"There y'all are! Where have y'all been?" Lin asked, hands on her hips, her gaze stern as she eyed her children. "I already told you your sister would be coming. Me and your Pa didn't exactly raise y'all to be tardy." She chided, her tone light but with a hint of authority.

"Blame it on the traffic, Ma." Sallie responded nonchalantly, tossing the body bag to the side. She turned toward Millie with a teasing grin. "Hey, 'lil sis,' how've you been? I was kinda sad that you won't be breakin' heads with us, but I can't say that 'cause I don't feel bad."

Millie bristled, fuming at her sister's words. "Watch your tone there, missy. I'm the older one here." She snapped, her tone sharp. Eli, who had been watching, shuddered slightly at his mother's command.

"Also." Millie added before turning to her mother, "How is my baby gonna cheer for his Ma when she's puncturing someone's lung?"

At this point, Millie's brothers and Sallie noticed Eli crouched nearby, examining the ground for something shiny.

"NEPHEW!" They shouted in unison, charging toward him. Eli glanced up, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable expression.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Millie called out, but they didn't listen, and soon they were piled on top of her son in a chaotic mess. Forget fostering—Eli was essentially her son now.

"OFF!" Eli shouted, his body straight and arms folded, his voice carrying an air of authority. A mini shockwave blasted out from him, sending the dogpile flying in all directions. His uncles all landed flat on their backs, dazed. Sallie and Millie's brother turned to Millie, who had an amused expressions, taking in her stance—hips cocked out with one hand on her waist.

"I did warn y'all." Millie chuckled.

Eli returned to his usual stoic self, standing up straight again. Millie sighed but didn't seem too bothered. "Well, go ahead then." She said, gesturing toward her brothers.

Without needing any more prompting, her brothers began giving Eli playful noogies and ruffling his hair, some even praising his strength for being able to knock them off with just a yell.

"Alright, y'all settle down!" Lin commanded, her voice cutting through the chaos. Her sons immediately released Eli and stood at attention. "I know you're excited, but try not to overwhelm the little pumpkin, alright?" She told them sternly. They nodded, though some snickering could still be heard in the background.

Sallie approached Eli, throwing an arm over his shoulder and pulling him into a side hug. "So, you're Millie's kid, huh?" She said, eyeing her sister and her husband before turning her attention back to Eli. "Well, I can see the resemblance. Didn't know why Millie only told us about your existence after you were a teen, though. But hey, welcome to the family."

Eli and the I.M.P. crew jumped slightly at the mention of his sudden appearance, but quickly regained their composure.

"Well excuse me for trying to protect ma baby." Millie called out, her tone dripping with sass as she feigned offense.

"Alright, alright. Whatever." Sallie replied with a smile, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth. "Anyway, I'm your aunt. Call me Aunt Sallie May, or Aunt Sal, alright, lil' guy?" She patted Eli's head, though she had to raise her hand a little higher since Eli was nearly her height. Sallie pouted slightly, not thrilled that her nephew was as tall as she was.

Eli observed his "aunt," noting her horns were more characteristic of male imps, and her black hair had streaks of white. Ah, he thought. She's a trans. He didn't have any issues with it. "Nice to meet you, Aunt Sal." He greeted politely, his voice as flat and emotionless as always.

Sallie raised an eyebrow at Eli's stoic expression before turning to her sister, who was currently smiling fondly at her son. The look on Millie's face didn't escape her attention. "Eli's always been like that." Millie chimed in, answering the unasked question. "Moxxie's the one who taught him to be respectful and all that junk."

Moxxie gasped dramatically, causing Millie to giggle. "Can you believe what your mother just said, son?" He exclaimed, his voice dripping with mock surprise.

"Yes… I can." Eli replied simply, offering Moxxie a dry, amused glance.

Moxxie clutched his chest, as though wounded. "Betrayed by my own family!" He cried theatrically, making Millie laugh even harder as she hugged her husband.

Blitzo, placing both hands on his hips, joined in. "Hey, being theatrical is my thing! Don't steal my shtick, Mox!" He teased, playfully glaring at Moxxie, who upped his dramatic act even more. At this point, Millie dipped Moxxie in her arms, adding even more flair to the spectacle. Above them, Mary floated, munching on popcorn that Eli was sure she hadn't had a moment ago.

"Uhh..." Sallie looked on in bewilderment before turning to Eli, who observed the scene with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Eli slowly turned to stare at his aunt. "This is what they do to embarrass me." He said flatly. "As you can clearly see, it works."

Sallie nodded sagely and cleared her throat, grabbing Millie's and Moxxie's attention. "Well, I'm still sorry that your boy can't exactly cheer for you." She teased her sister. "But don't worry, I'll do it for ya… just a little better."

Millie gasped, accidentally letting Moxxie fall, his body hitting the ground with a loud thud. "How dare you?" Millie gasped in mock surprise, her hand flying to her chest.

Lin chuckled at the scene, surprised by how much her daughter had changed. But at least she knew the change was making Millie more mature. "It's fine, Millie. You can still cheer for your son, sister, and brothers. Heck, you can even cheer for your boss." She said warmly, her hands on her hips. Millie exhaled a sad sigh but accepted the truth with a nod.

Moxxie, still lying on the ground with his hand supporting his head, deadpanned, "Wow, what am I, chopped liver?"

Joe, overhearing, stared at Moxxie with disbelief. "Wait, you?" He asked, his voice filled with confusion. Then, he slapped his knees and laughed heartily, only to stop when he saw the serious look on Moxxie's face. "You serious?" Joe asked, his expression incredulous.

"Yes, I'm serious." Moxxie replied, his voice laced with hesitation. He slowly got to his feet and dusted himself off. "I was born here, so I'm more than allowed to join." He added, puffing his chest with pride.

Joe paused, his face a mixture of respect and skepticism. "Sorry, boy, but I don't think you theater types will last very long in the bloody games." He said, his tone light but with an edge of concern.

"Heh, don't underestimate my worker." Blitzo said with a grin. He was more than happy to tease Moxxie, but if anyone underestimated his team, they'd be in for a nasty surprise.

Joe raised an eyebrow at Blitzo's statement, his skepticism still clear, but Striker spoke up, willing to test Moxxie's mettle. "Alright then, lil' fella." Striker said, his voice dripping with challenge. "Why don't you help me wrangle a hog for dinner?" He pointed to a pig demon lying lazily in the mud.

Moxxie nodded, pulling out a knife. In an attempt to teach Eli about Wrath, he had research a lot and unintentionally learn about Wrath himself. "Alright, let's go." He said, both he and Striker walking toward the sleeping pig demon.

A/N: If you couldn't tell, I actually like Moxxie's character. Stuff had been getting less and less busier so I can start to write more, but working in a kitchen and getting yelled at is not fun...

To the reader, now, now let's not introduce to many new characters, or I'm gonna get a migraine. :D

Yeah, during the dogpile I was imagining a more overlord laharl pose, I don't know why but I find it funny for some reason.