If there was one word to describe the circumstances going on in the Triton Resort at this moment… it would be ANARCHY! The moment Duke Valefar and his family checked into the hotel, practically everything descended into chaos. True as the rumours would say, the girls carrying the genes of the husky Goetia were about as destructive as a cyclone in a tropical storm.
In less than 10 minutes, they had already trashed the lobby and were now splitting up and moving through the rest of the hotel like a viral infection. Meanwhile, unlike most of the hotel staff, their father and all four of their mothers didn't seem phased at all by the girls' antics, in fact, the way they acted, it was as though the girls and their destructive tendencies didn't exist at all.
While the parents made their way over to whatever room they were given, the girls were free to roam the building as they saw fit, leaving the poor members of staff to handle damage control, ranging from putting out fires or stopping the other guests from panicking. After tossing the last of their bags inside, Bella the Bellhop eventually seized a moment to sneak away from the madness and make a quick dash to one of the untouched corridors on the second floor. After briefly looking over her shoulder to make sure Valefar's daughters weren't around, she quickly started hammering against the bedroom door she was looking for.
"Prince Gaap!" she screamed. "PRINCE GAAP!"
"Go away!" the Goetia Prince's voice called out from the other side of the door. "I told you I didn't want to be disturbed!"
SNAP!
"Oh yeah, harder Daddy!" a second voice called out, causing Bella to roll her eyes in exasperation.
Being a Succubus, Bella could always appreciate someone wanting their 'secret alone time', especially when that someone was a great lover of the ladies. However, this was an emergency and sometimes there were more important things than sex.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir," she called out. "But we have a situation going on and-"
"Look, whatever it is, I'll deal with it in the morning!" Gaap interrupted, clearly not in the mood for such things.
"But sir-"
"In the MORNING!"
However, Bella wasn't going to let things go given the situation.
"Sir, seriously, this is an emergency!" she insisted. "Duke Valefar just checked in with his family and-"
"VALEFAR!?"
Suddenly, the sound of movement came from the other side of the door before Prince Gaap pulled it open, stepping out with messy hair and wearing a red bathrobe before slamming the door shut behind him.
"VALEFAR'S family is in my hotel!?" he exclaimed frantically, finally understanding the severity of the situation. "Have they killed anyone yet!?"
"N-no sir," Bella replied. "But they already destroyed the lobby and I think they're drunk or something because I think I heard one of them saying they could smell colours."
"Oh, shit…" Gaap uttered, his eyes shrinking with further horror.
"And I think they must have shared some with the guests because some of them are actually joining in," Bella continued, her whole body shaking with fright. "It's like they all think there's some kind of rave out there."
Hearing that, Gaap had to lean up against the wall to keep himself from collapsing to the floor.
"H-how?" he uttered. "I specifically put that family on the ban list for a REASON! How have they managed to check in!?"
"I don't know," Bella admitted "But the booking was already logged into our computers. So we couldn't turn them away."
"WHAT!?"
That was when Gaap's fear turned to anger, causing him to grab the Succubus by her suspenders and push her up against the wall.
"PLEASE tell me you're joking!" he demanded, only for Bella to shake her head.
"I-I'm sorry, sir!" she whimpered, trembling under the Goetia's gaze. "B-but I'm sure we can handle this somehow, right?"
"Handle this!?" Gaap answered with a scoff as he let her go and rubbed his temples. "Do you have ANY idea of what just walked into the building!? Duke Valefar is one of the richest demons in all of Hell with a libido the size of Mount Olympus. He's also married to four of the horniest Succubi in their respective businesses… and right now their psychotic offspring are probably already all over my hotel, tearing up the floorboards! Oh fuck… it won't be long before the smaller ones are in the air ducts!"
Hearing all of that, Bella once again began to tremble. Despite being a Succubus herself, there was a limit to how much of a wild party she could handle, and it was pretty clear that THESE girls were a whole new level of wild!
"W-What are we gonna do, sir?" she asked.
"The only thing we CAN do, Missy," Gaap stated, straightening himself out before giving the Succubus a serious glance. "Gather up all of the remaining staff and tell them to meet me in the first-floor ballroom ASAP."
"S-so you have a plan to get rid of Valefar and his family, sir?" Bella asked, her voice so full of hope.
However, Gaap merely laughed at the mere suggestion of such a thing,
"HA! Are you fucking kidding me!?" he scoffed, much to Bella's disappointment and disbelief. "No, the ballroom's gonna be our bunker, I'm not going anywhere NEAR those lunatics!"
"B-but they're going to destroy the hotel!" Bella pointed out, only for Gaap to immediately dismiss her concerns.
"Then let's hope the damage is minimal," he retorted. "No. I'm afraid Valefar's daughters are like a terrible force of nature, the only thing we can do is hunker down and wait for the storm to pass."
As much as she didn't want to agree with her employer, Bella's survival instincts were telling her that there truly was no other option. Of course, that wasn't to say that she liked this course of action in the slightest.
"I… I understand, sir," she said reluctantly, giving the Goetia a small bow of her head despite the furious glare he suddenly had.
"I swear if I ever find whoever booked that lot into my hotel… they're DEAD!" he snapped, punching his fist into the wall and leaving a small hole.
Seeing that no other words can quell the Royal Demon's anger or change his mind, Bella then turned to leave. However, just before she disappeared around the corner, she had to turn her head back to ask one final question.
"What about the guests?" she said, her voice riddled with concern.
However, the answer she got was about as cold-hearted as they come.
"My condolences to their families."
Despite feeling sickened by Gaap's lack of empathy, Bella nodded her head regardless and left to inform the staff of the plan, leaving the Goetia Demon alone in the hall until the Manager suddenly poked her head out of the room Gaap was just in, her upper half completely bare aside from the leather ball gag she was wearing around her neck.
"What the fuck was that about?" she asked with a confused huff, feeling just as annoyed about being interrupted as Gaap was.
"That, my dear… is the beginning of the end," Gaap replied dramatically, his voice etched with despair until he turned back to his lover. "We still have that insurance policy right?
Meanwhile, back on the roof, the chaos filling up the rest of the building seemed not to have grabbed the attention of the diners enjoying their evening. Whether it was because they weren't within range of the devastation just yet or because no one could hear anything due to enjoying the sound of Mick's music remained uncertain. Regardless, there was no denying how deserving of applause Mick was when he finished his number on the piano.
"Thank you," he called out, giving an appreciative bow to all including the rest of the band. "Thank you very much. You've been an amazing audience!"
However, no one applauded harder than the women sitting at Mick's table. While Cray was content with simply giving the Sinner the smallest clap he could muster, his own ego refusing to acknowledge Mick's talents merely due to his station, Linda, Googoo and Octavia were practically screaming in delight, their voices almost drowning out everyone else currently on the roof.
"WOOOOOO!" Linda yelled, her normally little voice suddenly shrieking with excitement. "YAY, MICK!
However, it was at that moment, the little Imp tensed when she suddenly remembered where she was sitting. Blinded by her own joy, she hadn't realized that she had been screaming in Bruce's ear ever since Mick finished his song.
"S-sorry," she whimpered, fearing that she had inadvertently made the giant Hellhound angry.
Much to her surprise, however, even Bruce appeared to be enjoying himself as evidenced by the way he clapped his giant hands regardless of Linda's yelling. In fact, she'd dare say that the big guy even cracked a smile again. Googoo, on the other hand, felt no such restraint.
"Encore!" she cried. "Encore!"
Of course, Cray wasn't as enthusiastic about such an idea.
"Must we?" he asked with a heavy sigh, only to yelp in fear when Googoo got right into his face with her eyes glowing a fierce red
"YES!'' The Mouse Demon growled, her voice turning low and truly demonic for a brief moment.
Surprisingly enough, for once even Octavia couldn't help but agree with Googoo on the matter. Despite everything going on tonight, hearing Mick sing was somehow making it all worthwhile. And she'll be damned if she let the chance to hear more slip through her fingers.
"I honestly would love an encore," she pointed out, much to Cray's annoyance; just the cherry on top of the cake.
"Yeah!" a random Sinner from the next table over cried out. "Encore! Encore!"
Within moments, the entire rooftop was chanting the same thing over and over. There was no doubt about it, the people wanted MORE!
"What do you think, kid?" the guitar player asked, turning to Mick with a much more pleasant mood than before. "One more song?"
As content as he was to leave things as they were, Mick couldn't ignore the pleas of the crowd, especially when the Demon who had his heart was among them.
"You know what? Fuck it!" Mick declared with a smirk. "I know just the one…"
Just like before, the rest of the band was at Mick's mercy when he began to hit the keys of the piano. Once again, he led them into a melody that captivated the audience in an instant.
Mick:
It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside,
I'm not one of those who can easily hide,
I don't have much money, but boy if I did,
I'd buy a big house where we both could live,
Much like the last song, everyone was instantly enchanted by Mick's voice, however this time the crowd didn't roar or sing along, for this soft sonata needed silence to be fully appreciated. And appreciate it they did.
Mick:
If I was a sculptor, heh, but then again, no,
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show,
I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do,
My gift is my song and this one's for you,
And you can tell everybody this is your song,
It may be quite simple but now that it's done,
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,
That I put down in words,
How wonderful life is while you're in the world,
Many Demons couldn't understand why, but the more they listened to the song, the more they began to feel choked up by the emotions it brought. For the Sinners, in particular, it was like reliving a time they thought to be long forgotten. For the briefest of moments… they felt alive again.
In Linda's case, she too was entranced by the beauty of such a song, so much so that she was even brought to tears. At first, she was content with simply using her sleeve to dry her eyes, however, that was when Bruce once again gave her a shock by offering her a tiny hanky from his pocket without so much as turning his head, the small piece of fabric just small enough to fit on the tip of his finger.
"Th-thank you," Linda replied nervously yet gratefully before she accepted the hanky and used it to wipe away her tears.
The moment she was done, however, she was yet AGAIN surprised when she finally looked up to Bruce's face, where she noticed trickles of tears running down his muzzle. She just couldn't believe it, the giant beast, this MONSTER… was actually crying? Despite everything, perhaps… perhaps he wasn't so bad as he first appeared? If Linda didn't know any better, she would assume that… that the big Hellhound was actually a big softy.
Mick:
So excuse me forgettin', but these things I do,
You see, I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue,
Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean,
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen,
And you can tell everybody this is your song,
It may be quite simple but now that it's done,
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,
That I put down in words,
How wonderful life is while you're in the world,
Meanwhile, when the final words of the song came about, it was Octavia who it hit the hardest. Being so lost in Mick's wonderful voice, she was blissfully unaware of the moment she placed her hands over her heart, a deep blush washing over her face as she continued to listen. As silly as the idea may have sounded in her head, yet still wonderful to think about… it was as if Mick was singing this song just for her.
Mick:
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,
That I put down in words,
How wonderful life is while you're in the wooooooooooooooooorld!
Once more, the entire rooftop ROARED with applause. With many Demons moved to tears, the cheering seemed even louder this time, and Mick couldn't help but feel a strong sense of pride because of it.
"Bravo!" Googoo screamed, "BRAVO!"
Against her better judgment, even Octavia was joining in with Googoo's screams, if only to try and outdo her in terms of cheering Mick on. Back up on Bruce's shoulder, Linda was revelling in her excitement. However, for some reason, she also took the time to try wiping some of the massive hellhounds tears away. Whether it was for thanks for the hanky or because she was just a nice person in general, Bruce seemed to appreciate it regardless.
Before long, Mick left the island, pushed past the adoring crowd and made his way back to the table, much to Octavia and Linda's relief. When he returned, he was met with many a smiling face from practically everyone.
"Okay, I'll admit it," Cray uttered with a light smirk. "That wasn't bad at all."
Before Mick could give a response, he suddenly remembered why he went up in the first place when his "date" suddenly latched onto his arm and pulled him back to his seat, much to Octavia's chagrin.
"Oh, Micky-poo!" the Mouse Demon squeed. "That was BEAUTIFUL!"
"You flatter me," Mick replied, his enthusiasm dying almost instantly as soon as Googoo opened her mouth.
Thankfully, Octavia was there to cheer him up,
"It really was fantastic, Mick," she said, choosing to focus her smile on the Cat Demon rather than picturing gutting the slut clinging to his arm. "You know, you should play a lot more often."
It wasn't much, but the Goetia Princess's words were more than enough to bring back a hidden smile to Mick's face.
"Thank you, M'lady," he said gratefully. "I'll be sure to keep it in mind."
Though they may not have realized it at the time, as soon as the pair of them looked straight into each other's eyes, Mick and Octavia both felt a surge in their chests. For a brief moment, neither of them could tear their eyes away from the Demon who had stolen their heart… And then Googoo just had to ruin the moment.
"Honestly, Micky-poo, you have no idea how much you've made my night so far," the Mouse Demon said. "I'll have to make sure my daddy orders a new piano for when you move in."
…
"Wait, WHAT!?"
"Huh!?"
Needless to say, both Mick and Octavia were both shocked and confused by Googoo's sudden declaration. Even Linda almost slipped off Bruce's shoulder in surprise when the words reached her ears. Thankfully the giant Hellhound managed to raise his hand to catch her before lifting her back up. Moments later, however, the shock quickly turned to scowls of anger when Googoo began to elaborate.
"Oh, don't play coy, baby," she giggled, giving Mick an invasive scratch behind the ear, which he quickly swatted away. "You're going to be moving in with me after the weekend's over. I DID pay 50,000 for you, after all."
"For the NIGHT!" Mick snapped, desperately needing to point out the most important detail Googoo CLEARLY chose to ignore.
"Yeah, Googoo, that whole thing was for a date night!" Octavia added. "Not for fucking keeps!"
Googoo, however, didn't seem interested in something as trivial as flat facts.
"Well, duh!" she blurted out, looking at the pair of them as if they shared a single brain cell. "But we all know that once the night is over, I'm free to do whatever I want with him. And what I WANT is to take him home."
Just like that, Googoo had finally revealed her true intentions, not that it was any surprise, of course. After all, the bitch had practically been clear on what she wanted ever since she first MET Mick. Furthermore, she was blatantly disregarding any other opinion other than her own. Apparently, this is what happens when one spends too many years expecting to have their own way without anyone ever saying no.
"The lady does have a point, Googoo," Cray spoke up, adding his two cents on the matter. "I mean if the auction WAS for life, I was practically bought for-"
"SHUT UP, CRAY!"
"YIPE!"
The instant everyone else screamed in his face, the Leopard Demon immediately dove under the table in fright. Clearly, no one was in the mood for his ego trip at present.
"Let's get one thing straight here, Googoo," Octavia snarled, slamming her hand on the table and glaring at the winged Mouse Demon with a fierce purple glow in her eyes. "Mick is MY bodyguard! He is MY father's employee! And he will be coming back home with ME! Are we clear on that? You. Can't. Have him!"
Hearing the Owl Demon furiously defend him like that, Mick had to fan himself over how much he was heating up over it. Of all the sides to Octavia he had seen so far, there was just something about how ferocious she could be that really got his heart pumping. Googoo, on the other hand, could only give Octavia the most hate-filled glare she could muster. At first, everyone thought she was going to reach for her bell again and unleash Bruce's might all over the roof… however, much to everyone's surprise, she instead took a brief breath and gave the Goetia Princess a small grin.
"You know what? I get it," she said, giving Octavia cause to raise an eyebrow. "You want to keep what's yours. I can respect that."
"You… can?" Octavia asked, suddenly feeling a little uneasy.
"Mhm," Googoo replied with a nod. "So instead of fighting about it, I propose that we have a little game instead."
Needless to say, this statement raised a lot of eyebrows once heard.
"A game?" Octavia repeated. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Just a little friendly wager is all," Googoo elaborated, her sickeningly sweet smile immediately making everyone nervous. "A small Demon Duel where one servant is in the pot from each of us. Winner takes all."
A Demon Duel!? Wow, this bitch really WAS desperate! Granted, such a thing between Sinners and Lower Class Hellborns is pretty common, but when it came to one between the Hellish Nobility… that's when shit gets serious… and magically binding! Then, just as Octavia was starting to believe that things couldn't possibly get any worse than this… Lady Luck once again decided to spit in her eye.
"Ooh, can I play too?"
Suddenly everyone turned to see the one Demon that nobody at the table wanted to see. A Demon whose very presence caused Linda to squeak and try to hide under the top of Bruce's lapel. Walking over to the table with a smirk on his face, Seth licked his beak with anticipation as he eyed Octavia in particular, an action which immediately caused Mick to gouge his claws into the table.
"Ugh... like, who let the trash up here?" Googoo uttered in disgust, a question that everyone else appeared to share.
"Good to see you too, Googoo," Seth retorted, his face going deadpan for a brief moment. "And for the record, I AM still a member of Hellish Nobility despite my… current circumstances."
"What the fuck do you want?" Octavia growled, feeling just as disgusted, if not more so than everyone else.
At those words, for some reason, Seth's grin grew even wider.
"Well, I just so happened to be coming up here for dinner and I overheard you saying that you were about to issue a Demon Duel?" he said. "Quite simply, my dear, I thought it would be nice to join in on the fun."
As soon as he said that, the entire table groaned in annoyance and aggravation.
"Uh... no, you ain't invited," Googoo scoffed. "Besides, you ain't got anything to add to the pot."
"Oh, don't I?" the Duck Demon retorted, licking his cracked beak as he pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and placed it on the table. "5,000 souls say otherwise."
The moment they saw the money, everyone couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you can afford to throw that much cash away, Seth?" Octavia pointed out.
"Yeah, from what I hear, your income is a little lacking these days," Mick added. "What? This is the last of your allowance?"
Seth, of course, snarled at such a remark.
"You watch your tone, peasant!" he snapped. "I don't care how famous you THINK you are, as far as I'm concerned, you shouldn't be breathing the same air as us, much less sitting at the same table."
Furiously resisting the urge to launch himself across the table and break Seth's neck right there and then, Mick could only sit in silence as Octavia once again came to his defence.
"HE has more right to be here than you ever will, Seth," she growled. "Do you really think I'd forget what you did to me so easily?"
"Oh, pish posh, there's no need to dwell on the past, my dear," Seth retorted, showing no remorse on the matter whatsoever. "Now, are we playing or not?"
"I paid 50,000 for Micky-poo, little duckling," Googoo pointed out. "I don't think chump change like what you're offering is going to get very far."
Once again, Seth let out a snarl… before it suddenly shifted into a smirk.
"Very well… then why don't we throw another servant into the pot?" he said before pointing his hook directly towards the Imp on Bruce's shoulder. "Her!"
The instant the Duck Demon called her out, Linda instantly screamed and ducked behind Bruce's head in fright, her eyes filled with tears as she felt her heartbeat rapidly increase. Of course, neither Mick nor Octavia was going to let such a declaration slide.
"You have NO right to suggest such a thing, Seth!" Octavia snapped, slamming her fist against the table. "Linda is MY attendant, NOT your personal toy!"
Seth, of course, merely scoffed at that.
"Daddy had no business giving my Imp to your family, Octavia," he argued, much to Mick and Octavia's further disgust. "Personally, I think that it's only fair that I have the chance to take her back to where she rightfully belongs."
Feeling those words echo in her ears, Linda immediately began to feel the first signs of a panic attack. As she gripped tightly to Bruce's jacket, flashes of horrible memories of Seth's cruelty began to fill the poor Imp's mind around the same time she began to hyperventilate. It was only when the giant Hellhound himself rubbed a finger across her back that she soon began to calm down just enough to hear what happened next.
"If you think she's going anywhere with you, then you're about to lose that OTHER hand, asshole!" Mick snarled, standing up and cracking his knuckles.
"This doesn't concern you, plebeian!" Seth scoffed, choosing to see Mick's threat as empty words as he turned to the Mouse Demon at the table. "What do you say, Googoo? Throw in YOUR servant and we'd have a pretty decent pot, wouldn't you agree?"
It may be coming from a vile sack of bile, but Googoo had to admit, the idea of taking BOTH of Octavia's attendants did pique her interest. Plus, if and when she won, Mick would have less reason to complain over the results.
"You know what?" she finally said. "That actually sounds pretty enticing… done."
"WHAT!?"
Neither of them could tell which was worse, Seth offering up what wasn't his, or the fact that Googoo so easily agreed to go with it. Either way, Octavia wasn't going to stand for it.
"Now hold on just one second!" she snapped. "I said she was MY servant! Neither of you has any say in what happens to her, got it!?"
Googoo, however, merely smirked in response.
"Oh, what's the matter?" she retorted. "Too much of a coward like your old man?"
At those words, it felt as if a thread had snapped in Octavia's head. Her left eye twitching in anger, it was pretty clear that Googoo had managed to hit a nerve with that last remark. And given past experiences, both Mick and Linda knew that such a state of anger can lead to some seriously rash decisions.
"M'lady…?" Mick tried to say, only to be immediately silenced by the Goetia Princess snapping her head around and giving Googoo the harshest death glare imaginable.
"You know what… fine," she said. "It's a deal."
"What!?" Mick yelped, his eyes practically bulging out of his mask. "B-but Princess-"
"It's fine, Mick," Octavia stated firmly. "I've got this."
Seth and Googoo, however, could only smirk in delight. The former upon seeing his former servant squeal in fear, while the latter due to feeling ecstatic that she had baited Octavia so easily.
"Then it's decided," she said, giddily clapping her hands together. "Seth's money, Micky-poo, that… Imp, and my Brucey. Whoever wins gets to keep them all!"
Of course, while those who were playing glared at each other with a mixture of determination and spite, those who were actually in the pot were practically shaking in their shoes. If Googoo wins, Mick will probably end up being the Mouse Demon's personal fuck toy while Linda gets to be her second, but if SETH wins… it would be a fate FAR worse than death for either of them. In fact, such a thought was enough for Linda to start crying silent tears. Best case scenario, Octavia wins and they can all walk away scott-free… along with a new giant Hellhound whose presence was going to take a LONG time to explain to Stolas when everyone made it home. As for the group's sole spectator, he couldn't help but smile with his excitement.
"How delightful!" the Leopard Demon declared. "A Demon Duel before my very eyes."
"SHUT UP, CRAY!"
Once again, everyone's mutual annoyance and lack of interest in the Leopard Demon's opinion was abundantly clear. Seeing that there was no more for him to say on the matter, all Cray could do was sit back in his chair and pout.
"Alright, so we've agreed on the terms," Octavia stated with a sigh. "But since you issued the challenge, it's only fair that I'M the one who decides the game. That's how things are supposed to go, right?"
"I… suppose," Googoo replied, unable to come up with any valid argument against the idea.
"Good," Octavia said with a nod. "In that case, how does Poker sound?"
Hearing that, everyone, including her two attendants raised confused eyebrows.
"Come again?" Seth uttered, feeling just as baffled as the others by Octavia's choice of game.
"Poker," the Goetia Princess repeated. "5 hands, standard game. The winner gets to keep everything and everyone in the pot. Sound good?"
At first, everyone was understandably hesitant to agree. However, Googoo and Seth weren't about to let Octavia try to scare them out of what they insisted was theirs. As for Mick and Linda, no matter how much they didn't like the circumstances, all they could do was sit back and trust in Octavia's judgment. She hasn't let either of them down yet, so there was no reason to believe she would do so now. If she was the one choosing the game, then surely she must have a plan in mind… right?
"So be it," Googoo eventually relented with an annoyed sigh before extending her hand. "Shall we all make it official then?"
It was pretty obvious what Googoo was referring to when she said that. While the gesture may have appeared to be nothing more than a request for a simple handshake to the layman, Octavia knew that it was far more than that. Resisting the urge to vomit when Seth placed his own hand on top of Googoo's, something which the Mouse Demon herself found disgusting, she had no choice but to follow suit. The instant all three hands touched, each one was engulfed in an eerie red light.
Sssssssssssssssssssss!
Feeling the burning sensation on her palm, Octavia quickly withdrew her hand. Looking down at it, she then looked straight at the reality of the situation. Though it may have been only temporary, the glowing pentagram shimmering in the hands of the three Demon Elites was a clear indicator that the Demon Duel was now official between them all. Seeing the shimmering star in Octavia's hand, Mick couldn't help but bite his lip in anxiety. In a way, the mark almost reminded him of whenever he signed his name upon a Cursed Papyrus. In writing or not, this deal was magically BINDING.
"The deal is made and the wager is set," Seth declared with a smirk. "Shall we begin then?"
"I'll admit it's not my usual game, but I don't think it'll be an issue," Googoo stated, stretching herself out as she mentally prepared herself, "Bruce! Cards and chips!"
At those words, Bruce proceeded to reach into his jacket pocket pulling out a small metal case. Placing it on the table, he opened it up and then took out a red deck of cards and a small stack of poker chips before dividing them up and sliding over each player an equal amount.
"Cray, YOU deal the cards," Octavia spoke up, giving the Leopard Demon a small glare. "And don't even THINK about force shuffling, I want this to be a fair game."
As insulting as he found Octavia's attitude towards him, Cray was simply grateful that he was at least involved in the game. So, of course, he was glad to nod his head in understanding as Octavia slid the cards over to him.
"It will be my pleasure, my dear," he said smugly, as he sheathed his claws and began to shuffle.
While Cray was doing that, Octavia gave her two attendants an apologetic glance, who in turn gave each other a concerned nod before looking back at her in fear. Obviously, she never meant for things to escalate this much, but it was too late to take the deal back now. Undoubtedly, Mick and especially Linda would be upset with her given how she's literally gambling their lives away like they were objects, something that she had promised she would never do. When this game is over and it ends in her victory, she will need to find a BIG gesture to make it up to them… hopefully, someday they'll forgive her.
"Alright!" Seth chuckled, pulling his pile of chips close before shoving Cray off his seat and claiming it for himself. "Let's do this."
"Hey, what the fuck, man!?" Cray snapped, once again feeling insulted as he picked himself off the floor.
"Oh, shove it and deal the cards will you!?" Seth snapped back, feeling no remorse whatsoever for his actions. "I've got too much on my plate right now to deal with your idiot ramblings."
As much as he wanted to claw out Seth's throat right there and then, all it took was a shake of Octavia's head to calm him down enough to think clearly. No. Death would be too quick for him. Better to watch the fucker squirm a bit first. Soon enough, Cray dealt the cards, officially beginning the game.
"You have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy winning this," Seth commented, much to everyone's annoyance.
"Keep telling yourself that, asshole," Mick muttered, choosing not to give Seth the satisfaction of knowing how much he got under his skin.
"You know, it's pretty pathetic, Seth," Octavia openly commented as she looked at her cards. "You would think you didn't have anything better to do than making everyone around you miserable."
Seth, of course, scoffed at that.
"As I may have mentioned before, a Demon of my stature has the right to say whatever he likes about those beneath him," he retorted before giving the owl Demon a hard glare. "Besides, watching the peasants squeal is the one pleasure I have left these days."
Unable to resist the urge to rub salt into the wound, Googoo chose that moment to speak up.
"Aw… What's the matter, Seth?" she asked mockingly. "Are things not good at home?"
"Oh, I don't know," he said sarcastically, his eye twitching in anger as he brandished his hook in Octavia's face. "What do YOU think, Octavia!?"
But regardless of Seth's animosity towards her, Octavia couldn't help but smirk.
"It seems to be an improvement in my opinion," she said, casually pushing the hook away with a single condescending finger. "It brings the attention away from your smug face."
At those words, even Googoo couldn't help but giggle, much to Seth's chagrin.
"Do you have ANY idea how much you and that Cat ruined my life!?" he snarled. "The humiliation? The mockery? The LITERAL pain in my ass every time I forget I have this thing during bathroom breaks!?"
"Okay, EW!" Googoo gagged. "Didn't need to know that!"
Mick and Linda, however, couldn't help but snicker at that. Despite the current circumstances, picturing Seth in pain almost felt… cathartic.
"But do you know the worst part?" Seth continued. "The fact that my own father said that it was the least I deserved! ME!? And worse still, the bastard actually cut me off from my birthright until I 'learned some humility' or whatever bullshit like that."
"Smart man," Mick commented under his breath.
"Ugh, is THAT why you look like something that had crawled out of the septic tank?" Googoo asked with disgust.
"It was only by Mummy's good graces that I was even allowed to stay in my family's chalet with even a fraction of my trust fund," Seth snarled. "But my country club, my health spa, EVERYONE refused to serve me under my father's orders! I wasn't even allowed to have any servants anymore! And it's all because of YOU!"
However, despite once again having Seth's hook in her face, Octavia remained calm and collected.
"Are you done bitching now?" she asked, pushing the hook away from her face once more. "Because I'd like to get on with the game if you don't mind."
Of course, unbeknownst to her fellow Nobles, the brave face Octavia had was merely a facade. After all, who wouldn't be a little unnerved when the person who attacked them was once again a mere foot away? Seth may look pathetic now, but he was still a dangerous individual as far as she was concerned. However, despite shaking in her shoes, the events of Seth's assault on her still fresh in her mind, Octavia nonetheless tried to stay stoic to his words. One way or another, she wasn't going to give him the pleasure of knowing that he still scared her a little.
"Two cards," she said, switching out her first hand.
In all his afterlife, Mick had never seen a more intense game of poker. After three hands had passed, Octavia wasn't doing as well as she had hoped. She had thought she had managed to have Googoo beaten with a Straight during the second hand but somehow Googoo managed to top that with a Four-of-a-kind, winning the round entirely. And unfortunately, it didn't get better from there.
Now down to her last 7 chips, she grimaced when she saw the ever-growing pile in front of Googoo, who only smirked at her displeasure. Needless to say, Octavia was barely managing to keep it together while Seth appeared to be on the verge of winning the fourth hand. What's worse, the entire game had managed to draw the attention of some of the other diners, along with a few of the waiting staff, causing them all to step in closer to watch, adding to Octavia's already growing anxiety. Between the onlookers, the psychotic duck and the spoiled flying rat, no one appeared to be giving Octavia any chance to breathe. Frankly, seeing his crush in such a dilemma was nearly too much for Mick to bear.
"Three-of-a-kind!" Seth declared, smirking in delight as he slapped his cards on the table pulling over the latest pile of chips towards him. "Might as well give me all the winnings now."
"Don't get cocky, you bastard," Octavia growled. "There's still one more hand to go."
"Y-yeah!" Linda added, much to everyone's surprise. "Th-there's still a chance for M'lady!"
It may have been a small gesture, but both Mick and Octavia gave Linda a smile of pride for that. Despite her overwhelming fear of the Duck Demon, the Imp was nonetheless rooting for her friend as best as she could. In a way, it gave Octavia cause to regain a small bit of confidence in her chances. Seth, on the other hand, wasn't at all impressed.
"You know, I can't help but notice a slight change in Linda's behaviour," he pointed out, giving the little Imp the stink eye. "She seems… bolder now."
"Well, that's what happens when she's finally able to thrive," Octavia pointed out, only to have her words completely ignored.
"I suppose I'll have to make sure to beat that boldness out of her when she's back where she belongs," Seth continued, causing Linda to once again tremble. "A servant who doesn't know their place is a servant without any use."
CRACK!
At those words, Mick was unable to hold back his anger, causing him to squeeze his drinking glass so hard it literally broke under his grip.
"Try it and we'll see what happens, you Captain Hook reject!" he snapped, only to earn himself a scoff.
"Case in point," he snorted, this time pointing his hook between Mick's eyes. "When you're working for ME, fur ball, you'll need to be… properly conditioned first… Perhaps I'll even have you castrated before you begin work… root AND stem if you catch my drift."
Unfortunately, Mick DID catch the drift, so much so that he instinctively snapped both his hands down to his lower area with another gulp. Picturing his dilemma, many of the male onlookers of the game did the same thing with a cringe.
"YOU will be doing no such thing, duck-boy!" Googoo snapped, her eyes flaring up with an angry glow. "When everyone comes home with ME, I'll be needing those parts!"
His eye twitching with anxiety, Mick tried not to picture such an event, with little to no avail. Unfortunately for Octavia, the fact that Googoo brought up such a scenario was almost enough to bring her own fury to reach a boiling point. So much so that she literally destroyed a shot glass in her grip while picturing that it was Googoo's head.
SMASH!
"Let's just play our last hand, shall we?" she growled. "Everyone all in. Winner takes everything
"Sounds good to me," Seth smirked as he pushed his entire pile of chips forward. "Though given your luck tonight, I'm surprised you're even still playing."
"For once, I agree with him," Googoo added, only to gag on her own words. "Ugh, did I really just say that?"
Unable to hold back their fears, both Mick and Linda quaked in their shoes. This was it, the final hand. Whoever wins this one will be the master of their fate… and two out of three of them are guaranteed doors to their doom! Soon enough, Cray had dealt the three Demons their respective hands, all three of them looking at the complete pile of chips in the middle of the table. By this point, a few of the onlookers couldn't help but bite their teeth with anticipation, while the players themselves gave each other a hard glare between them.
"Three cards," Googoo spoke up, switching the announced number out.
"Two cards," Seth growled, doing the same.
At first, Octavia was going to follow the other player's actions… However, just as she was about to look at her cards, she couldn't help but notice a few things around the table. To be more specific, the looks on everyone's faces and the slight shift in their body language. It wasn't an easy thing to pick up with the naked eye, but ever since the game started, Octavia had been noticing these subtle changes now and then. Now, she would be the first to admit that she didn't have that keen of an eye for small details, but given how outgoing and blatant her opponents were, she somehow managed to read them both like a book. What's more, she even managed to pick up on a certain look the dealer of the game was making. It was then that her decision was made.
"These cards will do," she said bluntly, surprising everyone at the table since she hadn't even picked up her cards to look at them!
"M'lady?" Mick said nervously "What are you doing?
At that moment, Seth was unable to hold back his laughter.
"Oho!" he chuckled, "Choosing not to bother trying anymore, my dear?"
This, of course, earned him another hard glare from the Owl Demon.
"I suggest you keep your fat beak shut, Seth," she warned.
"Whatever," Seth scoffed in response, licking his beak in excitement as he looked over his hand. "So, tell me ladies… will you both fold and spare yourselves the humiliation? Because I'm feeling quite confident with these cards."
There it is! The licking of the beak! She had noticed it before throughout the entire game and every time Seth licked his beak, he always seemed to either fold or have a weak hand compared to Googoo… The bastard had a tell. And if he's bluffing now… that means that he was bluffing and hasn't got shit.
"Well, I know how good MY hand is" Googoo spoke up, her tail flickering behind her as she gave Octavia a smug grin. "Though if you want to give up now, Octi, I'll be more than happy to just take my new boy toy and go."
Octavia, of course, merely scoffed at that. Googoo may act like she was the winner here, but the truth is that she has a pretty crap hand herself. Her tell: a slight twitching of the tail, which was made all the more obvious with the bow waving about whenever it happened. She couldn't tell for sure but that's where all the evidence was pointing in Octavia's opinion.
As for Cray, he had the most interesting tell of all… namely the fact that he was giving Octavia a nervous glance… almost as if he were up to something and didn't want the others to find out. If he did what the Goetia Princess THINKS he did… then there was certainly no need to even look at her cards.
"Since you're both so confident, let's just see how good your hands really are," she said, instantly calling the pair out in their bluffs. "I call."
As soon as she said that, both Seth and Googoo immediately looked nervous. As Octavia had expected, the pair of them must have been hoping to bluff their way out of losing and take their winnings when the other two players had folded. However, whether she was right or not, Octavia wasn't going to let either of them weasel their way out of this one.
"Uh… why don't you go first, Seth?" Googoo spoke up, much to the Duck Demon's chagrin.
As all eyes fell on him, Seth immediately began to sweat from his brow. Left with no other option, all he could do was snarl in frustration.
"AH, FUCK IT!" he yelled. "I FOLD!"
In a fit of anger, Seth then threw his cards at the table, revealing that he only had a 2 of clubs, a 4 of diamonds, a joker for some reason, an 8 of spades and a 10 of clubs. Nothing even remotely close to a winning hand. Seeing such a terrible hand, Googoo couldn't help but laugh.
"Pfthahahahahahaha! Sweet Lucifer, that was just pathetic!" she cackled, almost slipping off her chair in a fit of hysterics.
At that moment, Seth felt like he was about to pop a blood vessel in fury. To lose the game was bad enough, but to endure the mockery and humiliation was even worse. And as if Googoo's laughter wasn't enough salt in the wound, even many of the onlookers were suddenly laughing at his expense. But worst of all… he could also see LINDA desperately trying to hold back her laughter! Just who does that piece of trash think she is!?
"SHUT UP, YOU FILTHY PEONS!" he screamed as he stabbed his hook into the table in a fit of rage, only managing to silence less than half of the onlookers with his outburst.
"Like I said," Googoo commented with a sneer. "Pathetic."
"Oh yeah," Seth retorted. "Well let's see YOU do better!"
Googoo, of course, could only scoff at that.
"Fine," she said with a smirk, her confidence seemingly returning with a vengeance now that she knew how bad Seth's hand was. "Take a good look, Micky-poo. Because starting tonight you will get to see ALL this."
Seeing Googoo gesture to her body from hair to hip, Mick once again began to scratch at his own face, his anxiety making him completely forget the fact that he hadn't had a joint for a while. And then… Octavia showed her hand.
"Full House!" she declared, much to everyone's shock.
Needless to say, the fact Octavia had such a good hand was nothing short of astonishing, especially when considering the fact that she didn't even look at her cards to begin with. Even Octavia couldn't believe her luck as she let out a sigh of relief. As far as hands go, this one was pretty damn good only three other hands were better in the entire game… Now all that was left was to sit and hope that Googoo didn't have any of them.
"So what's it going to be… bitch?"
However, Octavia's question seemingly fell on deaf ears as Googoo appeared to be frozen in shock, much to everyone's concern.
…
"Uh… Googoo?" Cray spoke up, giving the Mouse Demon a small poke.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
At that moment, Googoo screamed so loud, that her voice might as well have reached Heaven, causing many of the onlookers to yelp in fear or run away. Throwing her cards in the air, she then gave Octavia the most hate-filled glare she could muster. Between the eyes and the salivating, it was like looking at a rabid predator ready for the kill.
"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" she snapped. "You must have been CHEATING!"
Upon that outburst, Octavia gave the flying rat the smugest grin imaginable.
"I take it that you fold then?" she asked.
In place of a real answer, however, Googoo merely snarled like a wild animal, grinding her teeth so hard they were practically letting off sparks. That was it… the game was over… and Octavia WON!
"Oh, thank fuck for that!" Mick exclaimed, collapsing his face up against the table in the deepest sigh of relief before Linda actually slid down Bruce's arm and tackled him into a joyful embrace. "If I actually did have nine lives, I think this game might have just shaved off at least two of them."
"I've never felt so scared in my entire life!" Linda blubbered, simply refusing to let Mick go from the embrace.
Of course, as relieved as Octavia was about the outcome herself, seeing her friends react like this didn't do much to lessen her guilt in offering them up in the first place. She didn't know how she was going to do it yet, but those two were definitely owed a serious apology.
"YOU!" Googoo snarled, pointing an accusing finger in Cary's face. "You stacked the deck, didn't you!? Admit it!"
"How DARE you!?" Cray snapped back, once again brandishing his claws. "You would impede my honour by accusing me of such things!?"
"Oh, don't give us that bullshit!" Seth roared, joining in on the argument. "You're the one who was literally holding all the cards!"
"And you all played them how you saw fit!" Cray retorted with a huff. "And I'm not going to stand here and take these accusations from a duck-faced loser and a dollar-store tramp like I was some lowly Imp!"
Seeing that this argument was going to escalate into something violent pretty quickly, many of the onlookers thought that the best idea now would be to leave the vicinity as quickly as their legs could carry them. Octavia, of course, was no exception.
"Well… I think it's time to call it a night don't you?" she asked her two attendants, quickly snatching up Seth's money and shoving it into her purse before quietly rising from the table.
"With pleasure, M'lady," Mick replied with a nod as he followed her.
"Yeah," Linda added, following suit.
However, even as she walked away, Octavia couldn't help but turn her head back towards Cray for a brief moment. She couldn't know for sure, but there was something about Googoo's accusation that the Owl Demon felt had a small amount of merit, especially considering the look the Leopard Demon gave her earlier. If she had to guess, he must have been doing a forced shuffle in order to get everyone the cards HE wanted them to have. And for some reason, he gave Octavia the one that won her everything at the very last hand. Whether it was to earn Octavia's favour or to satisfy his ego after the others snubbed him, she couldn't tell. But as much as she didn't like Cray, the Goetia Princess still couldn't help but feel a little grateful for what he did.
SMASH!
Suddenly Octavia was forced to stop in her tracks when a drinking glass was smashed to the ground at her feet, courtesy of a very pissed-off Seth scowling at her.
"This changes nothing, you conniving slut!" he screamed, ripping his hook out of the table and pointing it right at Linda. "One way or another, you are going to give me back what is mine!"
Seeing Seth stomp over towards the Imp in question, causing her to fearfully jump behind Octavia's legs and cling to her dress in fright, Mick instinctively stepped between them and grabbed Seth by the front of his shirt before he could come close, his hand steaming, as if ready to ignite at any given moment.
"Unhand me, you filth!" Seth snarled, attempting to swing at Mick with his hook only for the Cat Demon to catch it before he could damage anything.
His eyes once again igniting with blue flames, Mick gave the Duck Demon one final warning.
"Let me remind you of what happened the LAST time you threatened my friends, Daffy Duck," he growled.
CLANG!
"Oooooooooooohhh!"
Finally free to let loose his frustration, Mick relished in Seth's agony as he landed a massive headbutt to the Duck Demon's ugly face, the metal of his mask causing some serious damage and giving the onlookers cause to cringe. After Seth fell to the floor in a daze, undoubtedly already feeling the effects of a concussion, Octavia felt it was only right to give the bastard one final sneer.
"The game is over, Seth," she huffed, taking the opportunity to spit at him. "You lose… again."
Just as she and her friends were about to head towards the elevator, however, Octavia quickly realized how much she suddenly underestimated the level of fury Googoo was about to unleash.
"You're not going anywhere!" the Mouse Demon screamed. "BRUCE!"
The moment she screamed that name, everyone within earshot, including the onlookers, froze in horror. It was only then that they all realized that they had been so engrossed in the game, that they had almost completely forgotten about the massive Hellhound standing among them. As such, while most of the onlookers flee for their lives, Mick, Octavia and Linda snapped their heads around in fear just in time to see Bruce standing over them. Before they even realized what was happening, Bruce had grabbed Mick and Linda in each of his hands before lifting them up to his face, giving the two young Demons a good look into his red dead eyes.
"HEY!" Octavia snapped. "Let them go!"
"NO!" Googoo screamed, glaring hard at Mick with her blood boiling. "If I can't have you, Micky-poo, NO ONE CAN!"
As soon as Googoo said that, everyone had a very strong idea of what was about to happen next.
"CRUSH THEM!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The Featured Song: A Parody of "Your Song" - Sung by Elton John