Just Checking Up! Part Thirty-Seven: The Power of Connections

Silks:

“I love you, my queen.” Rip sang adorably, Cal dusting off his matching dark gray suit. "The boss man demanded a meeting with us. Hang out with your dad or something. Shal has the twins, and Avery for the day as well. He mumbled something about teaching him magic. The sheer amount of paperwork should have drowned you alive. Please enjoy your day off for your strong king.” Shooting him a thumbs up, a smooch to my forehead announced him leaving. Hovering in my kitchen awkwardly, the soft cotton of Rip’s simple black dress shirt grazed my hourglass figure. Kicking on a pair worn black combat boots, life had a bit of tossing surprises on the daily. Plucking the fuzzy balls off of my solid gray tights, my old man would be down any minute. Nerves brewed from the constant stream of attacks, not from hanging out with him.

“Any plans today?” He asked excitedly, a twinkle shimmering in his eyes as he dusted off an embroidered Gothic ash gray suit. “Getting to know you is my newest goal, my dear.” Laughing softly between tugging on a pair of black leather gloves, his fingers ran through his wild waves. Shrugging my shoulders, nothing was coming to mind.

A crash sent me skidding towards the door into Hell, Dade stumbling in after me. Tripping into a scene of utter chaos, murdered council members sat dead in their chairs. Swallowing the lump in my throat, a chill ran up my back. Stepping up next to me, his hand rested on my shoulder. Drops of orange water spoke of the murderer, furious gang members banging on the door. Pacing back and forth, retribution would be deserved. Approaching the heavy door cautiously, my father ripped me back from answering it.

“Not now. They won’t listen to you.” He whispered harshly into my ear, their bodies decaying into piles of ash. “Proof, we need fucking proof.” Glancing back at him, the very concept of gathering it sounded like a nightmare. A slow clap shut down my retort, a towering demon stepping into view. Iridescent green scales glinted in the rich moonlight, dark aquatic eyes clicking in my direction. More scales scraped in the shadows, the crowd dispersing on the other side of the door. Tripping back, a creak exposed me to empty streets bustling with her minions. Every breath shortened, black flame vines roaring to life. Cutting my palm on the closet fence, two wooden spikes appeared in my quaking palms. Flames twisted into dual scythes, glowing eyes flitting over to us.

“Try to run Hell without that council or demons for that matter!” She cackled everywhere but nowhere. “Your queen has no council because of me. How delightful! Stand behind me or her! I officially declare a war with your darling Silks! Pick the winning side and walk away my men.” Standing with bated breath, not one demon left with her minions. Exhaling a sigh of relief, darkness devoured the sky.

“So much for that small amount of freaking peace.” I hissed under my breath sarcastically, orange raindrops splattering to life. “You have to be fucking kidding me! Get inside if you aren’t already! That is an order!” Summoning an umbrella of orange fire lilies over the city, rain drops dribbled through the petals. Nodding once with my father, his vines shot into the umbrella. Reinforcing the structure, the monsters had nowhere to go. Impaling a few with expanding vines, a quiet fear hid underneath my determined grin. Charging ahead, slices into the gill decayed them to a sloshy mess of wet ash. Moving on without a second thought, vines blocked several near fatal blows. Striking down the last one, a tear tossed me into some sort of sleek lobby. Frightened demons jumped behind what they could, Musette sauntering in. Her long lace gown swayed with every step, the midnight blue satin shimmering with fresh blood.

“Hello, Musette!” I growled through gritted teeth, our scythes bouncing off of our palms in a similar manner. “Give a woman some time to prepare a damn counter attack. Oh, I forgot! Patience isn’t your virtue.” Charging at each other, scarlet steam curled into the air with every violent clash. Deal enough damage to get her out of here and heal the harmed, I thought calmer to myself. A good queen doesn’t back down! A good queen doesn’t let trouble bring her down!

“How adorable for you to assume that I care about such a trivial thing as patience!” She cackled triumphantly, our bodies sliding centimeters past each other. “Someone is putting up a hell of a fight today! Maybe a bit of pride for you does exist! No, never mind.” Pirouetting on our toes, our hair twirled around us. Tracking a wiggle in her ankle, an accepted blow brought me down to knees. Smashing my elbow into her ankle, sheer strength shattered the bone in her leg. Collapsing into a heap, water stole her away. Catching my breath, heads poked up over their hiding spots.

“Sorry for that. Let me cleanse this space for extra safety.” I laughed warmly, a press of my palms blooming a field of fire lilies. “Cleanse this land of any evil, not good intentioned demons. Protect them from any shadows. No evil shall step across the city limits. Blossom a world of peace.” Blowing up the petals, a fiery orange flame dome crackled to life. A tiny baby demon with pretty navy skin toddled out to me, her silver dress floated up with each clumsy footfall. A cut glistened on her skin, inky tears swimming in her pretty silver eyes. Hovering my palm over the small incision, hot flames cooked into a rough scar. Giggles twinkled in the air, a gentle mother with flowing silver hair and matching silver eyes bounded up to me. Bracing myself for a series of scathing beratements, her flurry of thank yous unsettled me. Fussing with her navy skin, her fingers clung to her silver leather dress as she curtsy inches from me. A line of injured demons gathered behind her, all of them regarding me in the kindest of intentions. Passing her the cute baby, her husband spun off next to them with relieved expressions.

“Healing the hearts might be the way into their loyalty.” My father spoke stiffly, his trembling hand lingering on my shoulder. “I may not be able to heal but use my energy if you need it.” Nodding once, hard work began. Toiling through the line, his vines creaked through an easy repair of buildings. Finishing up with the last one, a pleasant music drifted in the air, befuddlement twisting my features. Rising to my feet, my father trailed behind me. A full festival slapped me in the face, Rip waving at me from the door of the council room. Cal and his family danced by him, guilt eating at me. Dade swayed with the twins, something feeling off. Not bad off, but mentally off.

“Mom!” Avery shouted gleefully, his cute skull embroidered Victorian suit bouncing as he leapt into my open arms. “We leave for a day and you earn a party.” Choosing to hide the fact that she proclaimed war against me personally, the healed demons continued to party in my honor. Mumbling out a shaky right, a new level of stress had been placed on my shoulder. Rory spun up to him in a bright rainbow silk dress, her hand reaching for his. Burying him in one last bear hug, the two of them danced back into our line of sight. Excusing myself, a brush past everyone brought me back into the original source of failure. Seven new cloaked figures sat in the chairs, blood contracts waiting for me to sign them.

“Why?” I wept openly, no answers hitting my ears. “Your bosses bit the dust because of me. My bitchy mother killed them no problem and you still want to help me.” The shortest one rose to their feet, the hood fluttering to the floor. If jaws could detach, mine would. A petite female demon stood strong and proud, her baby blue pigtails swinging away. Violet eyes fired to life, her cute violet and white corset kimono spoke of lust. A violet heart tail twitched through a fit of pure annoyance, her inky black lips curled into a sadistic smirk.

“Orchid Lustix is my name. That fucking witch killed my father and revenge will be mine!” She announced furiously, that determination never leaving her eyes. “Besides, your old man and you took on those blasted minions together. How could I not stand behind you? The way this demon sees it, you represent the winning side! Right, guys! Turn that frown upside down and let’s take her fucking down!” Agreeing with whole-hearts, a fire woke up in my soul. Flipping over to me, her abrupt embrace caused my back to straighten. Must friendship be so difficult to accept or did the lack of trust have to torture me for an eternity?

“Okay.” I choked out between sniffles, a bit of an imp scent blending into that succubus smell. “How about we start over? I am Silks, the Queen of Hell. I would be honored to have you on my side. Consider those contracts signed.” Making my way with her glued to my side, the terms were the same as their parents. Shoving the guilt down, several signatures confirmed a solid council. Joining the party one by one, Orchid remained behind, a pensive silence hanging in the air. Sensing she was the leader of the friend group, her gentle eyes bore into my quivering ones. No way in fucking hell did I deserve this treatment, her kindness knowing no bounds.

“Trauma haunts you. How could you not be blamed? Your day has been literal hell.” She sighed sympathetically, her sleeve grazing my cheek as she wiped away a couple of tears. “Royalty like you is one in a million. Perhaps being human for a time certainly helps a crown learn their basic manners. I watched you take the time to heal the wounded. Every other stuffed shirt hid for five hundred years, or pulled off piss poor attempts to repair the obvious cracks. How about some tea? As a succubus, I take pride in my tea.” Stumbling over to the table, her slender hands forced me to sit down at the head of the table. Humming a spell, a pretty orchid painted tea kit floated onto the table. Arranging baby blue rocks into a marble bowl, a snap of my fingers had flames swaying in her miniature burner. Thanking me via a sweet smile, the art clearly was part of her culture. Each move was a dance move, wonder cutting my dread in half. No wonder that district had such wonderful reviews. Clanking snapped me out of my trance, her eager eyes brightening at me picking up her breathtaking tea cup.

“Drink up! This is as demon safe as you get. We may not be able to eat but potions aren’t off limits.” She giggled nonchalantly, her palms pressing together. That blasted tattoo of my mark captured my eyes, guilt flashing in my eyes. Gone was her freedom of choice, every cell in me wanting to run away. Glass rattled in my trembling palms, her hands curling around mine. Hugging me from behind, her chin lay on my head. Exuding immense sister energy, any shakiness melted away. Why was she so trustworthy? Bearing that mark did help, the dark side of it nearly striking me once more.

“Silks, please relax my dear friend. We drew up the contracts first. We walked up to the table first, knowing full well that one attempt on you is the end of us. Hell, you seem too nice to want to back stab us.” She pleaded sweetly, her fingers tracing the top of my teacup. “Try to ditch that guilt and know Hell is on your side.” Voices called for her, her flats barely touching the floor on the way out.

“Nice to see so much unity in Hell.” Shal mused as he entered in by himself, his simple black dress shirt and dress pants speaking of a casual evening. “Fright had me in knots when my new friend sent out that distress signal. Fortunately, you succeeded. Well, in more ways than one. Can I give you this bit of advice? Actions speak louder than words. They saw you fight for them today. For some reason that was enough. Perhaps we should do a nightly cleanse of Hell to prevent further damage. Do you mind if I have a cup of that tea? Succubus tea is the best in this realm.” Pouring himself a cup, the chair squealed in response as he sank down next to me.

“Sure and I am Santa Clause. She declared war on me. Fucking war.” I blubbered through another wall of tears, my fingers unable to let go of this damn tea. “How do I fix that? How do I undo what I brought upon those poor souls? How many people have to get hurt because of me, damn it!” Sipping his tea a few times, a matching comforting smile to Rip did little to relax my fraying nerves.

“Can I admit something to you?” He sighed freely, his eyes shining with pride. “I never had all seven sins on my side. Not sure how you pulled that off. If anything you are batting above average, kiddo. Think back on all of her fights, did any weaknesses present themselves? I would start there. Screw the party outside. You will have plenty of time to dance. Advice is my role and I will give it.” Scratching at the back of my neck, movies of our fights played out. Pausing every few seconds, only a couple stood out.

“I suppose her composure and her grace. What I mean by that is her ability to move like a dancer as of late. In the last fight, her ankle wiggled a bit.” I pointed out simply, his head nodding while he sipped away. “Another thing is how fragile she is, that bone shattered in seconds.” Setting his cup down gingerly, his lips cocked into a familiar smirk.

“Look at that. You have three things to work with. She isn’t as strong as you. Her bones aren't fully healed or maybe not formed. That can happen when you are resurrected a couple of times. I doubt that with her. Perhaps, proper nourishment hasn’t grazed her in a long time. Grace is more your thing, fire so being so lovely and all.” He pondered out loud, his finger tapping his chin. “How about we train together whenever we can? My powers can’t outshine yours but we can make you faster than her. Compassion is far more powerful than fear. Do remember that, kiddo.” Pouring himself another cup of tea, a snap of his fingers summoned a map of Hell. Dragging his chair closer to me, Rip appearing in the doorway gave me pause. Blowing me a kiss, my breath hitched. Plopping down on the other side of me, the council and Cal found their way in. Avery and Rory played in the corner with the twins. Orchid made sure to hydrate us with tea, plans getting made with ease. Finishing up within a couple of hours, a shadow of my smile remained on my features. Dismissing them to have fun, only Rip remained. Yanking me onto his lap, his lips brushed against the nape of my neck.

“Sorry for the long day, my queen. I am just checking up on you.” He spoke softly, his breath bathing my blushing cheeks. “Nice to see you letting people in. Sucks to see your mother declared war on you. Nice to see your relationship moved on to the teenage years. Look at that progress.” Chuckling at his joke, his humor always made the bad days better.

“Are you suggesting, good sir, that war is normal?” I teased playfully, his loving gaze meeting mine. “How could I not let people help? The council showed up on their own. They have their own causes. Who would I be to deny them?” Picking up that he knew something, his usual smirk gave him away.

“They came to me asking where you might be. Alarm bells rang and we descended upon you healing demons. Orchid told me to hang back so you could win their trust. Although, you probably already won it.” He confessed affectionately, his lips hovering over mine. “On the human end, the fishes have taken the bait. How do you feel about a trip with Cal and stopping a ceremony tomorrow? Fresh files and everything. After that, we can nip the Hell side of things in the bud. Two in one special, my lovely queen.” Snuggling into his chest, every cell in me wanted to crawl into bed.

“Sounds like a damn date to me.” I sang back sweetly, my hands clinging to his suit jacket. “Must you always be my knight in shining armor. Thank you for being the lantern in my evergrowing shadows.” Humming away, his chin rested on the top of my head. Mulling over today’s event, new friends had been made. Although only one had revealed her face, the others would over time. Marks provided safety, my thorn becoming theirs. Getting lost in his deep voice, the song carried me into a new level of lovely serenity.

“I love you, my dear queen!” He sang lovingly, his words sweeping me into welcome slumber.