When everyone finally managed to calm down after the whole cheese fiasco with Buzz, the atmosphere at the Rustler's Retreat had somewhat returned to a pleasant atmosphere. Now Octavia's little get-together with Charlie and the others was back in full swing, only this time Jessie and Johnny had now joined them in their chatter. After punting Buzz off the stage, it didn't take long for Johnny and his band to spot Octavia's group nearby. When all the apologies were made and the messes were cleaned up, the Snake Demon didn't hesitate to remerge with all his clones and join the girls at their table when the next band went up on stage… though not without grovelling at Charlie's feet for a good few minutes once he eventually realized who he was talking to.
Seeing that he and Mick were friends, the Goetia wasn't against the idea of having him sit with the group so long as it was okay with the others. Luckily, Charlie and Vaggie didn't mind either so long as he didn't grovel again, and Linda was interested in meeting Mick's friend herself since it was likely to result in some interesting stories. As for Jessie, Octavia felt a little guilty that the Hellhound had to deal with Buzz on her own, so she quickly invited her to join as a way of an apology. Jessie, of course, was quite enthusiastic about the idea and didn't hesitate to sit down after she hogtied Buzz with her own tie and dropped him at her feet.
Now here everyone was, talking amongst themselves as if nothing had happened. While Buzz slept off his drunken/pot-induced stupor under the table, everyone else talked and laughed among themselves as if they were all lifelong friends at a reunion. The subject of the conversation: a certain Cat Demon who apparently got into a fair bit of mayhem even before he and Octavia met.
"You're fucking lyin'!" Jessie exclaimed, cackling like a lunatic before downing another shot of Hellfire Whiskey.
"I am dead serious," Johnny insisted, trying in vain to stifle his own laughter. "When Mick saw that crazy old bag coming, WOOSH, up it went! I'm telling ya, that car ended up burning for three days after that."
No one at the table could recall just how the subject of the conversation ended up being this. Still, Linda was practically ecstatic to learn that her suspicions about Johnny having some interesting stories were right on the mark. It turns out the Cat Demon was quite the deviant when he and the Snake Demon first met.
"Fuck me, and I thought that Cat only got into trouble AFTER he came to work for us," Octavia commented, loving every minute of the Sinner's story.
"Oh, that's just the tip of the iceberg, toots," Johnny chuckled. "I can tell you all kinds of shit about that night. The riot, the fire, the ambulance, STEALING the ambulance."
"You guys stole an AMBULANCE!?" Charlie exclaimed.
"Yup, you should have seen Mick behind that wheel," Johnny retorted before doing one of the worst impressions anyone at the table had seen "Dee-dah! Dee-dah! Dee-dah! 'Haha, let's go rob a candy store!' Dee-dah! Dee-dah!"
"S-stop! I'm gonna pee myself!" Linda squeaked, clutching her stomach from laughing so much.
"Oh man, I remember it all so well," Johnny continued, ignoring the Imp's plea. "The crash, the bar fight, the cannibals! And all of that within a single Friday night!"
"And all that happened because Mick tried a little catnip?" Vaggie inquired, earning herself a firm nod from Johnny's head.
"Oh yeah and the guy's never touched the stuff since," the greaser confirmed. "You can just imagine the insane hangover the next morning."
Hearing this, Octavia couldn't help but think back on the first time he shared his weed with her; back when he first stated his inability to keep a clean head whenever catnip was involved. Turns out that even he can get fucked up once in a while. Once everyone had finally calmed down a bit from the laughter, the mood felt a lot more relaxed compared to earlier.
"Okay, I think I might have said this before, but you definitely found yourself an interesting guy there, Via," Vaggie pointed out, suddenly bringing a blush to the Goetia's face.
"Did you have to word it like that?" she asked. "You make it sound like we're dating."
"Wait… are you not?" Johnny asked, confusingly scratching his head.
"NO!" Octavia snapped. "And I'd appreciate it if you could all just drop that idea, please."
At those words, Charlie and Vaggie gave each other a knowing look. If Octavia was being this defensive about the subject, then surely there had to be SOMETHING going on. However, saying that, they both agreed that it would be best to do as Octavia wished and change the subject, lest risk upsetting Octavia even further.
"So… Johnny," Charlie soon spoke up, turning her attention to the greaser. "How long have you known Mick?"
"Oh, I'd say about three years," Johnny answered, casually running his fingers through his pompadour. "Met him when he first applied to work down at the Peppermint Puss… after he accidentally set fire to the bar when he tried making cocktails for the first time. We've been best buds ever since."
Once again, Octavia had to stifle a laugh at the mention of yet another one of the Sinner's stories. Seems that whether Mick was here or not, he always seemed to bring a smile to the Goetia's face.
"I guess that's why you were the first person he could think of when we needed musicians for the banquet," she pointed out. "Sorry if it wasn't your usual scene. I know we upper-class Demons tend to get a little… snobby."
Charlie's face once again fell at that.
"You know, I can't even argue with that," she commented, earning a pat on the shoulder from her girlfriend.
"Bah, it's no issue, I've dealt with audiences WAY worse than that," Johnny chuckled, only for his face to suddenly twitch and he started talking in a different voice. "Oh Yeah? Tell that to Joseph! The poor guy was traumatized for a week!"
As soon as those eerie words left Johnny's mouth, everyone looked back at him with shocked eyes, particularly those sitting next to him, who felt the instant urge to scoot away for their own safety.
"M'lady… I'm scared," Linda squeaked, once again wanting to dive under the table.
"Johnny… what the fuck was that?" Vaggie asked, placing a hand in her hair to get another blade if things went south.
Realizing what had happened, Johnny quickly shook his head and gave his explanation before a misunderstanding could take place.
"Oh man, sorry about that," he apologized. "My clones get a little restless when they don't get their walkies. Up yours, you Elvis Wannabe! Shut up, Joseph!"
However, this explanation only spurred even more questions, the first of which was asked by Octavia.
"So… you have split personalities because you took a drill to the head when you were alive, which in turn, caused your death, am I remembering that right?" the Goetia Princess asked, recalling the details Mick gave her when she first encountered the greaser at her house.
"Mhm," Johnny uttered, nodding his head in confirmation.
…
"I don't get it," Linda spoke up.
"Yeah, how the fuck does that work?" Vaggie added, sharing in everyone else's confusion.
Seeing that a further elaboration was in order, Johnny tried his best to provide one as he scratched the back of his head.
"Well, you see…" Johnny started before pausing, thinking it over in his head, "Huh… How DOES it work?"
"You mean even you don't know?" Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not really, if I'm being honest," Johnny replied with a shrug. "I just always assumed that the way I died had something to do with my powers. I thought having my brain scrambled by a power drill must have messed me up so bad that it fractured my consciousness somehow. But now that you mention it, even that doesn't make sense. I mean I've met plenty of guys who've taken bullets to the head before and they never developed anything like my abilities."
"Yeah, can't say I have either," Jessie pointed out with a shrug. "And I've driven all over the Pride Ring."
"I guess that makes me something special, huh?" Johnny continued with a light chuckle. "'The One And Only One Man Band: Johnny Blues'. Has a nice ring to it, don't it?"
"Hmm, you're not wrong," Linda admitted.
"Well, anyhoo, probably best not to think about it," Johnny stated, picking up a chip from a basket on the table and snacking on it. "In my opinion, a Demon's abilities are his own business."
"Yeah, can't argue with that," Octavia said in agreement. "Hell, Mick has these cool fire abilities based on his emotions. You don't see me pressing him about them."
Hearing that, Johnny rolled his eyes.
"Oh yeah, the magical blue fire, how dazzling," he said with a sarcastic snark, causing another grin to appear on Octavia's face.
"Am I sensing a little jealousy there?" she asked playfully, only to earn herself a scoff from the greaser.
"Pfft! Me? Jealous!?" he stated with a feigned offence. "Ha! Yeah, right. Micky boy may have the dazzle, but I like to think that my clones and I bring a more classy razzle."
These words, of course, only brought more laughter to the table.
"What!?" Vaggie chuckled. "I mean, no offence, but what would you know about class? I'll bet that you're so used to rum and whiskey you don't even know what most wines taste like."
"I'll have you know I have a very sophisticated sense of taste," Johnny retorted with a small scoff. "My bud Mick can tell you so."
"Oh really?" Octavia retorted. "From what he's told me, you've smoked cigarettes since before you could walk and now your palette is so completely dulled, it might as well be rust."
Once again, Johnny feigned being offended.
"I resent that accusation," he said firmly.
"Uh huh, what are you eating right now?" the Goetia Princess asked, pointing to the snack now in Johnny's hand.
"I don't know," Johnny replied with an honest shrug. "Some sort of cookie?"
Hearing this, while everyone else had to stifle their laughter again, Charlie couldn't help but give the greaser a look of concern.
"Uh… Johnny?" she spoke up awkwardly. "You're eating a drink's coaster."
It was only then that Johnny stopped mid-chew and looked down at his so-called "snack". Sure enough, what he held in his hand was a small cardboard coaster with numerous bites taken out of it. His eyes slowly widening with shock and realization, all he could do was swallow what he had in his mouth and look back at the others with embarrassment.
"Hehe, oops," he laughed sheepishly. "I'm, uh… I'll just go get us another round."
"I'll go with you," Linda added, offering her assistance.
With that final word, the pair of them quickly rose from the table and hurried their way over to the bar.
…
"Pffffffthahhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
"Dios, que cabeza de mierda!"
After witnessing the Sinner embarrass himself like that, even amongst the boundless giggles at the table, Octavia found herself feeling somewhat lucky. If there was one thing guaranteed about her friend, it was the fact that he associated himself with the most colourful Demons imaginable.
Meanwhile, back down in Wrath, said Cat Demon was trying his best to stay alive… all the while having the time of his afterlife! Using his cat-like reflexes to get ahead of the pack, he found himself obtaining a decent score in the obstacle race… despite the numerous hazards along the way. After that, a multitude of various events took up his afternoon.
First, there was the hog-tying contest, which consisted of obtaining points depending on how fast you caught your random designated animal, ranging from Hellhogs, to Hellhorses, and even other Imps who were participating in the event. Luckily, Mick managed to snag a smaller Hellhog about half the size as the one on the Rough N' Tumbleweed Ranch. He'd never say he was perfect, but at least he managed to score a few points… which was more than he could say for the poor sap who somehow ended up getting a SHARK for his designated catch. If anything, the poor bastard was being wrangled by the fish!
After that, was the shooting range, where three Imps stood at a large booth at once and proceeded to use small pistols to fire at multiple moving targets within a set amount of time. The number of targets hit will determine the overall score for the event. When it was Mick's turn, he found himself standing between the shorter Imp who had the Shark in the hog-tying event… and a certain Snake-like Imp whom he met at Jo and Lin's ranch.
"Don't choke now, Moxxie," Striker chuckled, giving the shorter Imp cause to snarl in anger. Clearly, there was some tension going on between these two. "Hope your aim's as good as your wrangling, kid."
Realizing that the taller Imp was speaking to him, Mick chose not to be rude and acknowledge the greeting.
"I guess we shall see," he chuckled, looking over the heavy weapon in front of him, "How're things?"
"Oh ya know, just breezin' on through," Striker replied, aiming his pistol in the direction needed.
At the sound of the bell, all the wooden targets suddenly popped out and started swaying from side to side, followed by a timer counting down from one minute, thus beginning the event. The moment they were in sight, both Imps at Mick's sides started firing their respective targets, the pair of them each hitting a perfect bullseye. On the other hand, Mick, who had no experience with guns, found it to be quite the struggle, barely able to even hit most of the targets he was aiming for.
"Ha!" the smaller Imp, Moxxie, cried out, giving Steiker a smug grin. "Beat that!"
Striker, of course, wasn't deterred in the slightest. In fact, one could say he found Moxxie's boldness to be no better than a child carrying his first toy. In regards to that, he decided to one-up the little fella by turning around and shooting the targets from behind without even looking… surprisingly still hitting them every single time. Seeing this, even Mick found himself getting annoyed by the snakish Imp's behaviour.
"Show off," he snapped, now starting to panic after seeing that the time limit was now halfway finished. If he didn't do something soon, he was going to risk getting kicked out of the games before reaching the end.
"Hey, uh… is it illegal to use my own firearm?" he asked a nearby attendant, grinning under his mask after receiving a shake of their head as an idea formed in his head. "Good!"
Then all of a sudden, the Sinner dropped his pistol, pointed out his thumb and forefinger and ignited a small blue flame at the tip of his claw. At that moment, Mick suddenly started shooting small fireballs at the targets from his fingertip as if he were a child playing cops and robbers, each blast hitting everything he aimed at before knocking it down. It wasn't a conventional method compared to everyone else, but at the very least it got him a decent score by the time the clock finally ran out. After seeing such a display of firepower, Striker couldn't help but chuckle.
"Uh huh, NOW who's showing off?" he commented.
"Hey, I got no shame in it," Mick retorted, blowing out the flame on his finger, feeling pretty badass.
After that, the rest of the games continued at a steady pace. From what Mick could tell, Striker was among the favourites to win, along with Granny and one other Imp… Blitzo. While he may have never met this particular Demon face to face, given how Stolas called him out earlier and how he seemed to smile whenever he looked at him from the judge's box, it was all but confirmed that THIS was the Imp that the Prince was having the affair with. So that was Loona's boss/adoptive father huh? Mick had to admit, he was a lot more… outgoing than he expected him to be.
"Come on, I thought these games were meant to be challenging!" he cried out, literally licking his pistol after hitting every target from between his legs.
"Must you always be so vulgar, sir?" Moxxie sighed, pinching the bridge between his eyes.
What followed after that was what Mick could only describe as a bloodbath of cowboy antics. Once the shooting range was done with, the next event was the tug of war, where the contenders grouped up in teams of three and the losing teams of each round were eliminated despite how many points each team member had. Luckily for Mick, Granny and one other contender were more than strong enough for Mick to achieve victory in that one, thus earning him 10 more points and saving him from a dip in the shark-infested water… which was more than he could say for poor Moxxie.
Next up was the bull-riding challenge. Obviously, the name of the game spoke for itself… only the bull everyone was meant to ride wasn't like one from the Living World. With horns made of bronze and a mouth filled with sharp teeth, this giant monster of a beast looked like it would eat you after it speared you. The object of the game: stay on the hull for as long as you can and earn a point for every second that you do.
Needless to say NO ONE was looking forward to this game… well, except maybe for Striker and Moxxie. So far the shooting range was the only event where those two were tied in terms of points, and by the looks of it, Moxxie was determined to change that no matter how much bodily harm he endured… of course, he only lasted about 3 seconds before the bull threw him off… into the open mouth of the shark again. Okay, seriously, what is wrong with this fish!?
By the time it was Mick's turn, everyone in the stands was bursting with excitement, particularly the small group of his friends who endlessly cheered for him.
"Woo!" Ember cried out. "Go, Mick!"
"Ride em' cowboy!" Loona added, finding herself impressed by how long Mick managed to hold his grip. Seeing as how latching the tail on any part of the bull was considered illegal, all the Cat Demon could do was pray that he didn't die all over again.
By the time Mick was eventually thrown off, he had managed to last a good 8 seconds, thus earning the same number of points. Needless to say, his friends were relieved to see that he wasn't hurt too badly after that.
"Woo, glad Micky got out of that one easily enough," Ember commented.
"Dead right," Chimp added. "I swear that bull gets meaner every year."
"So how many games are left?" Loona asked curiously, surprisingly getting into the fun of the events despite previous objections.
"3, maybe 4," Ember replied with an uncertain shrug. "It all depends on how fast the competitors get through them."
With that in mind, Ember's gaze soon fixated on Scorch as soon as she was able to pick him out of the dwindling crowd. Much to her disdain, he and his buddy seemed to be doing well in the games. True, they didn't have nearly enough points to make it to the top ranks but they were still racking enough up to stay among the competitors, and so far they haven't actually tried anything to hurt Mick yet. Just what the hell were they up to?
"Hmm… they're probably biding their time until the last event," Loona commented, seemingly reading the Imp's mind as she caught sight of who she was looking at. "Most likely, they're waiting for him to tire out so they could make their move without trouble."
They didn't know if it was true or not, but Loona's assumption did make the most sense. If there was one thing Scorch could be credited for, it was his underhandedness. More than likely, he and Brutas were botching some of the games on purpose to save their energy for what they had planned. With that in mind, everyone's cheerful looks immediately turned into worry.
"So… what IS the final event?" Champ asked curiously, giving his elder sister cause to look through the programme pamphlet she grabbed before the games began.
"… The Mud Brawl."
Back at the Rustler's Retreat, the path to the bar had finally opened up to Johnny and Linda as they made their way closer to it. If there was always one downside when it came to places that serve alcohol down here in Hell, there was always a fucking long line!
"Finally!" Johnny exclaimed, almost losing his patience after waiting for a good 20 minutes. "Rum n' cola please, Shelly."
"Right you are, my luv," the barmaid replied in a surprisingly strong British accent, not even turning her head as she focused on the spirit bottles behind the bar. "Anything else?"
"Uh, yeah, another two bottles of Beelzejuice, and uh… what's your poison, kid?"
Linda, of course, was surprised when Johnny directed that question at her, mainly because she wasn't used to being spoken to so casually by someone she didn't know that well.
"Oh, sorry, but I'm… I'm 16, so I can't really drink yet," she squeaked in response.
Needless to say, Johnny was completely taken aback by the small Imp's innocence. Aside from the occasional oddball, there weren't a lot of Demons who would say such a thing and mean it. After he quickly got over the initial shock, the Sinner couldn't help but laugh.
"Please, that's plenty old enough to drink," he declared, placing a hand on Linda's shoulder. "Hell, I started when I was 13-"
"THIRTEEN!?" Linda exclaimed, understandably shocked by this revelation.
"Alright! Jeez, it was 9!" Johnny replied with an annoyed huff, fully misunderstanding the Imp's reaction."
"That's even WORSE!"
"4?"
"Johnny!"
Seeing that things were starting to get a little too heated, Johnny let out a sigh and chose to clear the air.
"Alright, alright, you got me," he said. "It was really 9."
…
"There is something seriously wrong with you,"
So far that had to have been the most snarky thing Linda had ever said in her entire life. She couldn't understand how, but the greaser seemed to bring out a side of her that annoyed her to no end. Suddenly a small burst of laughter rang in the two Demons' ears as a pair of drink bottles were placed in front of them, courtesy of the barmaid.
"Ha! People have been telling him that since the 80s, luv," she chuckled. "No chance of the message sinking in now."
Johnny, of course, pouted at such a remark.
"Okay, that's just mean, Shelly," he commented, giving the barmaid cause to laugh again.
"I'm just saying it like it is," she retorted before returning to mixing up Johnny's drink.
Now that she was able to see the barmaid, Shelly's, face, Linda couldn't help but blush a little. At first glance, she appeared to be a tallish Squirrel Demon with pale blue fur that looked almost like soft silver, who also had a flow of navy hair that reached down to the base of her bushy tail and had a single white streak through it. She also wore a single pink pearl earring on her left ear, slim-fitting jeans and a pair of round gold-tinted glasses. Judging from her voice and her appearance, this woman appeared to be a Sinner who was in her late 30s, maybe even her 40s when she died… and turned out pretty attractive as far as Linda was concerned.
"See something you like, sweetie?"
Quickly realizing that she had been staring for too long, Linda instantly flushed with embarrassment.
"Oh! I… I…" she stuttered. "S-sorry!"
Shelly, of course, couldn't help but giggle at how adorable the Imp's reaction was.
"Hey, it's no trouble, luv. We get it all the time," she said, gesturing towards herself and the rest of the waiting staff. "Just make sure you don't touch anyone without consent, okay? My boyfriend's the one who actually owns this place and he doesn't like anyone taking advantage of the girls."
"It's true," Johnny added. "The last guy who tried had his balls cut off and pickled above the bar in his strip club."
Linda immediately paled at that. From her perspective, it sounded as though Shelly was working for and/or dating some possessive, womanizing psychopath. Luckily, the Squirrel Demon managed to pick up on the Imp's concerns and managed to clear the air before she got the wrong idea.
"I know that sounds bad, but you should see how chivalrous Shanky can be when he wants to be," she said, practically swooning as the image of her man came to mind. "The way he stands up for his employees and acts like a gentleman… it's almost enough to make a woman melt."
"Oh jeez, here we go," Johnny commented with a roll of his eyes. "You two have only been dating a month, and you practically think he's your fiancé."
Shelly merely scoffed at that.
"You're just jealous that I'm in a relationship and you're not," she retorted, hitting Johnny directly below the belt.
"Hey, I will be… as soon as I get the reply back from Desiree," Johnny tried to argue back, only to immediately fall flat on his choice of words.
Once again, Shelly had to stifle a laugh.
"Keep telling yourself that, John," she said. "Honestly, sometimes you remind me of my son… he was hopeless when it came to girls too."
Johnny, of course, chose not to dignify that comment with an answer, instead choosing to only stand there and pout. Having taken in the entire exchange, however, Linda had to speak up on a particular detail Shelly slipped out.
"Shanky?" she repeated. "Wait… are you saying Shank Calico owns this place?"
Having heard about the Strip Club owner from Octavia, it was no surprise that the name rang a few bells in Linda's mind. After all, the story about her reunion with Mick was one of the Goetia's favourite recollections. Though it was still surprising that he had multiple businesses… Then again, that would explain how Johnny was able to play here. Shelly, on the other hand, was taken aback by the Imp's question.
"You know Shank?" she asked, only for Linda to shake her head.
"Not personally," she answered. "I only heard about him through my friends, Mick and Octi, they do say some good things."
Her friends… As hard as it is to believe still, Linda couldn't help but smile every time she could openly say such a thing about those two.
"Oh yeah?" Johnny spoke up with a smug grin. "What do they say about me?"
"That you're a massive dork who uses too much hair gel,"
Johnny didn't know which was worse, the quip, the lack of hesitation when Linda said it, or the fact that Shelly had to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Either way the greaser's normally grey face turned a deep shade of red at that moment.
"Sounds right on the money to me," Shelly commented, finding it difficult to hide her snicker.
"Okay, were you always this much of a bitch, or was it only after you died?" Johnny retorted, his patience wearing thin.
"Hey if you don't have nuts to kick, you have to be the one doing the kicking,"
…
"Squirrel puns?" Linda said, her deadpan expression matched only by the Sinner standing next to her. "Really?"
Now it was Shelly's turn to start blushing.
"Not a good one?" she asked, only to receive a pair of groans for her trouble.
"Jeez, you really are a parent, aren't ya?" Johnny commented, believing there was only one type of person who would make jokes as lame as that.
After the last of the drinks were laid out in front of them Johnny and Linda turned around to see Octavia and the others seemingly invested in conversation at the table. Unable to hear what they were saying exactly, Johnny's curiosity was sparked.
"What do you think they're talking about?" he asked Linda, only for Shelly to butt in on the conversation.
"Nothing that is of your business, I'm sure," she said with a little bit of snark. "Now are you actually gonna pay this time? Or do I have to shave your head as collateral?"
"Look, all I'm saying is that the hair does make him look like Elvis doesn't it?"
"I'm not saying otherwise Charlie, but do you honestly think that the King of Rock would end up in Heaven while his secret twin brother ended up down here?"
"Yeah, even I don't believe in the whole 'evil twin' thing,"
Octavia may not have been that into this subject of conversation, but she had to admit, watching Charlie and her girlfriend have this little debate was a little entertaining.
"Look, let's just agree to disagree, alright?" Charlie declared, bringing an end to the subject before it escalated.
"Alright, fair enough," Vaggie agreed, taking a sip from her remaining drink. "Still, can't believe the guy works as both a musician AND a bouncer. Talk about range in talents"
"You think that's 'cause of the four extra people in his head?" Jessie asked with a light snicker as she took a drag of her cigarette.
"I wouldn't go that far," Octavia chuckled. "You'd be surprised at what many demons are capable of. Hell, you should have seen Mick when he first started working for my family."
At those words, both Vaggie and Charlie shared another look, this time one that seemed to be filled with smug intrigue.
"The guy's a fucking machine!"
"GAH!"
Once again, the still-intoxicated Buzz became a source of sudden terror for the group when he suddenly jumped up onto the table, seemingly out of nowhere.
"How the fuck did you get free!?" Jessie snapped, resisting the urge to burn the diminutive Imp with her cigarette.
Buzz, of course, was still too sloshed to allow the Hellhound's anger to phase him.
"I ate the snake that you wrapped around- BURP!"
Belching up a few strands of rope onto the table, disgusting everyone at once, it didn't take a genius to figure out what "snake" the Imp was talking about.
"Doesn't really switch off, does he?" Vaggie asked with a deadpan look.
"Sadly, no," Octavia replied with a sigh before mumbling to herself. "Should have left him in the fucking trunk."
And as the Goetia expected, Buzz continued to drunkenly ramble on and on about whatever shit he liked… though on the plus side the subject of his rambles was still something Octavia had an interest in.
"L-let me tell ya 'bout my best friend, 'kay?" Buzz began, his words slightly slurred but nonetheless still understandable. "He is the fucking best! H-he cooks, he cleans, he has the best fucking stem of weed ever…"
"Yeah, can't argue with that one," Octavia interjected, having sampled some of the stuff herself.
"… and he knows how to party!" Buzz continued. "You should have seen the shindig he threw for the staff while you boring-ass rich fucks snorted each other's dandruff all night."
At those words, even Charlie scowled upon hearing such an insult. However, since this Imp was still clearly out of his mind, she chose to let the comment slide for now… no matter how rude it was.
"So… what exactly is he talking about, Via?" she asked, looking to the Goetia for clarification.
"Oh... yeah, Mick and our party organizer arranged for a smaller bash in the staff's quarters while all the Nobles were in the ballroom during the banquet," Octavia explained, suddenly feeling a little awkward when she realized she had to explain how she knew this. "I... may have stopped by."
This, of course, earned herself a pair of smirks from Charlie and Vaggie.
"So, THAT'S where you snuck off to, huh?" Vaggie commented, vaguely remembering the specific events of that night. "I knew that whole swooning thing was bullshit."
"Oh, she was swooning alright," Buzz cackled. "Just not in the way you were thinking."
With a blush returning to her face, Octavia immediately tried to find an excuse to change the subject again.
"Uh… hey, look, is that a mechanical bull?" she said, pointing in a random direction.
"Ooh, where!?" Buzz exclaimed, falling for the Goetia's ruse as he jumped off the table and ran off again. "Dibs on the first ride!"
Seeing the Imp run through the room again, Jessie let out an exasperated sigh.
"I'll go make sure he doesn't destroy anything," she said, her voice filled with irritation as she rose from the table and followed Buzz to wherever he ran off to.
With the three now alone at the table, Charlie and Vaggie gave each other a knowing nod and turned their attention to Octavia, who in turn responded with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" she asked, understandably confused and uncomfortable with the looks she was receiving.
At that moment, Charlie asked the Goetia Princess the question that would forever change everything.
"You LIKE him, don't you?
"Who?" Octavia asked, not liking where this was going.
"You KNOW who," Vaggie retorted. "Burning eyes, long tail, wears a shiny mask like a mysterious rogue."
The moment the description of her friend was absorbed into her brain, Octavia's face instantly turned a bright shade of red.
"What?! No!" she immediately denied, trying to brush off the assumption. "I told you we're just friends, that's all!"
"Uh-huh sure, and I'm as straight as a level," Vaggie sarcastically retorted, clearly not buying the excuse.
"He has been the subject of conversation for quite a while," Charlie pointed out.
"And YOU always seemed to be the one who mostly brings it up," Vaggie added, adding further colour to Octavia's face.
"Girls, I'm serious," the Owl Demon insisted, completely refusing to back down. "Nothing is going on between Mick and me."
…
"Not buying it,"
"Complete denial!"
Seeing that Charlie and her girlfriend were being completely stubborn with their suspicions, a frown soon appeared on Octavia's face. She didn't know why, but the longer they talked about it, the more embarrassed she felt.
"Seriously, girls, drop it," she said firmly, giving the two a final warning.
"It almost sounds like a fairytale, doesn't it?" Charlie asked, completely ignoring the Goetia's warning and getting all swoony as her imagination ran wild. "Like the story of the fair Princess and her Knight in shining armour."
"Or in Mick's case, facial armour," Vaggie added with a snicker.
With her eye twitching with irritation, Octavia almost drove her talons into the wood of the table. If anyone said one more word about her and Mick she was going to explode like a stick of dynamite… and then came the dumb kid with matches.
"Hey," Buzz spoke up, once again popping his head up over the table from out of nowhere. "Can I be the best man at your wedding?"
"OH, WHAT DO YOU ALL KNOW!?"
Those were the last words Octavia shouted out before she jumped out of her chair and stormed off, leaving everyone at the table feeling completely dumbfounded.
"Was it something we said?" Buzz spoke up, his drunkenness leaving him completely open to the bottle in Vaggie's hand now hovering over his head.
SMASH!
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thank you all for following this story and for all your comments. However, due to time restraints, compulsory overtime of my day job, and the desire for some R&R. The next chapter of Owlette and the Cat will be postponed until January 20th. After that, my cowriters and I shall resume our normal schedule. Until then, here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.