes and beliefs. None of them being God, obviously." She added with a nervous chuckle. "Huh, it's just... as you know, each ring has it's, for the lack of a better word, boss. Pride is the entrance for the sinners, and most of them tend to stick around at this ring. Yet, the other Overlords take interest on having... a legion of their own, so to speak. So they send people up here to recruit for their own cause. Which leads to-
"A bunch of over-idealistic, zealots that have nothing better to do than to spit their shitty bullcrap about why their Overlord is the best and you should think the same or fucking die." Vaggie completed with an aggravated tone. "0ne of the most obnoxious types of assholes you don't want to have to deal with."
"Should we find one." Millie started with a smirk on her face. "Or many... can we kill them?"
"Uhhhh." Charlie wasn't expecting that kind of question. But before she could gather her bearings Vaggie replied right away.
"Sure! I will pay you extra actually if you do. They have been getting around this area far more often after the Hotel officially opened. I don't fucking know why, and I don't care. If I see one of these punks try to get close to me again I will lose it."
"I guess this is an extreme security matter?" Moxxie said uncertainly. Charlie and Vaggie exchanged a short glance before shrugging simultaneously.
"Yeah, that's about right. Oh, also Charlie is gonna show you two your room. Loona already has hers so I guess the Blitzo guy will be in one of his own."
"It's a silent 'O'!"
Vaggie blinked, not expecting the gruff male voice shouting from somewhere near them. The group turned their attentions towards the hallway entrance, were they saw the formally dressed Imp alongside Loona, both carrying baggage of their own.
"Sorry we got late. We... had things to talk about." Loona explained slowly, giving Blitzo a brief smile. She was glad the Imp smirked in return.
"Almost felt like one of those cheesy therapy sessions you see on TV. Except this one actually felt like getting anywhere." Blitzo said as he approached the table were Millie, Moxxie, Vaggie and Charlie. He stopped short once spotting Charlie. "And who's this clown?"
"Excuse me?!" Vaggie immediately said, raising from her seat with a huge spear lance on hand.
"Woah, easy! Blitzo! That's Charlie! My boss." Loona said while attempting her best to not smack him across the face. "Professional talk, remember?! Think for two seconds before talking!"
"Oh." Blitzo winced slightly. He just addressed Lucifer's daughter rather demeaning and that could really fuck him up for good. "Uhh, well, I guess... you kinda look like one, I can't really be blamed. Why the fuck would you even use that kind of make-up?"
"Huh, it's... kind of natural, actually." Charlie replied with an uneasy smile. She was starting to feel insecure with her own looks, this whole thing about people thinking her to be a clown was happening far too often lately. "Vaggie, calm down. He didn't mean it in a bad way."
"Well, yeah. I hate clowns, but if you're not one, then I-
"Blitzo. Just... shut the fuck up."