From the moment she arrived, Bloody Mary had been working nonstop to make sure the Goetias' banquet went off without a hitch. And while they were hesitant at first, both Stolas and Stella actually found themselves impressed by what they saw. Using both her Hellphone and ability to travel through mirrors, Mary was proving her efficiency like her life depended on it.
By the time Monday rolled around, the ballroom was already being prepped for the upcoming event. While the Imps around them were busy polishing the silverware, mopping the floors, and setting up the banners around them, Mary was currently walking through the checklist Stella provided for her with the Goetia Demon herself.
"Now I've already called the suppliers," Mary informed her, scrolling her finger over the list on her Hellphone. "They should have all the food here by tomorrow."
"Very good," Stella replied, giving a small nod of acknowledgement.
"I've also made reservations in 8 different hotels for those who are going to be in attendance, including the Nightmare Palace," Mary continued, causing Stella to raise an eyebrow.
"At a reasonable price, I hope?" she asked, knowing just how expensive a hotel such as the Nightmare Palace usually costs.
Luckily, Mary had an answer all prepared for such a question
"I know a few contacts from that place," she informed the Goetia Demon. "So I was able to pull a few strings."
Stella couldn't help but smirk at that.
"Excellent," she said. "Anything else?"
It was only then that Mary's smile faded a little as she recalled certain events that happened earlier that morning, events which unfortunately led to give a less than favourable answer.
"The decor is currently well on schedule," she started, gulping nervously as she tried to find the right words to say. "However, I have yet to find a suitable group of musicians at the present time."
Hearing that, Stella gave the Mirror Demon a cold glare, not once hesitating to show her disappointment. However, that was as far as it went, as luck would have it.
"Well, see that you resolve that situation quickly," she said sternly. "We can't have an after-dinner dance without musical accompaniment."
"I understand completely, madam," Mary replied, bowing her head politely, inwardly relieved that Stella was taking the news so well. Clearing her throat, she then returned her attention to the list on her phone. "Now I believe you intended on making the theme of this banquet a masquerade, yes?"
"That was the intention, yes," Stella confirmed.
"Very good," Mary acknowledged, double-checking her list again. "Knowing that should help in finding the appropriate people to hire."
Seeing the Mirror Demon continue to present some natural competence, Stella tapped her chin with thought. Not even the last organiser was this hands-on with his work, so in a way, Mary's approach almost felt refreshing.
"Is that all?" she asked, wondering if the former-royal needed more information.
"Nope, I should have everything else covered," Mary quickly replied, secretly hoping the Goetia wouldn't press the question. Luckily, that wasn't going to be an issue.
"In that case, I shall leave you to your business," Stella finally stated, turning away and heading out of the ballroom. "If you would excuse me."
As happy as she was to have this job, Mary couldn't be happier to see the Lady of the House leave. In many ways, Stella reminded her of what SHE used to be like when she was alive, and that's something she would rather like to forget, especially after over 500 years. In any case, now that she was gone, Mary was now free to get back to her task, and that starts by trying to find one particular member of staff.
Meanwhile, after closing the doors to the ballroom behind her, Stella felt somewhat content with how things were going. After two days of dealing with Mary, this had to have been the first time she had actually met someone under her employ that she didn't openly despise.
"Reginald?" she called out, alerting the Imp Butler standing by the door, waiting for her.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, awaiting his next instructions.
"Have someone make a note of that woman's contact information," Stella commanded, shifting her gaze slightly towards the closed doors behind her. "If she manages to pull this off, we may need her services on a regular basis."
Back inside the ballroom, Mary looked over every single employee currently working around her. However, while there were plenty of Imps, she had yet to find the one Demon she was looking for.
"Excuse me! Coming through!
Snapping her attention back to her initial surroundings, Mary found herself having to jump back in shock after almost tripping over the smallest Imp she had ever seen, AKA Buzz the gardener.
"Oop!" she yelped. "Sorry!"
"No worries!" Buzz exclaimed, quickly scurrying across the floor with numerous large bouquets in his arms, somewhat impairing his vision and he made his way over towards the nearest table. "Happens all the time."
As Mary watched the Imp scamper over towards one of the tables being set up, she couldn't help but feel intrigued by his speed as he dumps a bouquet into one of the many vases, before quickly moving on to the next. Seeing the Imp work, Mary suddenly remembered something Mick told her yesterday, specifically about the roommate he was currently living with.
"Hey, uh… Buzz, right?" she said, grabbing the Imp's attention.
"That's me," he said, finishing off the last bouquet before turning back to face her. "What's it to ya?"
As much as she didn't like the Imp's small moment of rudeness, Mary chose to ignore it for now.
"You haven't seen your roommate, Mick, perchance?" she inquired. "I was hoping to ask him something."
The answer she received, however, wasn't one she liked.
"Haven't seen him since this morning," Buzz replied with a casual shrug. "Sorry, lady."
And just like that, the Imp left without another word, leaving Mary completely flabbergasted. Given that Mick had told her that he was technically working for all departments at the moment, Mary half expected him to be working here in the ballroom with the others. So where could he have possibly disappeared to?
Little did Mary realise, Mick wasn't that far away. In fact, at present, he was only a single floor up the stairs. What's more, he wasn't alone.
"Now brace yourself, sir," he said, placing a hand upon the nearby dressing panel. "It's not a pretty sight."
The Demon he was talking to, of course, was none other than Mad Munn, looking just as flashy and flamboyant as ever with his two assistants standing right behind him. After his phone call to him on Saturday, Mick was obviously delighted to hear that the red-haired Demon was able to come to the Goetia Estate on such short notice.
However, what he didn't tell anyone else was the fact that both Stolas and Stella were completely unaware of his arrival. In fact, Mick had to sneak both Mad Munn and his assistants upstairs before he even had the chance to ring the doorbell. As unexpected as it was, however, the flamboyant tailor didn't seem too bothered by it, if anything, he was rather intrigued. Now here they all were, standing in the middle of Octavia's bedroom, with the Goetia Princess still currently away at school for the day, and Snowflake having a snooze on her pillow. Meanwhile, Mick was mentally preparing himself for what might happen once he revealed the travesty behind the panel.
"Oh, please ducky," Mad Munn scoffed with a chuckle. "I'm a professional in my craft. I've seen The Most and The Least when it comes to clothes. I'm sure I can handle it."
At those words, Mick couldn't help but let out a small sigh.
"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," he eventually said, pulling the panel to the side, revealing the dress behind it.
The moment he saw the frilly monstrosity that was revealed to him, Mad Mann's smile immediately dropped.
"Uh…" he uttered, his left eye twitching before his stomach quickly began to turn. "Someone fetch me a bucket... Now, please!"
Quickly reacting to his words, one of Mad Munn's assistants immediately grabbed the nearby trash can and held it up to her boss. Moments later, the entire room was filled with the sounds of the Tailor dramatically throwing up.
"That bad, huh?" Mick asked with a cringe.
"Bad is putting it mildly, ducky!" Mad Munn snapped, spitting out the last of his vomit before handing the can back to his assistant. "Lemme put it this way, with all these frills, especially these ones along the neckline, you'd look like an angry lizard... And that's me putting it generously!"
In all honesty, Mick had half expected such a reaction from the red-haired Demon, in fact, he was somewhat surprised that his reaction wasn't even worse. However, now was not the time to be dramatic.
"It's just as well I called you then," Mick said, letting out a small breath as he tried to find the right words to say. "Do you think you could make it... decent?"
However, given what he's currently looking at, Mad Munn could only scoff at such an idea.
"HA! It would take a miracle, ducky!" he exclaimed. "You'd be better off burning this piece of shit and starting from square one."
"I'm afraid that isn't an option," Mick pointed out, debunking the idea despite fully agreeing with it. "The Lady of the house is insisting that her daughter wear THIS dress and no other... However, she never said the Princess wasn't allowed to make modifications to it."
To be frank, Mick had to make sure he got all the details of the situation beforehand before he'd make such a claim. Luckily, he managed to do so by speaking to Octavia again shortly after she introduced Bloody Mary to her parents.
"In fact, if it's not overstepping anything, I do have an idea or two to throw in," he continued, picking up his sketchpad from Octavia's desk and presenting it to the Demonic Tailor. "What do you think?"
Accepting the sketchbook, Mad Munn soon found himself quite astounded by the small number of sketches on the page Mick had shown him, each one depicting a dress that was WAY better than the nightmare in the room. As a matter of fact, the more designs he saw, the more Mad Munn's smile began to grow.
"My, my, you have quite the talent, dear boy," he eventually said, his yellow teeth on display for all to see. "You even got the proportions right."
Mick couldn't help but feel a little flattered upon hearing praise like that.
"Really?" he uttered, making sure he heard the Tailor correctly.
"Absolutely!" Mad Munn exclaimed, pulling out a red pencil from his pocket and circling the sketches he liked the best. "And what an imagination! Yeah, baby! I can definitely work with these!"
As he stood there, watching Mad Munn scribble in his sketchpad, Mick couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief. He was no fashion designer, far from it, but to him, it just didn't feel right to let someone else have full control of how the dress looked. Granted, Mad Munn has known the Goetia family a lot longer than he has, but Mick felt that he knew Octavia a lot more personally given how many times they've spoken to each other since they first met. As such, he thought he could at least help by trying to incorporate some of Octavia's interests into the design of the new dress. Of course, normally Mick wouldn't be so confident as to actually try something like that, but Octi DID say she liked his drawings, so it was worth a shot at least. And thankfully such confidence had clearly paid off.
"Okay, just needs a little tweaking here and there…" Mad Munn muttered, sketching a new design out on a fresh page of the sketchpad using bits and pieces from what he saw on the actual dress and the sketches Mick did until finally, he had something he was satisfied with. "Okay, looks like we got ourselves a plan of action, ladies!"
Taking his enthusiasm as a good sign, Mick took a breath and proceeded to get down to business.
"So how much would something like this cost exactly?" he asked. "Because I should warn you, my budget is a little limited at the moment."
It was only then that Mad Munn's smile dropped and a confused frown spread across his face.
"Your budget?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that this was another one of the family's purchases."
This was it. Time to explain the situation in full. Here's hoping that Mad Munn will understand and not walk out after accusing Mick of wasting his time.
"Yeah, you see the thing is… no one in the family knows I called you just yet," he explained. "In fact, I was hoping to keep my involvement in this under the radar, so to speak."
Though surprised to hear it confirmed out loud, Mad Munn did have a suspicion this was the case. After all, why else would Mick try to sneak him through the house without telling anyone?
"I see," he muttered, scratching his head in thought. "Well, that makes things a little different then."
"If it's going to be pricey, I am willing to work out some kind of payment plan if you're up for it," Mick continued, surprising Mad Munn even further. "Say a few souls every month? Or perhaps a week, if that's your preference."
The more Mick talked, the more Mad Munn couldn't help but look him over. Over the years he has been in Hell, he had seen many customers come and go through his shop, and as such, he had developed a small talent for reading other Demons. In Mick's case, there was definitely a strong sense of desperation, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to make sure this dress gets to the Goetia Princess on time.
In Mad Munn's experience, there were only a few reasons why anyone would go through that. At first one would expect it was simply devoted loyalty for his employer, but not only has Mick not been with the family long enough for that sort of thing, but even if he was, he wouldn't have taken the time to add his own input. No, this was much more personal than that… and given the knowing smirk on his face, Mad Munn had a very strong suspicion of how much.
"Tell you what, my lad," he said, his smirk never once leaving his face as he wrapped an arm around the Cat Demon's back and gripped his shoulder. "Since this is your first purchase, how about I do this one for free, eh?"
If Mick had a drink, he would have spat it out immediately after hearing that.
"Wait, are you serious!?" he exclaimed. "I can't let you do that."
"Oh, pish posh, ducky!" Mad Munn laughed, smacking Mick on the back before walking back over to the dress. "It's no trouble whatsoever! Besides, anything to get rid of this eyesore."
Mick just couldn't believe what he was hearing. Never in his afterlife did he think anyone would be so generous. Given past experiences, nothing like that ever happened down here in Hell unless something of equal value was given to the other Demon. Thus far, Mick had done nothing to earn Mad Munn's favour. Hell, he barely knew him. So WHY was he just giving something away that was sure to be expensive? Whatever the reason, Mick knew he would have to find a way to pay him back somehow. It was only fair.
"So how long will this take?" he asked, getting back to the current subject.
"How long before the Princess comes home from school?" Mad Munn asked in response.
"About 6 hours," Mick answered, checking the clock on his Hellphone.
"In that case, I can take my time…" Mad Munn replied, his grin spread wider than ever as he pulled out his tape measure and drooped it around his neck. "…give me ONE hour and we'll be blinding."
Once again, Mick couldn't help but smile under his mask upon hearing that.
"Wow… you ARE good," he commented, earning himself a flattered chuckle from the Tailor.
"I know," he replied smugly, his face quickly turning serious as he snapped his attention back to the dress. "Now get out and leave me to my work! An artist like myself needs no interruptions."
Seeing no reason to argue, Mick quickly nodded his head and made a b-line for the door.
"Uh… yeah, sure," he said.
However, just as he was putting his hand in the doorknob, Mad Munn quickly regained Mick's attention with a small clearing of his throat.
"Oh, and one more thing," he said, giving the Cat Demon one more smirk. "If this whole plan of yours goes tits-up and you get the sack, give me a ring. We might have a position in the design department for you."
As insulting as that may have sounded, Mick nonetheless appreciated the offer. At least he knew he had a future somewhere else if he does get fired… then again, Stella might just murder him before he gets the chance if things go wrong. Deciding to shake off the idea for now, Mick thanked Mad Munn for his offer and quickly left the room, allowing the Demonic Tailor to begin his work.
"Now, Carmin, Crystal…" he declared, pulling out a pair of fabric scissors, while his assistants did the same. "Attack!"
After leaving Mad Munn to his task, Mick tried desperately to sneak back to the ballroom. Hopefully, his absence wasn't noticed too much and he could slip in with the Imps, feigning that he just needed to step out to use the facilities. However, just as he was about to reach for the doors, another voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Oh, Mick, just who I was looking for," they said. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"
Quickly recognising the voice as the one belonging to Bloody Mary, Mick couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as he turned around to face the Mirror Demon behind him, gladdened by the fact that he was caught by her and not someone else.
"Uh yeah, sure," he replied, trying desperately to keep his cool. "What's up?"
At those words, Mick quickly noticed the Mirror Demon's expression change from a smile to an awkward frown.
"I'm in a bit of a bind here," she answered, scratching the back of her head while pulling out her Hellphone. "The thing is, while I did manage to sort out most of everything else on this little list, there is one task that's proving to be a little… tricky."
"Which is?" Mick asked curiously.
That quickly turned into a question the Cat Demon would instantly regret asking the moment Mary grabbed him by the front of his shirt and frantically shouted in his face.
"I can't get any musicians!" she yelled, her reflective face riddled with panic. "I've tried all morning but no one is available on such short notice!"
"You can't get ANYONE?" Mick asked, making sure he heard her correctly.
"No one suitable for a royal banquet!" Mary snapped back. "All the big-name bands are all either booked or have been killed off by the Extermination. And anyone who IS available that day are all either rubbish at music or desperate wannabes!"
"Oh, jeez," Mick commented, getting a rough idea of the situation as he pulled Mary's hand off his shirt.
"Oh, what am I going to do!?" the Mirror Demon continued. "I've only been on this job for two days and I'm already screwing it up!"
As understanding as Mick was of Mary's plight, he still didn't appreciate being yelled at, as evident by the agitated groan he let out in response. It's not as if he could blame her though. After all, even if she used to be a queen at one point, working under Stella's particular conditions and mannerisms can't be easy for ANY Demon. So once again, Mick found himself unable to resist stepping in to help.
"Mary!" he snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders in an attempt to stop her yelling any further. "Calm down!"
After taking a forced moment to breathe, Mary did regain some composure, at least enough for her to take a few calming breaths.
"Okay, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm cool, I'm fine, I'm fine," she rambled to herself, using her own words as a type of mantra to steady her nerves before finally looking back at Mick. "Sorry about that."
"It's no problem, Mary," Mick replied, choosing to brush the whole thing off.
"But seriously Mick, without musicians, I'm kinda screwed here," almost pulling out her hair in anxiety. "I don't suppose you know anyone from the Peppermint Puss that might be suitable?"
"Excuse me?" Mick replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I know I'm contradicting myself by asking this, but I'm REALLY desperate here," Mary elaborated. "I realise we haven't seen each other in a while, but I KNOW you're a good judge of character. So what do you think?"
Mick was simply beside himself after hearing this. First, he arranged for a new Organiser for this banquet and now said Organiser is begging for his help in getting musical talent for the same event AFTER calling in a Tailor to fix Octavia's dress. If he wasn't already dead, the Cat Demon would claim that the ever-growing migraine in his head was going to literally do him in. Luckily, the solution to this problem may be a little easier to deal with… as long as the Demon he had in mind behaved himself.
"I… might know a guy,"
Johnny didn't know whether to be excited or terrified the moment he pulled his car up to the front gate of the Goetia's home grounds. Swallowing a small gulp, he couldn't help but stare at the gigantic building on the other side with a mix of fear and awe. After Mick called him just over an hour ago, telling him that there was a job for him and his band for a royal banquet, he didn't know whether to laugh at Mick's supposed joke or weep with joy over being invited to something so big.
Either way, he had to come here anyway to make sure everything was legit and to sort out a few details with the Demon organising the event so that he could set everything up beforehand, should he get the job. Rolling down his window, he proceeded to lean out and reach a hand toward the intercom, ringing the buzzer. It was only a few seconds later that he received a reply.
"Goetia residence," the voice responded simply and straightforwardly.
"Uh, hi," Johnny answered back, not expecting an answer so soon, "I'm here for the Musician's gig."
"State your name, please."
"Oh… um, Johnny Blues," the Snake Demon replied. "I'm kinda expected."
There was a short silence from the other end of the intercom before he finally received a reply.
"Please enter through the side door, someone will be there to greet you," the voice said as the gates began sliding open, allowing Johnny entry.
Not wasting any time, Johnny quickly put his van back into gear and slowly drove past the gate, following the well-maintained road through the grounds. After a few minutes, he eventually found himself parking in a somewhat secluded area around the far side of the house, one surrounded by thick trees and filled with the numerous parked cars belonging to certain members of the Goetias' staff.
Stepping out of the van, Johnny scanned the area, lowering his shades a little to get a better look. Before long, he eventually spotted a small hole at the base of the house, taking a closer look, he then realised that it was the top of a small, stone staircase that went straight down to what appeared to be a red wooden door that led to the basement level of the house. Realising that this must have been the side door the voice on the intercom mentioned, Johnny swiftly walked down the stairs and gave the small rope next to it a good pull, believing it to be a doorbell of sorts. At first, nothing happened after Johnny pulled the rope. In fact, he didn't even hear a noise after doing so. However, after about a minute of waiting, the door quickly swung open, revealing a familiar masked face on the other side.
"Johnny!" Mick greeted happily. "You made it!"
"Mickey!" Johnny greeted back, giving the Cat Demon a good pat on the back as he stepped inside. "How're you doing, buddy?"
"Better now that you're here," Mick chuckled. "Come on, let's introduce you to the boss."
As it turned out, the door Johnny stepped through was the entrance to the expansive kitchen the staff used, next to their quarters. After travelling through the kitchen, passing by an annoyed-looking Chef as they went, Mick eventually led Johnny through the adjoining corridors until finally finding the appropriate elevator doors leading to the upper levels. After a nerve-wracking lift, Johnny eventually found his jaw practically dropping to the floor when the elevator doors opened back up.
"Woah!" he exclaimed, stepping out into the lavish foyer. "THIS is where you've been working? Fuck, dude! You've really moved on up!"
"Yeah, I will agree the decor isn't half bad," Mick admitted. "Though I will say there are some days I like to tell myself, 'I don't get paid enough for this shit.'"
This wisecrack, of course, earned a small chuckle from the greaser. At that moment, the two of them found themselves looking up at the stairs after hearing a small clatter of feet. There, they saw Mad Munn quietly hurrying down the stairs with his two assistants trailing behind him.
"Well, I'm all finished with my assignment, Mickey baby," the Tailor said as he walked towards the duo, his eyes closed in a somewhat smug manner. "You can thank me later."
However, the moment he opened his eyes and made contact with the sight of Johnny before him, he froze, his smile falling at the sight of the greaser. For a brief moment, Mad Munn and Johnny's eyes met and they briefly looked each other over. Not five seconds later, they exchanged a brief greeting.
"Eat shit and die," Munn said sternly.
"Yeah, fuck you too," Johnny shot back, barely phased by the mod's insult.
And just like that, the interaction was over and Mad Munn quickly rushed towards the front door, leaving Johnny with an unamused glare and Mick with a small moment of confusion.
"Do… you two know each other?" he eventually asked.
"Nope!" Johnny denied. "Never met the bastard."
"Then why did…ugh! Nevermind!" Mick exclaimed, unable to deal with whatever that was at the moment. "Come on!"
Not long after, Mick led Johnny over towards the ballroom doors, where Bloody Mary was waiting for him. The moment she saw the two Demons approach, a look of relief washed over her reflective face.
"Oh, Mick, is this who you were talking about?" she asked, looking the Snake Demon over as if he were a curious piece of modern art.
"That he is," Mick confirmed, turning his attention back to his friend. "Johnny, allow me to introduce you to Bloody Mary. Mary, this is Johnny Blues. We used to work together at the Peppermint Puss."
Mary couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that.
"Oh really?" she asked curiously.
"Yep," Johnny replied with a smug grin. "Three years and still good pals, us."
As if to emphasise his point, Johnny displayed his friendly affection by giving Mick a large smack on the back, something that the Cat Demon, while appreciating the gesture, responded with a pained hiss.
However, friendship aside, Mary remained unsure about this new face. It wasn't as if she was judging him by his looks; far from it. However, there was one key detail that she needed to clear up before she made any decisions.
"Well, while it IS a pleasure to meet you, Johnny," she began. "Forgive me for saying so, but I was under the impression that there was going to be a band. Not just one guy."
At those words both Johnny and Mick shared a knowing smirk and a chuckle between each other, much to the Mirror Demon's confusion.
"Oh, there's going to be a band, alright," Mick stated, taking a couple of steps back. "Johnny, if you will."
"Ask-" Johnny started.
"-and you shall receive," he finished… somehow without moving his lips
Though she was sure that Johnny spoke, Mary was definitely unable to tell how he was able to do so with moving his mouth, causing yet another smirk to form in the greaser's face. Moving his jacket collar down to show off his neck, to Mary's surprise and slight disgust, there were now what looked to be two sets of eyes and mouths forming on the sides of it! What was even more disturbing was the fact they were soon beginning to expand in size like a pair of growths.
Suddenly, they began to expand outward and move away from Johnny's neck, seeming like they were trying to pull themselves away from him. The next thing Mary knew, Johnny, much like a single-celled organism, began to split apart and form two copies of himself. Before she knew it, there were now three Johnnys before her, before the clones split up once again, creating one other clone each.
By the time he was finished, there were four near-identical copies of Johnny standing next to him (All fully clothed, thank Lucifer). The only distinguishing feature that set the five Snake Demons apart from each other was their hair. While the original Johnny had his signature pompadour, the first clone had a messy mop-top hairstyle, the second, a long hair done up in a ponytail, the third had slicked-back hair, and the fourth and final one had a short back and sides style with a Superman-like curl over his forehead. Needless to say, the entire scene put Bloody Mary into a state of complete and utter shock.
"What the flying fuck!?" she exclaimed.
"Bit of backstory for ya, babe," the mop-top clone began, setting his elbow on Johnny's left shoulder.
"See, when Johnny boy here died, he ended up scrambling his brain with a power drill," the ponytail clone continued, setting his elbow on Johnny's right.
"Ended up not only sending us on a one way trip to Hell," Superman curl added.
"But ended up splitting up his soul and personality as well," the slick-haired clone said.
"Benefits include being a literal One Man Band," the original Johnny finished.
"Each one of these guys is capable of playing at least one instrument," Mick elaborated. "And given what I've heard, they are all quite talented."
"Well, they'd better be," Mary eventually sighed. "Or else it's not gonna be-"
"Why are there a bunch of hobos in my home?"
Almost as if there was some kind of cruel force hoping to get a chance to have themselves a laugh, it was at that moment that Stella suddenly appeared in the corridor behind the group of Johnny clones, her face contorted into her signature scowl depicting unamusement and loathing. Turning around to see the towering Owl Demon glaring down at them, Johnny and all four of his clones gulped in terror, before the original leaned closer to Mick's ear and whispered as quietly as he could.
"Lady Stella?" he muttered, having heard plenty of stories about Mick's terrifying new employer beforehand.
"Yep," Mick confirmed, practically sweating beneath his mask,
"Should we start running?"
…
"Give it a minute,"
Sensing the ever-growing hostility rising from the Lady of the house, Mary quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation before things took a nasty turn for everyone.
"Your Grace!" she called out, quickly grabbing the Goetia's attention. "This is the musical group we've arranged for the banquet."
At that statement, Stella suddenly found herself raising an eyebrow.
"Is that so? she asked, her scowl still ever-present.
"Yes," Mary confirmed, much to her own uncertainty. "I realise they might be a little rough around the edges, but they have quite a few good references AND were kind enough to take time out of their schedule to provide music for the evening… in any case, I'm afraid to say that no other groups were available at such short notice regardless of their involvement."
At those words, Stella glared even harder at Johnny and his clones, so much so her eyes were literally glowing with an intense red light, sending a cold chill down every one of their spines. Eventually, however, Stella ceased her staring and let out an exasperated sigh.
"Very well," she said before her gaze hardened once more. "But they had better do a decent job. Because if I so much as feel a small hint of embarrassment during the night, it will be ALL of your heads. Is that clear?"
Stella may not have raised her voice when she said that, but given the intense aura of pure malice oozing from her gaze, she didn't need to. This was, of course, evident by all four of Johnny's clones shaking like a pack of chihuahuas.
"Y-yes Ma'am," the greaser eventually replied, swallowing another gulp.
With that final word, Stella gave the group one final glare, eyeing Mick in particular with a face full of disgust, before finally turning away and walking down the corridor. After that, everything seemed to go silent. No one at that moment could even try to speak after going through such an intense moment… at least until the clone with the ponytail suddenly spoke up.
"I think I just wet myself,"