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Parties at the Ministry can sometimes get a little…wild. That’s understandable given that they are organized and attended by people who worship Satan and all he stands for. However, being a Satanist doesn’t equal living in absolute chaos, although some hellish creatures like to thrive in it when unsupervised. Said beings in this case belong to a group of ghouls and ghoulettes that got too excited during a Black Mass held upon their return from a lengthy tour leg around the Old Continent.
All that can be said about the incident is that copious amounts of alcohol were drunk, a bunch of pieces of tableware were broken (alongside a few important and priceless objects), and a small fire was started, which was promptly put out before it got out of control. All in all, no living beings were harmed, only inanimate objects. Still, Sister Imperator’s anger was enough to deal out punishments to those responsible for wreaking havoc that night.
That, combined with a long-standing plan to improve the Ghost Project’s image around the world and make them more likable to the general public, was enough for a sentence to be dealt. The seven demons in attendance to that party, and who took part in the pandemonium, were made to volunteer for a whole day to help out at a local animal shelter in a bigger town nearby the abbey.
Initially, most of them complained and tried to bargain for a different verdict, not wanting to help out in that particular sort of place given different reasons. But since Seestor didn’t budge on her final decisions for anybody (except for the Cardinal, sometimes), there was nothing they could do or say to make her change her mind.
So, they ended up going alongside Copia and a few Siblings of Sin, who volunteered their help but were also meant to assist in keeping the demons in check.
Those most reticent to the whole affair were most of the ghouls since they either didn’t care for animals in general or just simply didn’t want to deal with the chaotic and filthy nature of what their objective entailed. In contrast, the ghoulettes were excited to be able to spend a whole day with cute animals, not caring about having to get their hands dirty in the process.
Either way, the demon most invested in the entire experience was Aether, who saw it more as an opportunity than a punishment. That’s because the quintessence ghoul had been feeling terrible for the Cardinal ever since he was forced to participate in the rat extermination that took place on the Ministry’s property a while back.
At first, he wasn’t aware of what led to that situation happening at all, but later on, Copia himself confessed his secret, about having smuggled his pet rats into the abbey and a little bit of negligence on his part leading to a full-blown infestation that they later had to deal with. The man was so honest about his feelings then, expressing his remorse and heartbreak regarding losing the very few “friends” he had throughout the years, that the demon couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him.
Eventually, that led Aether to start thinking about things he could do to help cheer up the Cardinal because, no matter how much the clergyman pretended to be alright, the rhythmic guitarist knew he truly wasn’t. A void was left inside Copia after he had to part with his beloved rat companions; a void that Aeth tried and failed time and time again to help fill out.
Every fix that he came up with was only temporary ‒if it worked at all‒, and his ultimate plan of getting at the very least a single rat to act as a sort of replacement for the former ones, never came to completion since he feared being found out by Imperator or Nihil.
In the end, he felt hopeless. Until, one fateful day, it was announced that they would be going to help out at an animal shelter. Then, Aether had a brilliant idea.
Dewdrop was the first one to exit the bus transporting the band and their small entourage. He had been complaining the whole ride, much to everyone else’s detriment. And since none of them could manage to shut him up despite their repeated threats, he complained once more right after stepping out of the vehicle, with his bandmates following suit, and while looking up at the animal shelter’s welcoming sign.
“This is dumb. What are we gonna do here anyway? All animals hate us.”
“They don’t hate us, Dewey, they hate you,” Cirrus assured with a sickly sweet tone, patting him on the head before getting her hand swatted away. “It’s all a matter of attitude and personality, sweetie. And yours is rotten to the core.”
“Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me,” he sneered, a menacing smile hidden behind his mask.
“Guys, please stay focused,” Aether admonished lightly. “This isn’t only a publicity stunt, we’re also here as a punishment.”
Despite Aether’s attempt to get the others to behave and pay attention, Cumulus disregarded his words completely, voicing instead her excitement about being there.
“I just want to pet every fluffy dog I see!”
She didn’t really care why they were there, she was just happy to be able to spend the day alongside cute animals who wanted love and attention. Nevertheless, Rain wasn’t sharing her enthusiasm, given that he was more worried about what the animals could do to them than about what they could do to the animals.
“What if cats scratch us?”
“You scratch ‘em back!” Swiss suggested with a bright tone and a wide smile.
“That’s a terrible idea. Don’t do that,” Mountain advised then, being the voice of reason.
While the ghouls and ghoulettes were chattering amongst themselves, the Cardinal had been reminding the Siblings of Sin of the strict instructions they were meant to follow, given out by Seestor before the bus departed the abbey. Those directions regard making sure the demons behave somewhat decently while being in the shelter, as well as intervening whenever what could be interpreted as a tense situation arose, either between them and the people running the shelter or them and the animals.
Only after everyone was clear on what their directives were, did they exit the bus as well, with the Siblings standing behind the musicians and Copia walking all the way to the front of the group in order to speak to his bandmates before entering the place.
“Alright, boys and girls! We’re finally here,” Copia announced, calling their attention. “Now, remember, play nice with the humans and the animals, okay? We don’t want anyone or anything to get harmed, do we now?”
The demons all collectively gave negative answers that were voiced with varying degrees of excitement or resignation.
“Well then, let’s go!”
After introductions were made between the abbey residents and the shelter workers, the latters led the formers on a little tour around the facility, showing them every area before they would allow them to interact with the animals. And, of course, they also went through all the rules and recommendations before that as well, to make sure that they all were on the same page regarding safety guidelines.
Once all that was out of the way, little groups scattered around the shelter, taking turns inside each designated area to be able to interact with as many animals as possible. In the meantime, the workers explained the animals’ backstories besides some general information about them such as names, breeds, biological sexes, and the like. Despite the shelter housing mostly cats and dogs, they also had other kinds of rescued animals such as different breeds of birds and rodents such as hamsters.
Each of the demons had a different experience, although they weren’t all as unpleasant as some of them expected. In the end, most of them had a great time at the shelter, actually.
The Cardinal, as the frontman of the band and the face of the Ministry, was the one to take the spotlight in the photoshoot carried out by a couple of the Siblings accompanying them. He posed with all kinds of cats and dogs (as well as employees) and played with them in between takes. He kept making lighthearted jokes and barking at the dogs as if in response, attempting to imitate them. That was deemed cute, even though a little odd, by the people working there and some other visitors as well.
At the same time, the ghoulettes were having a jolly time of their own. Cirrus enjoyed the birds’ area the most since she managed to get them to sing along with her as she harmonized with their chirps. Those that were with the keyboardist were blown away by her ability to perfectly mimic the singing of the birds to an almost uncanny level.
In another room of the building, Cumulus was petting all the animals inside, which were dogs of various breeds and sizes. She also cooed to them as if they were babies and didn’t pass on the opportunity to hold in her arms every single one that the workers offered her. She repeated the same MO throughout the whole shelter as she went from one area to the next. All in all, every animal that encountered her ended up very happy with all the treats and pets they got from the air ghoulette.
However, the ghouls were a different matter.
The two demons who had a good time while at the shelter were Swiss and Mountain. While the drummer managed to chill with the oldest residents of the shelter, both cats and dogs, sitting on the floor of whatever room he was in and eventually getting surrounded by napping animals, the multi-instrumentalist thrived in chaos as always. Because, for some reason, his company was preferred by the younger animals, such as puppies and kittens. Whatever area Swiss walked into, he ended up with a lap full of pups, or a dozen kitties climbing his body all the way to his silver mask.
And as if that weren’t enough, older cats kept rubbing against his legs and rolling around near his feet. It almost seemed as if the multi ghoul was made of catnip or something. For the life of them, the caretakers just couldn’t figure out the reason behind all the attention the animals were giving him in particular. Still, they didn’t comment much on it and everyone just went on with the visit.
The only two who had a rather bad time were Dewdrop and Rain, with the former being avoided by all animals while the latter was being practically harassed by them.
As the bassist was chased down and cornered by playful dogs the most, excitedly looking for the water ghoul to play with them, the lead guitarist was repelling every animal he came across with. It wasn’t even intentional on his part, something in his nature must have terrorized the poor animals. Something that wasn’t present in any of the other Hell-born creatures. Maybe Cirrus was right, after all, given that none of the animals at the shelter got near him, dogs cowered in fear whenever he got too close, and cats either ran away from him or attempted to attack him.
In the end, he had to keep as much distance from the animals as possible, looking from afar as his bandmates played and petted them as if they were their own pets. And even though he acted like and alleged that he preferred it that way, the truth was that he felt a little hurt by the rejection, hence why he didn’t want to go in the first place, knowing that it would happen. Still, there was nothing he could do about it.
Worst part for him was that since everyone was too preoccupied with the animals, no one was paying attention to him to even notice his downcast demeanor. Not even Aether was there to try to console him.
After all, the quintessence ghoul was on a mission of his own, looking at every dog in the shelter in search of a suitable companion for the Cardinal. The rhythmic guitarist was dead set on getting the singer a dog as a pet, thinking that would help the man with the loneliness and sorrow he still felt over his missing rats. Although, the acquisition was supposed to be a secret and a surprise for the Cardinal. Thus why he ended up enrolling Swiss and Rain in his plan to distract Copia while he signed the paperwork to adopt a little Jack Russell Terrier pup.
While Aether filled out the paperwork and Rain and Swiss kept Copia entertained, the Siblings quickly gathered the rest of the demons, wrapping up the visit that was coming to its end. After playing, feeding, cleaning, and caring for the animals, they were ready to head back to the abbey. The workers thanked them profusely, making the Cardinal blush and promise to promote the shelter on the band’s social media accounts so that people would contribute by making donations or adopting some of the animals. He even promised to organize a giveaway of the band’s merch that would collect either money or food and medicine for the shelter.
It was when the Siblings and most of the band members were waiting in front of the building, alongside the bus, that Copia decided to cheerfully ask his bandmates how their visit had gone. He started out with Mountain since the earth ghoul was the closest to him at the moment.
“So, did you have fun today?”
“Yeah, although, some of the cats hissed at Dew,” the drummer answered in his accustomed deadpan delivery. “He hissed back every time.”
“Oh. Well, you know, the little fellow can be a little over drama‒”
The Cardinal was unimpressed by the fire ghoul’s antagonistic demeanor, thus why he paid it no mind. However, Mountain’s next words –which warned about the quintessence ghoul’s secret deed–, that interrupted him mid-sentence, definitely took him by surprise.
“Also, Aether adopted a dog.”
“Wait, what?!”
Copia started panicking at that instant. Not because he didn’t want a dog, or any pet for that matter (even though he still missed his beloved rats dearly), but because he feared what Imperator might do to them if they went back with unexpected company. He was sure Seestor wouldn’t take to the idea, even if a dog would be an “improvement” compared to the rodents the Cardinal used to care for. Still, the man worried.
Yet when Aether finally exited the shelter, holding the puppy in his arms while a worker carried a bag with food, toys, some medicine, and a bed, Copia found himself unable to tell him to take the pup back. Instead, he sighed deeply and told everyone to get into the bus, thanking the worker as he took the bag and before stepping into the vehicle as well. Like that, the group of Satanic worshipers left the shelter behind.
Once they reached the abbey, the Siblings went on their own separate ways, looking to rest after a long day. Most of the ghouls and ghoulettes did the same, leaving Aether and Copia to smuggle the dog into the Cardinal’s quarters. They didn’t want to be caught like that by either Imperator or Nihil, preferring to tell them about the adoption in a more controlled manner and environment.
Nevertheless, things took a turn when, whilst playing, the three-month-old puppy –named Donatello, by Cumulus– bit the Cardinal in the ass, hard enough to break through the fabric of his pants and even his skin. And even though the bite wasn’t too deep nor bleeding much, it would still require a trip to the hospital in order to get a rabies shot. Just in case.
It was Copia’s yelp of pain and surprise that caught Sister Imperator’s attention, as she was walking nearby. She burst into the Cardinal’s room, worried about his wellbeing, and found the man on his hands and knees on the floor with an alarmed Aether worriedly looking at his ass. Jumping around them was a puppy, barking in an attempt to garner their attention.
“Oh, Cardi, what did you do now?”
“I’m afraid this is my fault, Sister.”
Aether began to explain the situation as well as apologize while stuttering a bit. But before he could fully take the blame, Copia asked for Seestor’s mercy.
“It is not my boy. I allowed this to happen, so I am entirely to blame for this.”
Amidst the conversation, the puppy kept barking, forcing Aether to pick it up in order to soothe the stressed animal. Meanwhile, Imperator watched Copia sit on his good butt cheek with some difficulty and thought of how to handle the problem in the most civilized way.
She didn’t need either of them to tell her what was going on, she could deduce it by putting all the pieces together. The visit to the shelter, the arrival of a new “family member”, and the attempts from the man and the demon to take the blame. She understood that the puppy was meant to serve as a replacement for his former pets. That’s why she didn’t want to be too cruel with her scolding, ‘cause she still felt guilty over forcing him to get rid of the rodents, despite knowing it was for the best.
“Doesn’t matter whose fault it is. We can’t keep the little fellow,” she said, pointing at the cowering dog in the ghoul’s arms.
“But–”
“We can’t take it back to the shelter, Sister…”
Aether and Copia’s objections were quickly silenced by a raised hand from the woman.
“No one is giving it back to the shelter, boys. We’ll find him a family that’ll take good care of him.”
With that, Seestor settled the matter once and for all, assuring the two others that the dog would be given to a local family that would love and cherish him the way he deserved. At least, that served to ease the singer’s and the guitarist’s minds.
Nevertheless, after the whole ordeal (and with Copia receiving the pertinent vaccines), Seestor changed her mind about the “no pets allowed” rule the abbey held for so long. That’s how the band ended up going back to the shelter, this time looking for a cat. One that could keep the abbey rat-free, even though there had been no rats since they got rid of the initial infestation.
Everybody grew to love that cat (even most of the ghouls and ghoulettes), named Orange by one of the Siblings because of his fur color. He made the abbey his home and has been enjoying lounging in the library and the cool corridors during the warmer days, as well as rolling around the gardens and taking naps under the sun when the cold struck. Only little problem that persisted was the feud between Orange and Dewdrop.
The cat and the fire ghoul didn’t get along in the least; the animal hissed at him and scratched him every time they crossed paths. And, not wanting to concede victory to the small creature, the demon always responded in kind. Sans the scratching, of course.
In case anyone was wondering, Nihil pretended that he hated the cat, despite Orange loving taking naps atop his lap. He also took every opportunity available to remind Copia that he got bitten in the ass by a puppy, just for shits and giggles, obviously. And, as far as everyone in the Ministry knew, Donatello was doing fine with his new family.