Later, at I.M.P headquarters where all members are assembled, Blitzo stands in front of an easel full of paper with crude pencil drawings of Blitzo and his staff and a large whiteboard flanked by bat wings at the top. There was a large bar graph drawn on the board along with horse drawings. Moxxie, Millie, Loona, and Lincoln sat in their spiked chairs, ready to listen to their boss's presentation on how they were going to win the bet.
"Alright, shut your assholes, here's how we're gonna do this shit." he flipped to more drawings of his genius plan. "First. We get hired by a fuck ton of clients." Imps and clients surrounded them with bags of money and then they fell down. "We portal upwards. Have our fun murder time per the norm, pile up the bodies on a big fucking canoe." Lincoln concernedly glanced at an exasperated Moxxie. "Said canoe is pushed into some water. Then, we light it on fire to attract the sharks, eagles and shit, maybe even a goose, too. Fuck it." he included an octopus chomping up the entire canoe and animals. "They eat the bodies, we win the bet..." the I.M.P team are shown celebrating. "...and rub it in that stuck-up bitch's drunken whore ass face and get the space back." The I.M.P team gave several middle fingers to a Verosika drawing who was in tears and the next drawing showed their van in its rightful place. "Any questions?"
Moxxie raised his hand first. "Here's one. That was complete nonsense and also, poor penmanship, sir. Very poor." he deadpanned.
Blitzo walks over to him with a frown. "Not a question."
"But, it still wasn't a plan." Moxxie retorts.
Blitzo puts a hand around Moxxie. "Maybe to your eyes, Mox,. It's no wonder they didn't see a flawless presentation of what we should do. Your own fault for having smooth little brains upstairs."
"Care to repeat that?" Moxxie queries, eyebrows raised.
"I'm calling you very slow, Moxxie." Blitzo clarifies, annoyed that he was getting pissed about another insult to his intelligence. "God, why don't you learn to handle some criticism, you talentless baby-dicked troll?" He poked Moxxie's chest several times.
An angry Moxxie stood up on the long table. "Maybe when you take an art class once in a while!"
Blitzo showed that he's got problems with criticism as well. "Maybe when you see how expensive they are!" he grabbed Moxxie's collar and threw him back on the chair.
"Excuse me!" Lincoln interjected, flailing his arms in the air. "Can we please circle back to coming up with a better plan to win this bet, so I won't be forced to spend a week over at that office?!"
"Come on, kid. A little master planner like you should be all for it." Blitzo said, assertive in his ideas. "You're not still mad that I bet you as a prize, right?"
Lincoln thought on it and listed off the reasons why he's rightly miffed. "Hmm. Let's see. In an effort to show up your ex-girlfriend, you traded my employment away like a pair of sneakers." He crossly turned away from Blitzo. "Kind of hard not to."
"It could've been way worse. It's not like I traded your soul."
"You might as well have!"
Millie shook her head and rubs the boy's head tenderly. "Honestly, Blitz. I still can't believe you're actually risking losing Lincoln. Did you forget that he's part of our little assassin family?" While Millie's often supportive of Blitzo's crazy, near-psychotic tendencies and schemes, she couldn't abide with him making a bet with the consequence of Lincoln having to be with those demons should they lose. "The mere thought of him with those damn jezebels is enough to make me want to chainsaw them to bits for pie seasonings!" Her eyes become more crazed and feral, showing a side to her that's driven by uncontrollable rage.
"I'll be honest, sir. Betting your employees was a low even I never saw you stooping to." Moxxie voiced, deeply ashamed to call Blitzo his boss.
"A, I take offense to you thinking I actually have morals at all, Moxxie. And B, our company's honor is on the line, people!" Blitzo passionately slammed his fists on the table. "We can't let this injustice stand and thus, we must be willing to make whatever sacrifice!"
"It's only a parking space, Blitz!"
"It's our parking space, intern! You saw how big that fucking lot is, there was a big-ass tank! Yet, we were the few that got ourselves a spot reserved for only I.M.P!" Blitzo was particularly proud of that, citing it as an accomplishment and example that his business was moving up in Hell and was damned if he was going to let Verosika ruin it.
Loona finally decided to weigh in on the planning. "Hey, is there a chance I can come with you guys this time?" Her request surprised Lincoln. This was the first time Loona actually made an effort in actively participating in an assignment. Blitzo was the boss, Moxxie handled guns, Millie was the muscle, his own role was mainly support and magic using, but Loona always manned the phone, staying in Hell.
Blitzo was quick to reject that idea. "Absolutely not. I forbid it. Not gonna happen. Sorry, sweetie. Spring break is no place for young vulnerable goth girls. You know the kind of freaks up there who'd drool all over you!"
All five of them silently gazed at the empty air in judgment, anger, and annoyance.
Lincoln realized he hasn't talked to it in a long time.
Breaking that piercing gaze, Loona offered how she could be an asset "Well, I can blend in with humans easy enough. Just let me tag along. You're always okay with Lincoln going with you and he's a kid."
Blitzo did a double take. "Wait. What was that?
"Blend in? You know, with humans?" Loona repeats, confused.
"Wait, you have a human disguise?" Millie curiously asked. They worked in the same company, yet, she never knew that about Loona, not even Blitzo.
"Yeah. Don't you?" Loona's question made the three imps tensely look at each other side to side, making it apparent to Lincoln and Loona that not once in all their missions did they think to pose as the humans they were hired to kill and it infuriated the hellhound. "You're telling me that you three idiots have been screwing around Earth this whole fucking time without even thinking of using human disguises?!" She always mocked them for their low smarts, but didn't believe how far it went.
Lincoln facepalmed at this. He assumed they decided to not use them as the people that saw them end up dead in the end, so the three didn't count disguising themselves necessary, which turned out to be false. But this did give him an idea to work with and form into a real plan. "That actually can really help! Loona can pretend to be a human girl and lure people to you guys. We just need to have a client or clients who demand enough targets to win the bet!"
"Flawless logic, Lincoln." Moxxie smiled. "We aren't just going up there to kill at random, after all."
"Our little man with the plan!" Millie beamed.
"Thanks. But like I said, there's the issue of getting a lot of clients to hire us. Where exactly are we gonna find so many?"
"Got that covered, kid." Blitzo smirked. Outside, Blitzo puts up a ratty flier for anyone to see and seek out their services, even though it was obvious he really needed to take an art class for a better drawn flier. "Now the wait begins." he says to them, pleased.
Moxxie would be the richest imp in Hell if he had a nickel for every time he points out the flaws in his boss's line of thinking. "Sir, I see no way we're going to get enough clients for such a long list with one poorly spelled bad grammar flier!" Fast footsteps are heard and they see that a large group of Sinners and even some imps have gathered to line up to the flier.
Blitzo elbowed Moxxie smugly and the gun expert fumes.
"Now, who's up first?" Blitzo went to the cadre of new clients, already feeling that he's got this bet in the bag.
On the very next day, Lincoln opened up a portal to a beach that was where I.M.P tracked down the list of clients they put together after sorting out all the requests. There were nothing but young spring breakers having a huge beach party and it was at this very party, that Verosika Mayday herself was to host a special spring break concert and they all didn't want to pass up the chance at seeing a show of the famous, albeit controversial pop singer. Before the show could begin, these impulsive young people spent their time on the beach, enjoying all the beers and drugs until the concert began.
The I.M.P team which now includes Loona hid behind coral covered rocks under a dock. "Now remember, we can't be seen, alright? And loose shots will likely cause a panic, so Loona can help with leading targets to a better spot to off them." For once, Blitzo actually exercised caution. "You got the list, Looney?"
Loona holds the list to her nose and her supernatural sense of smell was activated after she sniffed it. "Got it." She stepped into the sun and in a swirling flash of blue light and a distant howl of a wolf, she took on a human appearance, evident by her lack of a tail and having flesh instead of fur. She kept her usual clothes, except the choker on her neck lost its spikes and instead of being barefoot, she now wore high-top sneakers. The color of her eyes were now inverted, having white sclera and red irises and in place of her torn right ear were piercings and her head is shaved on the right side.
All in all, she really puts off the human look really well.
A fact that I.M.P agreed with as they stared in shock. "Wow. Loona. You look so...pretty." Lincoln praised.
"Heh, thanks, Linc." Loona replied, smiling a little as she expected a more lecherous compliment, but remembered who she was talking to.
Her boss, on the other hand..."Oh, Looney, just look at you! You look downright horrifically awful!" he gushed, angering Loona and wiping a proud tear away. "I am so proud. Now fetch!"
Loona peers her eyes at the humans, those that were targeted for execution were outlined in red in her vision. Smirking, she approached a tall man with sunglasses and flirtatiously pointed to him and herself, then to a private space away from the beach. Eagerly, the man followed her and she hardly cared when he got shot in the head by Blitzo who was spying from the roof. He gives Loona a thumbs up in approval and tells Moxxie and Millie to prepare themselves for the next kills.
They weren't going to win back their parking space by being sloppy.
The next few hours were very productive for I.M.P, they ruthlessly exterminated the next slew of targets with impressive ease because Loona flirting with all their marks was instrumental in their success. Each was crossed off the special spring break hit list by the numbers at a fast pace so that they could garner enough of a count to win the bet, making Bltizo quite proud of himself for this seemingly successful outing. He thought Moxxie was a real fool for having actual doubts, but Blitzo wasn't going to take all Verosika's actions so easily, not him. Not only did it appear that his team will surely claim victory over his old flame, but he'll also get his hollowed parking space back.
Lincoln mostly kept to himself the entire time. To distract himself from this whole bet business happening around him, he breathed in that fresh Earth air that's only come rarely. Being back on Earth made the feeling of going to his family to let them know he was okay reemerge or at least call them to do so, but the risks involved were still present and he forced himself not to, didn't mean he liked it. On the bright side, at least he was at a beach, it seemed like forever since the last time he enjoyed the sand, waters, and sun.
It reminded him of family trips to Aloha Beach.
Except, this one had a lot of patrons full of college kids drinking and swallowing pills.
Now he understood why his parents advised Lori before leaving for college to be careful when spring break comes around. If this is how it is for people near her age to act, he'd have said the same thing if they thought about her doing a lot of drugs and flirting with anyone who caught her eye. He wondered if his demon friends were really able to clean out this beach before Verosika and her entourage arrived.
Verosika.
Just thinking about that Succubus and those other demon women made Lincoln look over his shoulder, thinking they were right behind them. He didn't want to think about losing the bet, even if they were pretty attractive.. "Would you calm down, Linc?" He looked up at the human form of Loona who picked up his fear and anxiety. "Pussying out won't help at all."
Lincoln frowned apologetically. "Sorry, Loona. I just feel like there's someone hiding in a dark corner, watching me."
"Shit, Verosika sure has you rattled, huh?" Loona commented.
"Yeah. She, uh, certainly made an impression." Lincoln scratched his nape. "But you're right. I can't constantly stress about it. We're on a pretty good role so far, and she hasn't even shown up yet."
Loona smiled with a brow raised. "Never thought I'd see you of all humans be glad about dead fucks. What happened to the wide-eyed runt that was all about 'killing is wrong' and all that crap."
He gazed down with a sad look. "Getting hunted down by a psycho family of killers tends to make someone think." Not wanting to get into that territory, he changed the subject. "By the way, how's it feel being up and about on Earth?"
"It's different, but also the same as down below." Loona shrugged, not taken with the new sights.
"But, why did you decide to come?" Lincoln pressed for more answers. "Is it about the other hound that was working for Verosika?" He saw the way she looked at him and he may be young, but he recognized the look of a loves truck young woman. It's the same look his sisters have with each of their romantic interests, not to mention that one time they became enamored with his tutor.
"N-No!" Loona was suspiciously quick to deny it, but the deep red blush she had suggested otherwise. "I-I just did, okay? So what if she has a yummy beefcake of a hound and helping out would mean keeping you around?" she accidentally reveals the other reason. "I m-mean...No!"
Chuckling, Lincoln rubbed his arm. "Heh. Yeah, kinda figured. Helping isn't really your style." He knew the truth, but for the sake of her keeping up her apathetic image, he played along. "Still, though. Thanks a lot."
Loona fought the urge, but nothing stopped her from smiling back at Lincoln genuinely.
Blitzo was celebrating another quick kill, he and the imp couple had collected all the bodies they put down into trash bags with Moxxie cleaning them and Millie jumping on a body to force it in. "That's nine kills in the bag! Smell that, people? It's the smell beating that tramp and her groupies!"
"Still can't believe this started over a parking space." Lincoln mutters.
"I'd watch the whining, kid." Blitzo warned. "These kills are gonna keep your v-card safe, so don't forget that. Be happy that we'll soon hold this win over Verosika for all time."
Lincoln saw that Blitzo was also riled up because of Verosika, but for different reasons. "Things must have gotten real ugly before you two broke up to get you so angry."
"Oh, that." Blitzo waves off with doubt. "Ancient history. It was fun for a while, but it just wasn't meant to be. All relationships end that way." he stubbornly says, claiming the only reason he's like this is because his space got snatched and nothing more. "No way she has any hard feelings."
"You think so?" From what Lincoln observed, there seems to be a lot of unresolved baggage when it came to Blitz and Verosika. "She seems to hold a huge grudge about it."
"That's just because she thinks any horndog in Hell would treat dating her as winning the lottery and anything less is ridiculous, the prideful bitch." Blitzo said from his own opinion. "Not like she didn't do her own fuck ups when we were still a thing and I just like to see that waily snatch orgasm that many..."
"Alright, calling all spring breakers!" Everyone on the beach turned their eyes to the music stage where pink steam was emitted and blasted out the music of Verosika Mayday with the pop star herself emerging up to the stage, her silhouette being seen. Any remaining beach goers that weren't killed by I.M.P gathered to the stage like moths to a flame at the introduction of a famous celebrity on the beach. "Are any of Y'all ready to get fucked up in the head and make a crap ton of bitchin' bad choices?!" Her response was massive cheers from her adoring fans when the steam cleared to show the diva in her human disguise.
Her pink skin was now lightly tanned, and the outer part of her hair turned blonde with a red top while the inside still had its pink coloration. Her eyes were now white, but the irises remained pink, the eyeliner also didn't disappear. She had a new outfit on which was a ruffled pink top, arm sleeves that bared her shoulder, and an equally ruffled pink skirt that was slit on the hem, the skirt had a star and black heart. In place of her tail was a light pink sash.
One fan boy in the audience tore his short off to show her name written on his chest. "Verosika! I love you!"
"Whoa..." Lincoln breathed at her appearance.
Succubus or human, Verosika Mayday was eye-catching to all present.
Verosika spotted him from afar and sent a wink only for him, walking off while swaying her hips. "Come along, cuties. Final call for everyone of you~." she waved, making her ex-boyfriend growl like a wild animal, drool foaming in the mouth.
Millie turned Lincoln away and made him take a walk. "Turn away from the bitch, Lincoln! Don't look directly at her eyes and wait somewhere to hide! I'll call you when it's time to come back!"
"Where am I supposed to go?"
Lincoln sat down while holding his nose at a portable bathroom far away. "I'd say I had worse spring breaks, but then I'd be lying. I don't even have to go."
He heard a knock. "Hey! Is this free?"
"No, the demons that I've been living with and working for told me to hide here!"
"...Okay. That's cool. I can wait. Say, can you tell me what drug you're using and where I can get it?"
He heard a gun go off. "Lincoln, it's Millie!, sweetie! You can come back! Everything's starting to calm down! Also, I just crossed another name off our list! Now, we're at ten kills!" she cheered.
He looked out and saw the red on the bathroom door. "...Great."
Blitzo was furious. He looked at the sun as it was setting down. None of them had been able to find any more targets, which meant he might just lose to his ex-girlfriend turned rival and only spotted just a few beach goers that were lying down due to their stomach aches on his side of the beach.. He was so confident before, and now his chances of winning this bet were getting slim and he just couldn't allow that to happen. Not with so much on the line.
"God dammit! That bitch and her goatish mating calls! We should've chosen a different beach with targets that liked better music!"
Lincoln was very worried, albeit very confused as he was still with I.M.P. even when the song started. He was the one single human not affected by the song, sitting on the sand and still stuck by them. The song had sounded like a siren's call, and unlike the sailors of old, Lincoln didn't fall prey to it. "I get that you four aren't affected, but how come it's not working on me?" Common decency integrated in his mind made for good willpower.
"You're not a perverted little shit for one thing. Either that or puberty hasn't hit you like a fucking bullet train yet." Blitzo talks sternly with fists on his hips. "Want my advice? Enjoy every second of it. Don't let your child-like youth go to waste before you eventually turn into one of these college kids." he got back to the task at hand. "Alright, guys, we gotta pick things up! We don't have long until the sun goes down! Is he on the list, Looney?" he pointed at a sickly blonde man next to him.
Loona didn't even look to make sure, she was too transfixed by Vortex. "Huh? Yeah...I-I think so?" She had been standing for the rest of the entire day like a mannequin.
Lincoln followed her gaze and saw a muscular black man guarding the stage. Those who didn't see his demon form wouldn't recognize him as a human, but Lincoln did and he easily deduced that judging by the same clothes, wolf marking changed into a tattoo, this was Verosika's hellhound bodyguard, Vortex, the same hound Loona clearly carried a torch for. "Uh-oh." Lincoln warily looked at the now smitten Loona. "Please don't let this be like Hugh all over again..."
"Good!" Blitzo smiled, raising up a hatchet, unaware of Loona being distracted.
The beach goer looks up at Blitzo in slurred stupor. "Oh, woah...what are you? A leprechaun?" he cackles.
"Oh, yeah. Pretty cool, huh?" He cleaved the confused man's head. "But you sure as shit ain't gonna tell nobody." He taunted, discarding his axe and oblivious to Lincoln flinching and turning away slightly while green. Just because there were sinful humans in the world that deserved to be put down doesn't mean he felt some satisfaction when karma caught up to them. Some may feel it, but not Lincoln. "Alright, next one, Looney, come on. Can't burn the daylight." Blitzo got worried when she didn't respond. "Loonie? Wait, where-" he sees the spot where Loona once stood to be devoid of the disguised hellhound. "Wh-Wh-Where's my baby?!" he cries in a panic.
Millie, who was patting Lincoln's back to ease his upset stomach, spotted their wayward receptionist walk her way towards the stage. "Look!"
Blitzo groaned in dismay. "M&M, with me! We gotta get her back! Our company's pride is on the line and we can't deal with a snafu! Kid, you hang back! Don't wanna risk her gals seeing you!"
Lincoln understandably never left his spot as he was told. He waited for the most part, but Lincoln got distressed when no one returned. He figured calling for Loona's name could reach her canine ears. "Loona! Loona, where are you?!" The boy called, frantically hoping that she wouldn't risk their loss just for one crush. He was actually quite a little hurt if that were the case. They may not have started off as instant besties. But, he liked to believe she's built a respect for him by now. Blitzo ordered him to stay put. He wanted to. His mind told him that he should try to find Loona on his own at maybe somewhere else like the streets. "Jeez, this is nuts. She could be anywhere by now!" Despite this, he ran ahead, but didn't get far when he bumped into the familiar overall wearing Apple, the blond haired Succubus in her human form. Her skin tone and clothes changed. Plus, her demonic aspects were gone.
Human disguises really were very convincing. It must be why no one's managed to figure out that a celebrity was also a demon herself.
"Oooh, it's you!" she giggled like a little girl happy to find her lost toy. "Hi there, little guy! Lincoln, right? I thought I spotted you." Apple coos.
"Oh, uh, heeeey...you." Lincoln awkwardly greets.
Applelaughs. "It's okay. With all the excitement before, you didn't get my name. It's Apple."
"And you can just call me Milky." the shortest of Verosika's crew grinned, her clothes now a different color. "We couldn't resist seeing you again, so we thought we'd look for you. Ready to head back to our place, little man?" she teasingly asked.
Gulping, Lincoln replied hastily. "N-No! I'm just looking for someone. She's somewhere here, and-"
"Forget about her." Milky surprisingly hugged him.
"Hey, no fair, Milky!" Apple pouted like a spoiled child.
"Okay!" Lincoln slipped out to get more space preferably away from them and find Loona. "The bet is still going on, you know! So, I think it's too soon for me to...hang out with you, right? A winner hasn't even been decided!"
Both Succubi found it cute that he thought I.M.P still had a chance. "That's cute, kiddo But, we spent a whole day scoring while your imp peeps are still in the double digits on their kill count." Milky pointed out. "Your shit-wad boss should've known better than to step up to us,. Don't know why Verosika ever dated that dumbass fuck-tard."
"Yeah. And there's no lame ass rule against some early celebration." Apple rubbed her hands. "Coco will give me shit for leaving her out, but I'm sure we can make it up to her. If you know what I mean."
Lincoln gulped, his eyes wide open and started sweating, "Or you could go to counseling. That's also a good idea." He took a step backwards and ended up tripping over someone. It was the humanized Josh with a bruised face.
"Josh?" Apple questioned, looking down at her companion. "The fuck happened to you?"
"Ugh. Tried giving the eyes at some goth broad. But, she totally blew me off." Josh answers, a little humiliated.
"Seriously?" Milky laughed at his expense. " Losing your game there, stud?"
"Very funny, bitch." Josh deadpanned.. "Bitch just wasn't into me for some reason."
Wait. If this goth girl wasn't receptive to his seductions, then that must mean...
"Was she by any chance walking to your boss' bodyguard?" Lincoln asked, hoping he was right.
"Who, Vortex? Yeah, but-"
Lincoln smiles in relief. "That was Loona! Thanks, man!" he ran off at high speeds.
"Hey, I wasn't trying to help you, pipsqueak!" Josh yelled with a shaking fist, then realized something. "Hang on, so that wasn't an actual human, then? Now, that makes sense. I actually was starting to think I was losing it." His relaxed expression became one of worry when Apple and Milky glared at him for inadvertently helping their prey escape. "...You're not gonna tell the boss lady about this, are you?"
"Oh, I think we fucking will!" Both pulled him by the shirt and went to rat him out.
Loona finally made it to Vortex and shyly greeted him. "Hey there...my dude?" She wished she got his name before.
"Oh, hey. You're that hound chick working for my boss's crazy ex-lover." Vortex knew the smell of another Hellhound from a mile away.
"Yeah." Loona tensely laughed, wondering if that was a deal breaker for him. "Sorry, if that's weird. In my defense, I didn't even know he dated her. I still can't believe it."
Vortex eased her concern by not really taking it personally. "No worries, girl. None of her beefs are mine. I don't get paid to even care." Working for a pop star actually paid really well, but he was hired to guard her, not get involved with old grudges.
"Yeah! Yeah!" Loona widely smiles and brushes her hair back, red in the face. "My name's Loona."
Amused, Vortex chuckles and playfully introduces himself back, copying Loona's nervous tone. "Okay. Call me Vortex!"
Sensible and funny, the whole package. "That's so hot, man." Loona was close to drooling, but got it together. "I mean, it's literally hot, you know, because vortexes give off heat. Probably. Right?" She bites her lower lip in irritation at herself for sounding like a huge nerd.
Vortex didn't really mind it, he could tell she doesn't talk that much with other hounds so he can't blame her. In fact, it was sort of cute in a way. "Yeah, that's true. But my pals just call me Tex."
"Really? Lucky. I'd do a lot to have friends.." She berated how that sounded really pathetic. "I mean, I don't have that many to begin with." At least that's what she believed until she thought of a surprising exception with white hair. "Well, actually, I guess you could say there's this one person I don't...hate that much, but I'm not sure if I'd call him my friend."
"Does he think you're his friend?"
"...I-I actually think maybe-"
"Loona!" Both hellhounds in disguise watch Lincoln run up to them, out of breath. "So glad I finally found you!"
"Lincoln." Loona says through gritted teeth. "Kind of in the middle of something."
"Something other than your job?" Lincoln barked back, almost livid. "I know part of the reason you came with us is to talk to-" She slammed her hand to his mouth to prevent him from saying too much in front of her crush.
Aforementioned crush just chuckled at their exchange. "Chill out there, little buddy. It's spring break. You gotta loosen up."
"With a bet going on that may end with your boss's hooks on me, loosening up is the last thing on my mind."
"Fair enough." Vortex concedes, all Hell denizens know how insatiable sex demons are. "But you know, I gotta give you props for slipping past her and her crew so far. Pretty damn cool."
"It is?"
"You have no idea. Not many dudes can say they managed to escape the clutches of a Succubus. You must be pretty crafty, kid." Vortex praised.
Lincoln scratches his head bashfully. "Thanks, I guess. I like to think of it as more thinking on my feet than actual planning, but still, thanks. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm surprised you're not telling Verosika that I'm here."
"She pays me to stop her loony fans from storming the stage and deal with assholes who try to start something. Anything beyond that ain't my business. I just stand guard and that's it." Vortex evenly responds, showing a great douse of professionalism. "Also, the name's Vortex. Tex, if you want."
"Lincoln Loud." He did not expect someone from Verosika's inner circle to be so approachable. This demon hellhound's laid-back and friendly nature was a welcomed change from the nasty sort of demons. "And it's not really all on me. I have help from my coworkers, like Loona here."
"That right?" Vortex nods at this with approval, he does like it when one looks out for their own. "You say you don't have friends? Not from where I'm standing. And helping them out of a jam? I dig that."
"Y-You do?" Loona blushed furiously.
Lincoln stared in astonishment at how Loona was acting. It was a far cry from the usual indifferent hellhound unless she expressed emotions of anger and annoyance, and when she's not being that, she's belittling everyone around her, including her coworkers given the chance. His time with her made him wonder if Lucy would be like this when she's older. But Lincoln knew from experience with his oldest sister, Lori, that once you peel back the layers of snark and cynicism, even the nastiest of people have a soft center that can even apply to demons.
"Hmm." Lincoln hummed softly in thought. He really wanted to get Loona to get back on the aim of winning, but didn't feel right to force her to do it when she's clearly infatuated with Vortex. Being stuck at the phone in the office and Blitzo's own overprotective nature made it hard for her to actually make friends with others which was evident with her awkwardness. It also wasn't that often she got to go to the world of mortals, much less go anywhere else in Hell without Blitzo bringing her. It'll hinder I.M.P's progress, but maybe Loona deserves some reprieve. He was prepared to leave Loona, but Blitzo appeared, moving in-between the two hellhounds.
"Am I interrupting a little thing between you?" Blitzo interrogates, glaring with suspicion.
"Nah, man. Just a conversation during work hours. It's all good." Vortex calmly assures.
Blitzo narrows his eyes and wags a finger at him. "Oh, so it's a conversation? Last I checked, a 'Conversation' leads to HPV!" Loona clenches her fists in frustration.
"Aw jeez." Lincoln cringed, not liking where this was going.
Behind the metal cans were Moxxie and Millie who observed this. "Predictably, we've lost him." Moxxie sighs in resignation. "Hopefully, Lincoln can get him and Loona back on-mission. Until then, it's looking like it's up to us to handle this list.
"Hell yeah, baby!" Millie jovially cheered, grabbing Moxxie around the shoulders and making him smile lovingly. "Team M&M about to get the killing shit done! Making all the moneys!" The married assassins ran off to handle the mission all on their own and made some decent headway even though they were short handed. It got to the point where they hid behind a table full of beer cans with Moxxie on lookout while his wife loaded a crossbow for him. They shared a kiss for luck and Moxxie was ready until a drunk man wobbled over and flips the table over, flying the imps across where Moxxie lands in the center of a crowd.
"Ewwww! Oh, my god, you guys! It's a fucking gross little possum!" A woman shouts in disgust to her other spring breakers.
"Oh, crumbs! I'm not a possum! I am not a possum!" Moxxie tries in vain to escape, but is snatched and tossed into a beer can by the unhinged party of humans who yell out in excitement. Inside, he couldn't stop himself from drinking the liquids inside as it was carried away.
Back with the other issue, Loona rubbed her eyes in apt vexation over Blitzo's interference. "Blitz, get the fuck out of here! You're gonna get us all into shit!" His lack of a human disguise will give Verosika more ways to undermine him.
"I just wanted to see what was so important that you'd be distracted from your job." Blitzo sternly chided. "When you asked to join, I expected you to take it more seriously!"
Loona pulls him away from Vortex. "What, I can't have a break? You'd let me smoke when I'm on the phone listening to whiny Sinners all the time!"
"We have a parking spot on the line!" Blitzo urged her to see the importance of that. "How is that so hard for you kids to get?! It's the kind of thing worth sacrificing!"
Lincoln barely resisted snorting. "Like your employees?"
"Intern, don't you start!"
"Hey, dude. Why don't you chill out?" Vortex diplomatically suggested getting Loona to blush more for coming to her defense. "No one's getting hurt here. I get you and V have some bad blood. But, come on. Don't overdo it."
"Why don't you stay out of it, cyclops?! Okay, this is our business." Blitzo's tail lifts up a paper drawing of him killing humans which will get him money, and more money means buying more horse-related stuff. "Literally."
With a growl, Loona vents out her pent up hostility over him coddling her like a pup. "Fuck, Blitz! Why can't you stay out of my face for like, five minutes?! A whole day, even!"
Blitzo didn't understand how that was a problem. "Because I adopted you as my daughter! That should mean something!" he turns his back on her with a huff. As her legal parent, he expected some more positive reception from her.
"Oh, what does it matter? You're not even my real dad! I was almost eighteen when you signed the papers!" Loona shouts, she likes to think she got along just fine without any parental figures in her life.
"It still counts plenty!"
"Well, it shouldn't!" Loona turns back, too. "I didn't need you then, asshole! I don't, now! So just leave me alone, already!"
She had no idea, but her words cut deep within Blitzo. Not even adopting a lost spirit like his own could find him someone to grow genuine affection for, even though he's done nothing but give a huge amount of love to Loona since taking her in. This looked to be just another way for the universe to spell it out for him that there is no one who truly loves him, his own daughter included. All Lincoln and Vortex could do was helplessly look at all this with growing concern, even if he wasn't biologically her father, Blitzo constantly adoring her seemed to be his only redeeming quality and this vaguely reminded Lincoln of Octavia's troubles with her own dad, only under much different circumstances.
"Guys, take it easy!" Lincoln begged. He hated seeing a fight between them, like how he loathed the ones between his sisters. "Look, why don't we take a minute and just talk it out?"
Sighing, Loona slowly came to feel that she may have gone too far when she saw Lincoln frown. "Uh...listen, Blitz, I'm-"
"Enjoy your break, Looney." Blitzo glumly says, leaving. "I'm gonna go kill something! Come on, intern. I know you won't leave your boss hanging."
Lincoln stuck around and grabbed Loona's arm to give a smile of reassurance, which she gratefully returned, knowing he wasn't holding anything against her before he left to join Blitzo. She still felt some regret, it was infrequent of Blitzo to act so cold to her and Loona didn't like it, but felt it wouldn't have happened in the first place if Blitzo wasn't being so overbearing.
"Damn, girl. That was a savage way to back-talk at your pops." Vortex felt a little bad for both Loona and imp. Family drama always makes people uncomfortable and it's always painful to watch. "You okay, Loona?" he asked as he held her shoulder, bringing her blush back.
"Yeah, sure, I'm fine." Loona promised. "Don't worry about him He'll get over it. He always does."
"Be proud you can stick up for yourself." Vortex commended. "Takes guts to do that when it's your own boss."
"Thanks...I think?" Loona getting some praise from him was an accomplishment, but guilt was still present.
"Hey, are you alright, Blitz? I'm sure Loona didn't really mean what she said. You know that, right?" Lincoln apprehensively asked. Loona never pulled her punches when she spoke her mind, but it troubled him when she and Blitzo got into it. Her spur of the moment anger made her say hurtful things, but alternatively, Blitzo treating her like a child to be watched over 24/7 was what brought it on. Though he would prove to be too much most of the time, he just wanted to show Loona how much he loved her, but there is such a thing as too much love. It looks like both of them needed a quick refresher on the whole father-daughter thing.
"Meh. Let her enjoy time with the big guy, kid." Blitzo dismissed. "We can still pick up the slack without her. Go meet with M&M, still got a lot to do and college shits to kill and brutalize."
Despite his tone, Lincoln saw that Blitzo was masking how hurt he was over Loona's harsh words. Also knowing that Blitzo wouldn't openly talk about it, Lincoln listened to his order. "If you say so."
Now that Blitzo mentioned it, what were those two up to?
"Lincoln! Over here, honey!" Millie was relieved to see that her boy didn't get snatched up by any of the Succubi. "I need help lookin' for Mox. Lost him because of these darn party people."
"Where did you last see him?"
"Over in one of those beer cans." Millie and Lincoln went to a can that had Moxxie inside and she opened the lid, making it tip it over to spill him and all the alcohol outside. "Moxxie!" both notice that Moxxie had a too-relaxed smile.
"Millieeeeeee!" Moxxie slurred in his speech, audibly burping. "Hi! Hey. Hey, since when did you get four heads? I wanna kiss 'em all! All so very beautiful!" he makes smooching noises with his body going completely limp.
"Moxxie? Are you okay?" Lincoln carefully asks, seeing a completely drunk Moxxie.
"For sure. Your pop is a-okay, Linc." Moxxie confirms, still quite drunk. "I am wonderful. Like a...like a...like an imp, you know? Ever wonder what it's like to be an imp? I bet it's the greatest."
"...You are an imp, Moxxie."
Moxxie looks at his hands and gasps in astonishment. "Woah! So I am! That is so weird! How come nobody told me?"
His wife picks him up. "Crap. Looks like he's too out of it to keep on killing. Hon, why don't you go ahead and wait it out at the dock?"
"Sure. I'll just do that." Lincoln walks through the sand dejectedly. He was starting to see how hopeless it was looking for I.M.P's chances at winning the bet, noting everyone's current state.
Loona was with Vortex.
Moxxie was too drunk.
Millie was too busy helping her intoxicated husband.
Blitzo is now the only one killing their remaining targets but by then, Verosika would have him beat and he'll have to endure a week with her.
He asked himself how this day could get any worse.
He got an answer when the calm waters of the ocean became less calm when a massive geyser of seawater erupted and from it, emerged a huge, monstrous shape, casting its gargantuan shadow over the beach and darkening the sky.
The humans and I.M.P glanced up in horror. Even Verosika and her crew looked on in fear and surprise, there was nothing in their plans that called for the use of this abomination. Several people ran in terror before a giant foot stomped on an unsuspecting man lying face down on his towel. A woman released a scream of abject fright and all humans ran for their lives in the hopes of not being this beast's next victim.
Blitzo was in the process of choking a drinking man from behind when he too, stopped to look.
The fish that was exposed to the supernatural otherworldly liquids of the Beelzejuice went through a metamorphosis, becoming a giant teal eyed and finned leviathan monster with large blue teeth and unleashes an ear shattering roar. It surveyed the beach and set its luminescent eyes on the white haired boy whose legs were frozen in fear.
It had found its meal.
The creature's tongue shot out its spiked tongue towards Lincoln and the boy barely managed to avoid the lethal tongue before running away. The tongue thrashed wildly and grabbed a parked car, throwing it to crash in front of Lincoln, he was sent backwards on his back near the waters as the monster took slow threatening steps to trap the frightened kid. Lincoln tried getting the grimoire, but in his rush, he dropped it and just as he was about to pick it up, the tongue was now ready to constrict him. Lincoln screamed when the tongue went for another attack, until a humanoid blur tackled him out of the way just when the monster's foot was about to crush him.
Lincoln and the blur rolled to a stop and when the boy regained his bearings, he noticed a pair of arms protectively wrapping around him. His surprise increased when he got a look at his savior and for the first time since meeting her, she wasn't looking at him with a face of flirtations, but a face etched with worry and concern over his safety. She had saved his life.
"Verosika...?"
"A-Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely terrified for both her and to an extent, him.
Lincoln was still processing it. "I-I-"
"Lincoln!" Millie was rushing in, carrying Moxxie, sets him down and frets over Lincoln maternally. "Oh, sugar! It's okay now! Milllie's here!" She hugged Lincoln close and got them out to a safer distance while Verosika went to regroup with her entourage.
"Hey, did you guys see that fish?" Moxxie kept taking slow steps, him being drunk stopped him from freaking out about these turn of events like he normally would. "Man, I love eating fish. Don't you?" The monster's tongue captures Moxxie and pulls him away.
"It's got Moxxie!" Lincoln screamed.
The imp giggles, not bothered by his life in danger in the slightest. "Whee!" he is sent into its mouth.
Glaring in determination, Millie addresses Lincoln. "Keep that book handy, honey pie. Momma's gonna need help going to work." she spotted a spring breaker chugging down on a vodka bottle and killed him with her knife. She rips his cloth apart and lights it on fire before pushing it into the bottle. She threw it at the monster and it lost its balance, falling on the ocean. Lincoln uses the grimoire to manipulate the body of water into changing into chains that entrap it and allow Millie to swim out to it. Lincoln focused on keeping the chains stable to give Millie enough time to save Moxxie.
"Okay, what the actual hell?!" Blitzo shouted, joining Lincoln. "Where the fuck did this big mother come from?!"
"Either radioactive waste or it was fed too much! Take your pick, Blitz!" Lincoln closed one eye, feeling some strain.
Millie pried open the teeth to see her husband punching the uvula.
She reached for him and he reached back, only to hi-five her.
Rolling her eyes, she pulled him forward, still trapped in the tongue.
She cut it off, freeing him.
Both saw as Moxxie was flung across the sky where he spread his arms out in contentment, feeling like he was really flying. Blitzo caught his employee at the same time the tongue landed, almost hitting a spring breaker who celebrated his good luck, only for Blitzo to shoot him, making Moxxie laugh hysterically. The boy grew tired from keeping the spell up and a few of the chains ended up breaking.
Inside the monster's mouth, Millie relentlessly battled the mindless mutated beast that angered it and the two continued on their battle which now went uninterrupted when the final water chain broke, but Millie was more than capable.
"I love that woman so much!" Moxxie declared, his tail forming into a heart.
Regardless of him not in a stable state of mind, he was coherent enough to see his wife showcase her fighting might.
"She definitely pegs you, doesn't she?" Blitzo teasingly remarked.
Millie leapt into the air with her knife and landed inside the monster, cutting away. Lincoln wished he could do more to help, but he was near his limit. Thankfully, Millie eviscerated the monster from the inside. It collapsed on the ocean, no longer a threat to anybody and all spring breakers had run off leaving the place more or less devoid. Quite the spring break party that just happened, and it was a lot more eventful than anyone was expecting.
Calmness returned to the beach as the danger had passed. The entire beach was devoid of beach goers after they ran off, Lincoln was almost tempted to join them in the chaos. Add this to another list of near death experiences Lincoln's been forced to suffer since going to Hell and being adopted by I.M.P, but at least he made it out alive once again. Although, the same can't be said for the souls that were in the way, but right now, the I.M.P was just glad it didn't rampage all across the country. Blitzo really loved seeing Millie make short work of the monster and congratulate her when she tiredly walked back to shore, panting and soaking wet. "Yeah! Way to show off, Mills! And great use of the book, intern."
Shaking water mixed with blood off her body, Millie asked for her boys. "Are Mox and Linc okay?"
Blitzo looks at the drunken imp in his arms and carelessly drops him. "Huh? Yeah, yeah They're fine."
Millie picks them both up into a group hug. "This is a funny feeling." Moxxie said with a dopey smile. "I just feel soooooooo...drinky." he giggles out as his wife snuggles them closer with a happy laugh.
"So, does this mean we win? Or is this a draw?" Lincoln curiously asked, a fish monster was not something either group expected. To be fair, no one even in Hell would have expected the events of day transpiring and it was left to imagination if it could've been stopped.
"Good question." None of the fish monster's victims were any of their targets, just random people who were at the wrong place at the wrong time, but Blitzo could somehow spin this in his favor. "Maybe we could pass off the ones that big-ass fucking fish thing killed as clients. Better yet, we just say we were long gone before-"
"Hello, Blitzo."
The condescending tone of his ex saying the old pronunciation of his name made Blitzo sour up. "Oh, now that's perfect." he droned sarcastically, turning around to see Verosika and her posse confronting him and his team. "The whores have arrived. So great to see you when all the action's done. Too busy fucking yourselves?" Moxxie wasn't really bothered, but Millie got miffed when they showed up, she found something in the water that revealed who was indirectly responsible for what's happened.
"That was handled a bit too..obvious, don't you think?" Verosika pointed out smugly.
Killing the fish monster while still in their natural demon forms.
She was ready to blackmail him that he'd have to beg her not to squeal and she'd still rat him out anyway.
Millie was unfazed by this attempt, countering Verosika with a piece of evidence that could break the demon pop star's arrogance. "Speaking of obvious. I don't think this belonged to any of us." she calmly surmised, presenting Verosika's flask and throwing it to its original owner's hand where it was dropped to Milky. "Would be a shame if anyone found out you guys caused a giant monster fish attacking in the human world." Millie adds with a mocking smirk, one that Blitzo shared, getting the implications.
Moxxie laughed out loud, pointing at them. "Oh, Satan! You all be so fuuuuucked!"
The Succubi and Incubi grimaced, knowing that their rivals were right and Milky quickly hid the flask. They can't rat on I.M.P without the cause of the horrific beast tracing back to the person responsible, that being Verosika and that can only end with her and her crew getting punished severely by the higher ups of Hell. Verosika was having none of it, refusing to let Blitzo have the last laugh. "Yeah, well...you three nasty ass gremlins will be in shit for not being in disguises!"
Moxxie, still hammered from the heavy intake of alcohol, face planted into the sand in front of Verosika. Even, so his random tidbit was enough to show that there was one flaw in her claim. "A human called me a possum." he angrily recalled, taking offense. "I am not a possum!" he slurs, face planting again. But he had a point, the humans that saw them were too drunk, high, and sexually stimulated to make sense of what the imps really were and it's not likely anyone will believe them when they spit out claims about a giant monster fish.
Blitzo steps forward and moves Moxxie out of the way with a foot. "You know, we could keep this little B movie scene on the down low if you agree to let us use that parking space."
Verosika formed an agitated sneer. As much as it would figuratively kill her to let Blitzo walk away with a win, she wasn't arrogant or prideful enough to risk getting stuck in rehab again or potentially lose her street cred over a dumb bet with her ex. "...Fine." she begrudgingly relented.
Blitzo pumped his fists out into the air in victory. "We fucking won!" He proclaimed, boisterously laughing and Verosika simply stood there seething, eyes twitching from having to forfeit the bet which not only means she failed in trying to get back at Blitzo.
"Fuck yes!" Millie joined in the celebration.
"In your face, bitch!" Blitzo taunts to rub more salt in the wound. "This calls for a round! Drinks are on me!"
"Ahem!" Millie coughs loudly, nodding her head at Lincoln.
"Oh, right. We'll just get the kid a smoothie or something."
Verosika didn't want to feel humiliated anymore, so she gestured to her crew to follow her. "Come on, let's get out of here."
"Verosika, wait!"
"Lincoln?" Blitzo grew confused when his sole human employee went to the crew who stopped when he called their leader's name. "What's the deal here, champ? Kind of in the middle of owning these sluts hard."
"I know that. I just wanted to say thanks to Verosika for saving my life."
A seagull flew over and cried out to compensate for the lack of sound that ensued after the only human on the beach uttered the sentence that severely stumped Blitzo. The imp thought he might have ingested some beer as well because nothing about what Lincoln just said made any sense to Blitzo, nor did he want to believe it. He looks at Lincoln, then at Verosika, eyes back to Lincoln, then back at Verosika, his head soon moving in rapid movement to thoroughly register it. "WHAT?!" Blitzo exclaims. "She saved your life?! Like saved-saved? Is that right? Millie, you weren't drunk out of your mind like your hubby. This for real?"
"I did see her with him on the ground when that monster attacked."
"Yeah, she pushed me out of the way before the tongue could get me. That thing would've eaten me if it weren't for her. Seriously, I owe you one."
Verosika's humiliation over her loss washed away as Lincoln smiled up at her. She's accustomed to humans singing her praises, but it was mostly over how hot she was, never before was she praised for performing a noble act. Truth be told, it wasn't completely for good intentions, she was freaking out over how things were going down and felt the less death there is, the less punishment she may receive, and it'd be a shame for him to go out like that. But now it felt good getting thanks from him. Even if he knew it wasn't entirely out of the goodness of her heart, he was still willing to be grateful. Not only that, but seeing him not be a nervous mess around her was a nice sight to see, it delivered a sense of...warmness.
"You sure she wasn't trying to jump you?" Blitzo asked, not stopping being skeptical.
"No, Blitzo. I wasn't." Verosika huffed at him. "It would've been a shame for the kid to get hurt just because of a dumbass bet that you started."
"Should've thought of that before taking the flask with you."
"Hey, the bet was all your idea, asshole!"
"Because you incurred my wrath!"
Lincoln groans. "Again, it's just a parking space, Blitz." He didn't think it was worth all the ruckus that occurred.
"Don't start with that again! I'm getting tired of explaining the necessity of our own spot!" Blitzo breathed deeply. "You know what? Forget it. We won. You lost, skank. Let's just leave it at that and get on with our shitty lives."
"Whatever." Verosika yells out to her bodyguard. "Tex! Let's go!"
Vortex and Loona were still talking when the monster showed up and joined after it was all said and done. "Well, guess it's time to bounce, part's already over." he observes. "But, hey, if you're ever down to party hard to cool off, I'll give you a ring sometime." he offers.
"Really? You will?" Loona's heart fluttered and tried playing it cool. Key word being "tried". "I mean, that's cool. I'll think about it or whatever"
"Yeah! My girlfriend throws the best hound parties." Vortex added, glad that Loona accepted.
She deflated in disappointment.
He already had a girlfriend. Leaving during an important assignment and getting into a fight with Blitzo over a guy that was already taken, now she felt even worse.
"That's...Nice." Loona forced a smile to hide her being saddened. "Stoked for my very first one."
Vortex playfully taps her shoulder with his fist, chuckling. "Let's get you some more friends, girl. Tell that Lincoln kid I said bye, he seems cool." he clicked his tongue as a show of farewell.
Said cool kid looked at the now sullen goth hellhound in disguise having heard everything. "You okay?"
"Yeah...just great."
"...Well. At least you got a new friend out of this. Who knows? You might meet someone at those parties." Lincoln pointed out. He's not experienced in comforting people after heartbreak, but did bring up the bright side.
It wasn't much, but it did get a soft snicker out of Loona. "Thanks..." Leave it to Lincoln to find a silver lining.
"What are friends for?"
Friends.
That's right.
Lincoln was her friend.
That also made her feel a little bit better.
"Linc! Hurry up with that portal!" Lincoln rushed ahead to open the way back to Hell per Blitzo's request. "Come on, Looney Tooney! Let's go back and park out fat fucking car in our fat fucking space!" Blitzo didn't let up on bragging his victory to the leaving form of Verosika. I.M.P, minus Lincoln, jumped through the portal.
Verosika continues walking, but could feel it when Blitzo jumped back up to deliver two middle fingers, making her growl. She and her crew walked up to the streets through the stairs but are soon met with various guns pointed at them. They huddled together in fear, with Coco holding Apple protectively close as they were surrounded by police, a clown for some reason, and a mine robot. "Put your hands up, you sick deviants! We got a lot of complaints!" a cop demanded.
"Didn't we also get some calls about murders?"
"Those were probably prank calls like the fish monster one."
Mildly annoyed, Verosika put her arms up in surrender. "Okay, sluts." her crew looked at her. "You know the drill. Time to suck a lot of pig dick." She said, They all grumbled and surrendered as well. "Quit bitching. You wanna be let free or not?"
Just as a cop walked with handcuffs, he became encased in ice. Similar to him, the entire police force was frozen solid in a blink of an eye, startling the group.
"The ice will melt in about 5 hours! I think that's plenty of time for you!" They see Lincoln as he was about to enter the portal, casting the spell. With all the wanton murders going on, these officers were less concerned about that and the giant fish monster sightings which didn't sit well with him. It appears I.M.P is starting to rub off on him. "Hope this makes us even and I thought your song sounded nice! Didn't really get it and only heard it through a bathroom, and I'm more into rock, but it was catchy." he goes through the portal and it closes.
Stunned silence befell the disguised demons, their eyes wide with disbelief over what the human boy just did for them. He didn't even ask for something he wanted, he just did it. It was weird, but amazing at the same time.
The bewildered expressions of the Succubi morph into smiles.
"Aw, not only is that kid a total cutie, but he's a total sweetheart too!" Apple gushed in admiration of Lincoln's kindness.
"That settles it. Next time we see him, it's special reward time, baby." Coco decided, wrapping her arm around Apple's waist and her girlfriend agreed.
Milky grinned at Kiki. "Wonder if we can borrow him for a 'playdate' when he's off the clock."
Kiki hummed, pleased with that idea. "Can hardly wait."
Vortex chuckles to himself, more grateful than any of them. Just as Loona was looking out for him, Lincoln seemed well versed in looking out for others, like it came naturally for him. "Guess I know where the girl gets that from."
Ace just scoffed, but he and the Incubi couldn't deny their own appreciation. "I...suppose that was pretty cool of the shrimp. It was kind of alright." He quickly added. "You know, just kind of."
"Not like this makes us best buddies now." Josh said. "We could've handled it ourselves."
"Really?" Kat asked. "I nearly pissed my pants, you guys."
When Verosika first met Lincoln, she saw a chance to get back at Blitzo for breaking the heart of a Succubus. His nervous jitters were just so cute, and now, he displayed a show of genuine compassion that's not common in Hell, or even among all the humans in the world. Earth or Hell, there are a lot of beings who cling to an "every man for himself" mentality, but such a philosophy didn't seem to corrupt that boy's considerate nature.
She found that warm feeling returning. A kind of feeling that hadn't shown up, not since her relationship with Blitzo ended, a feeling she never thought she'd feel again, yet Lincoln managed to make it resurface without even trying.
Verosika smiled to herself.
Somebody like Lincoln is wasted with Blitzo and his team, his was a soul never found often.
Today was very challenging, and she loved a good challenge. He managed to escape from her clutches, not an easy feat and that served only to increase her drive for a new goal.
"We'll see each other again. That's a promise, Linky". Verosika said. A sentiment shared with the women of her crew, she wasn't alone in gaining an interest in the kid, showing that his complications just got a lot more complicated.