Chapter Text
On a TV screen, it buzzed momentarily until it cleared completely, changing to an unmanned channel, with the screen displaying a hybrid imp with a rattlesnake-like tail and was wearing an outfit that looked more fitting for a cowboy than someone that lived in imp city. Then a tall succubus with shorts and a revealing top stepped into the camera as well and finally another imp that had a ruffly bang covering her eye stepped in, smiling and waving at the camera. The three were all carrying weapons, axes and hand guns and posed in confidence
“Well howdy all sinners out there.” The hybrid imp was the first one to speak, tipping his hat to the camera with a smirk, “The name’s Striker, the founder and boss of the company, D.E.M.O.N.S.”
A logo of the company suddenly appeared on the screen with big, red bold letters, right in front of the other two demons faces, making them frustrated as they looking at Striker expectantly,
“Mh? Oh yeah,” Striker merely shrugged, looking back into the camera as he barely acknowledged them with a lazy wave, “And this is my employees Verosika and Sallie Mae."
Before Striker could say anything more, the pink succubus suddenly pushed him to the side “Forget about him, listen to me folks!”
She then turned to the camera with a seductive face, patting her black lips with her clawed finger, “Tell me: Are you a jerking dickwad who got sent down here by your own shitty actions, or are you just an innocent soul who got screwed over by someone else?” She asked as she made hand job motions with her hands then snapped sharply at the potential audience behind the television screen,
At that, the third demon stepped in front of Verosika with her axe out, placed over her shoulder as she smiled almost manically, looking ready to attack or kill, “Well luckily for you, thanks to our company’s special access to the living world, we can help you take care of your unfinished business by taking out anyone who screwed you over when you were alive!”
“It was my line!” Striker shouted as he tried to push Sallie Mae and Verosika so only he could be seen
“Not anymore!”
"Augh! This is stupid! Vortex, turn off the camera!”
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The tension in the meeting room of the D.E.M.O.N.S. headquarters was silent and chilly. Every employee was seated at the long meeting table with Verosika and Sallie Mae sitting right next to each other, holding hands under the table with Veropsika giving Sallie’s hand a soft squeeze. Sallie Mae was blabbering about her last successful kill last mission and Verosika listened intensely, looking at her dreamily.
Vortex, the company’s receptionist and hellhound sat at the opposite side of the table from the couple. He was carefully reading some documents as he pushed his tiny reading glasses up his nose. His full attention was on the papers,
A sudden door creek interrupted the peace in the office, making the three demons snaps their head in the entre doors direction,
The company’s boss, Striker dragged his feet inside the office, his hands on his hips as a rattlesnake sound came from his scaled tail.
“Alright, I'm back from coffee break. Now stop lazing around and listen here,” Striker grumbled as he combed his messy hair back with his taloned hands. Striker then smoked the last bit of the burned out cigarette he had before he tipped the cigarette ash, letting it slowly fall to the floor, not seeming to care about the mess as he walked towards the billboard,
Placing his hand on the meeting table, his claws rhythmically tapped on the surface, his yellow snake eyes looking at his employees expectantly,
”Right, I know that business has been slow lately, and it ain’t anyone's fault! I ain’t going to say any names here…Verosika.” Striker turned a quick look to Verosika with his hands clasped,
Verosika made an offended face but didn’t get a chance to argue back or even scoff at Striker before he just switched the subject as he walked back and forth, like a drill sergeant.
“So does anyone know what we can do to help improve the business?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. “Come on now, no ideas are bad unless they are, which are very often when it comes to you.”
All the employees hummed in sync, pondering over a solution for only a few seconds before Sallie Mae raised her hand up into the air, waving in frantically in the same mannerism of an excited schoolkid,
“Oh! How about we open up a bar?! I can steal all those cheap strong beers from the wrath ring.” Sallie Mae clapped her hands together
Striker just grumbled and rubbed his temples in annoyance, “Sallie, this is a killing business, not a liquor store.”
Vortex ticked his chin for a moment before he snapped his fingers, “Oh, how about a billboard?”
“Not bad, son.” Striker nodded at Vortex in approval, though his grouchy facial expression barely changing
“Can we even afford a billboard though?” Verosika asked in a bored tone while carefully applying eyeliner on herself by using a kitchen knife to form out the line,”Those are expensive.”
“We can just put our banner over the billboard right there.” Striker shrugged as he walked towards the huge windows and pointed at the billboard he was referring to, which was just another ad for Overlord Husk’s casino,
“What if we get caught?”
Smirking darkly, Striker swiftly pulled out his gun and put it demonstrably to the side of his head, “Put them to sleep.”
“Ugh, this company is such a mess.” Verosika rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she sunk down into her chair,
“Well, you both chose to work here so suck it up.”
“You didn’t want us to sell liquor that can actually bring us some attention around this neighborhood but you go on with Vortex’s?” Sallie Mae asked as she gestured her hands to Vortex who were still reading through some fine prints,
“Don’t be upset just because Tex actually uses his brain unlike you two,”
“Pops, please.” Vortex groaned, feeling embarrassed that Striker put him above the others,
“Not now, Tex, the adults are talking.” Striker dismissed Vortex, snapping his fingers in front of his nose, as if Vortex was still a child in need for guidance
“He’s 23.” Verosika deadpanned,
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“..Eh, ey, pops!” Vortex called out as he held the company’s only chord telephone at his secretary desk,
”Princess Stella is on the phone, she’s demanding to talk to you now!” Vortex informed, nervousness being very evident in his tone as his large paws gripped onto the the smaller phone and over the microphone part of it,
Striker stopped stirring in his coffee cup, his head perking up immediately by the mention of that damned name,
“Now?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing
“Yeah, now.” Vortex declared, serious and stern
Striker paused for a moment but then just sighed in apathy as he pinched the bridge of his snout,“J-just tell her that I'm on lunch. I’ll deal with it later.”
Striker combed his hair back with his hands, his claws going through the thick, white hair locks as he groaned, “Fuck, you get under the sheets with a royal once and they get this clingy.” he mutterd, anger bubbling in his throat as he felt exhausted, overworked and currently had no time to deal with more drama for the day,
“Why don’t you just block her number? That worked on all my shitty exes” Verosika asked as she was lounging on the couch as she was chewing a mouthful of greasy chips that left crumbs all over her and the couch cousins,
Sighing, Striker crossed his arms, his finger ticking his arm, “Look, if I hadn't slept with that privileged blueblood royal, none of us would’ve gotten access to earth.”
“Wha…?” Sallie Mae blinked
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Right when Striker woke up with a groan and sat up on the soft, bouncy mattress under him, the headache hit it immediately and he hissed as he instinctively held his throbbing head, already regretting the actions, the repulsive decisions he made last night when he was barely conscious, drunk on expensive wine and failed to just grab what he needed and get out of here right after.
Tangling himself out of the silken sheets and covers he woke up in that covered his newly bruised and claw marked body, along with crayon white feathers that was stuck in his hair or in his mouth top which he immediately coughed and spit out.
It was then he felt a weight on the queen sized bed beside him, a taller and more curvy silhouette who were barely snoring as she slept deeply. Princess Stella whose gorgeous body was covered by the silk sheets, her beak smushed in her ruined lipstick and her feathers were still all ruffled up from last night's events. She was hugging her pillow, sleeping soundly and seemingly relaxed.
Looking at her, Striker almost blushed at her sleeping form before he came to his sense as slapped himself in the head, harshly,
“Fucking great, Striker. Just fucking great….!” He muttered, feeling disgusted by himself.
He felt utterly dirty and repulsed by himself for sleeping with a blue blood of all creatures he could’ve laid with. He hated royals, he hated for everything they stand for, for everything they condone and perpetuate while treating Strikers kind like dirt under their boots. Yet he had done it, he had spent a full night with a Goetia on her own damn anniversary ball, in her room, drank her wine, talked with her like she was a commoner and then when they were intoxicated enough, kissed and now it ended up like this…
Before Striker knew it, he scrambled out of the bed, found his scattered clothes on the diamond floor and put them on in a hurry, feeling like he had stayed here long enough as he also found a chili sauce shot he kept in his cowboy hat in case of an emergency. With no hesitation, Striker downed it, feeling the strong sauce jumpstarting his tastebuds and his head immediately felt a lot better.
Just as he put on his belt, Striker noticed something pink and glowing in the corner of the room; It was Stella’s portal crystal. Striker’s snake eyes shimmered at the sight of it and didn’t bat an eye before he immediately took it, his greedy claws caressing it carefully. At least he got what he wanted.
Figuring that the guards and servants would be out working in the castle halls by now, Striker figured out that jumping out the windows would be the best option. Striker sneaked quietly in order not to wake up Stella who was mumbling in her sleep. Once Striker had reached the balcony, his mind was still throbbing from the night before and he slipped on the balcony rails, falling straight forward before he had a chance to regain his balance.
“Fuck!” Striker screamed as he fell from a high length until he landed into something soft, mushy and also something that smells kind of sweet, like sugar?
Recovering from the fall, Striker grumbled as he sat up, only to quickly realize that he sat in a now destroyed cake with its frosting and cake parts all over him. Around him sat three, sophisticated looking Goetia men who were now covered in what was left of the ruined cake, their royal attires smudged in frosting and such as they looked stunned, still processing what just happened as moments ago they were just in a middle of sharing tea and sweets while they discussed Hell’s monarchy.
One of the Goetia men was none other than Stolas, one of Paimon's many sons, guardian of the stars and most importantly; Stella’s wife.
Cracking an awkward grin, Striker shrugged while sweating as he could almost taste the rising anger in the Goetia prince,
“Sorry, I slept with your wife last night."
Was all that Striker could say before he ran off with the crystal, though once he sprinted out of the castle’s property, he heard some distant screaming between Stella and Stolas
“WHAT. THE. FUCK WAS THAT STELLA!?”
“THAT, was the sound…..of a FUCKING AFFAIR, STOLAS!”