Chapter Text
Bandit is on top of the couch in the middle of the main room that was outside of both his dad’s office as well as the meeting room for the rest of IMP with his fingers mashing on buttons of his MamSwitch. The game Blob Cart was on as he was racing online. On his head was a pair of headphones with a mic that was given to him by Cora on his previous birthday.
Said person was on the other end and smashing her pink cart into his purple one.
“Still think you’re winning this one?” He smiled as he heard her on the other end through his headphones.
He said nothing before picking up a bonus box and using its cartoonish hammer to smash her engine into pieces. “Oh, I know I am.”
“Hey!” She complained jokingly.
“Rules of the game.” He races off to the finish.
“You’re just mad that I was close to winning this one. Hey, did you want to play Mini Party next?”
He looks up at the clock. “Thought you had to leave by one? Now that I’m readying to destroy you again.”
“No one is destroying anything on my watch,” His dad comes in carrying a large box of papers.
Bandit frowns. “I mean in game dad, shit.”
His dad stopped for a minute before looking back at him. “How do you know what I’m talking about?”
“What do you think I know about what you’re talking about?”
His dad opens his mouth, closes it, before just walking back into his office. Bandit rolls his eyes and starts up the new game.
“Dads are so weird.” Bandit mumbles.
“Yeah, I guess.” Cora remarks, she doesn’t say anything more about it but Bandit feels guilty anyway.
“Sorry, I keep forgetting not to bring up-”
“I know, I know, you’re trying.” He knows she is smiling a tad. “And as for other thing, dad cancelled last minute. He’s busy with other stuff again, dealing with his parents’ busy stuff, you know how it is.”
Bandit rolls his eyes. Yeah, he knows all about that. “Your dad is such a prick.”
She laughs. “I know but you can just say stuff like that.”
Bandit hums as he’s about to start up the new game when his dad sticks his head out of his office. Judging by the look of his lip biting the bottom of his mouth, he knows that what he’s going to say next is going to ruin the rest of his day.
“Hey Bandit...So, I just got a call from Stolas, and I guess I forgot some stuff there at his place last time I was...you know...so your dad here has to go pick it up before home.”
“Okay, cool.” Bandit says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’ll ride home with Loona.”
There's a long silence for a while before he looks up and sees his dad still standing there.
Oh...F-ing no.
“She’s busy, isn’t she?” he asks rhetorically. Damn it Loona, don’t leave him to deal with this!
“It’s just for a little bit, just a quick stop to his place and then we’re out of there!”
He groans loudly as he gets up from his resting spot before telling Cora that he’s got to go soon just as his dad goes back into his office. When she asks why, he tells her just one sentence that has become the bane of his existence.
“We got to deal with the royal bird prick again.”
The sight of the hotel was...certainly something. Chance looked up at the giant red eye sore that stood on top of the hill with mixed feelings as he was led up by both his mother and the sinner that is now in courtship with her. She looks down at him with an awkward smile but mostly has her single pink eye and red cross on his mom.
“I really am so excited that you’ll be with us Chance.” His mother speaks up as she helps by carrying some of his bags, both Razzle and Dazzle are taking care of the rest as they are right behind them. Goldie is nearby, helping and she’s doing such a good job, at least according to him, carrying her things inside her side saddle bags.
His feet are splitting with blisters upon finally making it to the front door.
His mom stands in front of it, “WELCOME TO....”
She pushes it the double doors and steps aside, “THE HAPPY HOTEL!”
Wow, he’s impressed.
It’s a mess everywhere his eye turns with a fridge randomly in the front room with a giant welcome banner high above.
He honestly thought it could've been worse.
His feet take him inside as he minds the mindless trash shoved to different sides of the room carelessly as everyone helps move his bags into the building. Big Yellow eyes of his look up at the sight at the old family paintings of both his mother’s and his own childhood in full display along with the peeling wallpaper of faded red apples.
“I know it’s not a whole lot so far,” His mother voice echos off the walls. “But when we really get something going here, it’s going to be something really special. Right now it’s just a...”
“Work in progress?” said the voice of a less than stellar emotional state.
“Thank you Vaggie, yes a Work-in-Progress!”
He sniffs at that last bit before his eyes continue to wander around the place and at the webs make homes in the corners of the red room.
“Why don’t you have anyone at the palace working here?” He asks, honestly wondering why the property that has been in the Morningstar name for centuries was in such disrepair since mother arrived here not too long ago.
“Good question, but I can do this myself!” He turned back to face her, confused as can be at her unbelievable vague response.
She chooses not to answer him upon seeing someone come walking down the flight of stairs from the far end of the room. The spider in question appeared to be covered in dusty white fur patterned with pink along with a phone in hand, checking it mindlessly with a few hands gliding down the stairs.
“Angel!” His mom cried out with elected surprise.
“That’s the name, don’t overuse it Toots.” He, Chance is guessing the spider is a male though everything else about this demon could state otherwise, quickly walks past him.
“Wait! I want to you to meet-”
“Sorry, got a gig to do and I really don’t have time to-”
Chance’s eyes grow wide upon seeing an angelic spear near the spider's neck.
“You will stop, and you will meet Charlie’s son properly, got it.” The grey tone sinner woman stated with a deep glare up at their single resident. However, rather than be shocked upon seeing such a weapon formed out in the open that threatened his immortal life, the spider stops and looks behind him. His eyes grow wide upon looking down to meet with Chance’s own.
The spider gasps in surprise. “Oh, hi kiddo~ Charlie never mentioned having a 'figlio.'”
His mom frowned a little unsure judging by her darting eyes. “I’m pretty sure I mentioned Chance Angel, but this is my son.” She walked behind him and gently pushed him forward a little. “And he’ll staying with us for a long while!”
She turned to look at him now. “Honey, I told you about Angel Dust, right?”
She waves her hand as if to present Angel to him, “Well here he is!”
Angel laughs faintly, “Nice to meet you short stuff, don’t go in my room and we’ll get along just fine.” He then goes back to heading out the door, this time without being stopped by the silver hair lady with a spear, who just glares silently as the spider departs.
Said lady turns and finally puts away the weapon in question, Chance’s heart rate turning to normal as a result. Why does his mom like the crazy lady, he will never understand.
Castle Stolas was painted to reflect the pinkish red shades on this side of Hell as both Bandit and his dad pulled up past the gates and up to the front door without a guard to stop them in sight. His dad even put the company van in park before turning off the engine. Sitting up front with the window down halfway and the radio played broken rock with the speakers fizzling at the highest of notes. His dad took a few quick breaths, eyes shifting side to side, before opening his door; head turning back and forth in a sudden movement as he slowly walked around to his side.
“Alright, I don’t see the bitch or the guards,” his dad said more to himself than Bandit, his eyes keep shifting around the front of the property. “Keep close until we get inside-"
Suddenly, the front doors of the castle swinged open.
There he was, dad’s owl bank account.
“Blitzy!” Prince Stolas dashes over. Before his dad could say anything, the prince picks him up and kisses him deeply.
"Hey Stolas~" His dad sounded like he was trying to be nice while also being crushed by the bird's arms.
"Oh it feels as though its been forever since we last saw one another!"
After a minute, the prince took notice of him.
“OH!” He placed his dad back on the ground. “You brought your son.”
“Sure, we were back to head back home before you called the office.” His dad explained half-truths. The plan was that dad was going to be working late to catch up on paperwork. Bandit thought they were going to order pizza and split it before heading back home late at night like any other Friday night.
“Well then,” Prince Stolas leaned down his massive form to near Bandit, he even held out his hand. “It’s good to finally meet you properly then, I’m Stolas Goetia of the House of Stolas, but I guess you already knew that.” He awkwardly rubs one of his hands behind his head. “You’re Bandit right?”
His eyes were looking right at him, all red and beady. The sight make his back shiver with his nose filled with thick cologne of some kind. Flowers? What ever it is, it's fucking over welling. His head tilts towards him and takes in the rich flecks his clothes are showing. Pure wealth and zero sense of style.
"Hey," He says looking off towards the plants that are chocking the bit of land around the gates.
Stolas held out his hand for a moment longer before retracting it. “R-right then.”
He then stood back up. “Well, I don’t know how long this will take but you are more than allowed to explore if you’d like, though if you could avoid my bedroom for the time being...” He didn’t say anything further on that front, thank Satan. "Would you like to come inside as well then?"
"Nope."
"Oh well I, umm." He looks like he stammering before his dad cuts in.
"Don't worry, Bandit knows to stay inside the gates and not to just bolt off..." He purposely trails off, looking down at Bandit, almost knowing what he was thinking of doing.
Crap, guess that plan is a bust.
"I'll be out here when your done dad."
"Promise?"
Bandit sighs, "Yes dad."
He leans down and messes with his son's hair. "See you in a bit then."
"Yeah, sea ya."
With that, the adults walk up the stairs and inside the castle.
Bandit sighs deeply and pulls out his game. "Okay lets get back to..." He then sees that the Wi-Fi is blocked. "Damn it!"
He forgot to ask for the Wi-Fi password!
"Balls!" He stuffs his game back into his hoddie pocket. Now what is he going to do?
“Okay, I guess this could work.”
Chance was finally alone to be left to his own devices in what is now his own new bedroom. Even after the extensive tour by his mom, and that woman, he was a bit drained but overall relieved to be shown the room he was now. The room itself was smaller than his old room by a great deal, one third of what it was back inside the palace, yet it was delightfully simple. Something to work from and, according to his mother, something he could decorate in his own time however he wanted. Marvelous!
Goldie floated around the room herself to get a good look. She joined the young prince on his bed the moment she was done.
He started to pet her head. “What do you think we should do now?”
She nays something, her tail twitched with the curls and all.
“I guess I could contact Coral, but she told me that she was busy chatting with a friend today. I don’t know if she is-” Before he could finish his thought, his cell phone started chirping. “- available.”
He picked up his phone and rolled his eyes.
He answers it. “You know, I was just talking to Goldie about you.”
Her voice was soft and lively over the call. “It’s what they say and all, though it must feel strange when that’s brought up around your grandfather.”
Chance and she causally chuckled a little.
“Yeah, well hey, it’s nice to hear from you. I didn’t expect it, given that you told me what you were going to do today and all.” Sliding off his new twin bed, he walks over to the window and overlooks the city. “Did you have a nice time with that friend of yours?”
“I did, but he had to get going. Something to do with his father and all.” She sounded a bit trailed off at the end. “Do tell though, how’s your mom doing?”
His eyes take notice of one of his suitcases and mindlessly starts to unpack it. It feels unreal to be doing this at all. The concept of unpacking his own things as his fingers press on the gold locks before digging them into his limited wardrobe he was allowed to bring. Everything felt so soft to the touch.
He wondered if now would be a good time to practice his levitation? With a wave of his hand, his golden magical aura picked up a pair of his pants. He was having a bit of trouble keeping them up for a moment, but he was relieved and quite proud of himself for keeping them up.
“My mom is doing well; she was really delighted to show me around her new hotel.” He starts putting away clothes inside of the drawers. He stops. He’s miffed to see the pants now unmade to do the magic. Now he’ll have to fix that of course.... How does one refold pants?
“Oh! You’re already there?” She chirped her question. Pants were starting to crumble in his hands, his mind growing frustrated in trying to figure out this odd puzzle. How did any of his family’s servants do this every day?
“I just did this afternoon.” He grumbled a little before finding a method he was okay with. Satisfied, he started magically placing them inside one of the open drawers. A bit off edge but easily fixable. “She was jumping off the walls showing off her hallways and recreation rooms.”
“How did they look?”
“Terrible certainly, but don’t tell her that.” He joked as he took out his shirts, thankfully not to messed around with. “They are in need of some repair here and there, but I suppose I see where the appease in owning her own place has its merits.”
“It’s quieter?” she asked, her voice softened to empathize.
The noises outside would state otherwise.
“Inside the hotel, yes.” He finished his clothes at last before moving towards his second love: his books. Its hardly a task as he lifts them with remarkable ease.
Now his mom said that she had set up a library for him, however, he knows she wouldn’t have some of the books that he got given these are recently bought and exported from Envy. He placed them onto a shelf that he defined as his own bookshelf for the time being, until he could ask for a proper bookshelf later.
“What about the people there?” she asked suddenly. “I know you told me about your mom’s new...girlfriend?”
He sighed as he switched ears. “Yeah, we’re living with the crazy woman with a spear and a sharp temper along with an effeminate spider.” He climbs back onto his bed.
“Nothing really to write home about.”
She mumbles something in the background. He overhears some words from a deeper voice that he recognizes as her father.
“Oh,” she speaks with her voice off its good mood. “I have to get going now. Father needs me for something, you know how it is.”
He nods. Yeah, he understands.
They quickly say their goodbyes before hanging up the phone. He claps his hands and his powers poof away.
It was the dullest snoop Bandit had ever done in his whole life.
Everything was pretty and shining, sparkling like a newly polished pearl with imps with matching uniforms scattered all over the place tending to the lands or hellhounds going back to guarding the front like they got nothing better to do themselves. It was all so boring.
“This is the worst.” He stated firmly, sitting up on top of the roof overlooking the edges of the fancy ass houses nearby. If he was in a better mood, he could try to climb to the peek top of this place to see if he could see where he lived or if he could spot his school. He thought about doing that, but then grumbled when he saw how sharp the edges of the cones were up high. Dad hasn't trained him that much in combat, alone climbing that up without a harness.
He picked up his phone.
"What no signal either?" He stands up and waves it around to look for a good bar. "What the fuck is wrong with this place?"
He decides to fuck the cones and starts climbing. Grabbing onto the walls, he makes his way up higher and higher. Still no fucking bars! "Come on already!"
It takes several minutes of shimming up the top but his effort is rewarded with a single bar.
"Finally!"
He starts to dial up Tala's number.
Only for his fingers to slip and drop his phone.
"DAMN IT!" Without thinking about it, he flips backwards catches it-
"Yes!"
-Only to keep falling.
"FUCK!"
He fanatically looks round for somewhat to stop him from landing on solid stone. His eyes stop an open window and, with in moments of falling away from it, he uses his tail and with all his might, grabs hold of the ledge.
He can’t hold on and nearly slips.
“Shit-” He thinks fast and uses his hands. Summiting the power, he creates a solid platform under his body. He takes a deep steady breath before lifting the platform up to the window. It disappears as soon as he is fully sitting on the window’s edge.
"I lived! Ha Ha!" He jumps down and whines at the strain of his tail. "I'll deal with that later!"
He brushes himself off and stands there confidently. His eyes open and looks around the fancy ass hallway full of bird paints and fancy vases.
He grumbles with a slouch. "Fuck this place is still dull."
He starts walking while dragging feet, eyes on the ground.
“Need. Something. To. Do.” He moaned each word plainly as he turned down another hallway. He didn’t know or care where he was. He was most likely lost, and he could hard let it linger.
He wondered if he should just jump back out a lower window when he ran into someone and fall backwards onto the ground.
“Hey! Watch it!” He shouted, looking up at who sent him flying.
An owl with long thick black raven hair was standing high up wearing a thick as heck beany with a stupid crown on the front.
“Fuck, sorry about that.” She leaned down. “Didn’t see you.”
“Of course you didn’t.” He rolled his eyes.
“Wow, rude.” She scoffed.
“Like you weren’t first.” He countered, waving off her stretched out hand before standing back up on his own.
“Whatever.” She rubs her hands on her shirt. “Never fucking mind trying to help some kid out.” She looked down at him confused. “Why is there even a kid here, anyway, did you want to come to work with your parents or something.”
“No, I would rather be stuck inside the bottom of Envy’s Ocean than in here.”
He was surprised to hear her chuckle. “Yeah, I guess I feel the same sometimes, mostly lately.”
She looked like she started to walk off when she stopped and turned around, “Well, see ya.”
He waved her off and started onward, but then found himself not turning around. Instead, he watched the teenager, who had to be given her size was way smaller than what he thinks is her dad, nearly vanishing past the walls.
Bandit blinks then look at himself in a nearby mirror. What did he stop and watch her leave? Why did he care? Whatever, not like she ever did anything as cool as catch herself from fall off the roof with her tail.
"Shit," He feels the slight tough of it.
He'll need ice. Fuck.
“Okay, you can do this.”
He stands in the middle of his newly put together room with the space in front of him cleared away. Summiting the magic within, he holds out his hands. A flicker of a ring made of fire starts to form.
“Keep it up.”
The ring grows a bit bigger. The air around him blows around the magic. However, he feels his muscles grow weak and the magic starts to push back.
“Come on, hold form.”
For a solid minute, the ring remains and, inside, he can see a bit of his home from far away.
And yet, the ring doesn’t last.
He falls to the floor, drained as the magic disappears.
“Darn it, I was close this time.” He mumbles in pain as he lays there on the ground. He was closer this time, given that he was able to keep the portal’s form for a whole minute. His magic is getting somewhere outside of levitation.
“Still need, ugg, practice.” He carefully sits back up. Goldie rushes over to him and tries to rub her head into his side. He smiles as he pets her. “I’m okay girl, just tired is all.”
The feet under him move to stand but he nearly falls back down with how quickly he stood up and grabs hold of the dresser. “Whoa, I feel a little silly.”
Laughter escapes his lips right before his eyes take notice of the clock tower far across town. The clock tower that is connected to the Heaven Embassy has always been there since anyone moral could remember. Even his own mother could never explain when it got there. However, all in Hell knew what it meant when it counted down.
By this point in time, the number was at two.
Two days until Extermination.
Almost 48 hours until the Angels returned.
Until he saw her again.
He smiled faintly with a coy grin.
He was ready.