Chapter Text
SLOTH: Week III, Friday, 3:38 PM
This Year by The Mountain Goats
I broke free on a saturday morning,
I put the pedal to the floor.
Headed north on Mills Avenue,
And listened to the engine roar.
Loona all but belted out the song as it first verses played, her head knocking side to side whilst she sang. She looked far happier than when they’d first gotten to Mount Purgatory, and for her sake, everyone was hopeful that it wasn’t just her masking, especially Blitz. After all, he was still grieving the loss of Moxxie and Millie as well as worrying about Fizz, he could only hope his last remaining best friend was still alive and well despite the ongoing war in Hell.
My broken house behind me and good things ahead,
A boy named Vortex wants a little of my time.
Six cylinders underneath the hood, crashing and kicking,
Ahah! Listen to the engine whine.
Despite the song saying ‘A girl named Cathy’ Loona swapped it out for her late boyfriend. While yes she may have grieved him by this point in time, the memory of him was still fresh on her mind, front right burner and everything. She still remembered The Breaking Day as she called it, the day it all went to sh*t, the day she lost everything. But worst of all, she remembered how helpless she felt, she couldn’t save Vortex, let alone herself. And the face Vortex made when Raphael caught him, Beelzebub, the face of sheer terror, that burned in her mind like angelic steel on her skin.
I am gonna make it through this year, if it kills me.
I am gonna make it through this year, if it kills me.
I played video games in a drunken haze, I was seventeen years young.
Hurt my knuckles punching the machine, The taste of scotch rich on my tongue.
But what Loona had to say is that the best part of this song in particular, was that, minus the abusive stepfather, she had done all these things at the ripe age of seventeen. She’d jacked Blitz’s van to hang out with a boy she liked, she’d been drunk when she did it, she played arcade games and decked the machine when she lost, and she drank with that same boy before coming home, not to an angry dad, but a worried one. After all, she did disappear in the dead of night.
And then Vortex showed up, and we hung out.
Trading swigs from a bottle, all bitter and clean.
Locking eyes, holding hands.
Twin high maintenance machines.
I am gonna make it through this year, if it kills me. I am gonna make it through this year, if it kills me.
Loona knocked her head side to side at the bitter and clean part, like it was simply part of the song as much as the words were. Bodily expression was Loona’s biggest way to convey emotions and what she really meant, as each being traveling with her had learned throughout the duration of knowing, Blitz, Stolas, Octavia, then Chris in that exact order.
I drove home in the Pentagram’s dusk, I could feel the alcohol inside of me hum.
Pictured a look on my father’s face, ready for some bad thing to come.
I downshifted as I pulled up to the complex, the motor screaming out stuck in second gear.
The scene ends weirdly, not to my imagine.
Not a cavalcade of anger and fear.
There will be feasting, and dancing in Jerusalem next year. I am gonna make it through this year, if it kills me.
I am gonna make it through this year, if it kills me.
As the song petered off, Loona mimicked the last acoustic guitar riff of the song and smiled. She didn’t notice but everyone else was smiling too, solely at the fact that she could remember Vortex and not breakdown. For four months that was immense progress, especially for a traumatized girl like Loona.
Chris was next in line for the music, and while this ring’s need for atonement was zealous and active behaviors, Chris’ song was not that. It was slow, nearly slow enough to be a ballroom waltzing song.
Each Time You Fall In Love by Cigarettes After Sex
Each time you fall in love,
It’s clearly not enough.
You sleep all day and drive out in LA.
It isn’t safe.
Chris sang perfectly to the song’s tempo and pitch, a testament to his vocal chord’s stellar abilities. His voice was just as melancholic as the song but everyone knew that for Chris it was just a song, no meaning behind it for him. He looked back to Octavia and extended his arm out, letting his palm face skyward as he offered his hand to her for a dance. Her palm glided into his and thus they began a walking dance, so that they could continue to progress through Purgatory and have a decent time.
And each time you kiss a girl,
You never know what it’s worth.
You say all of the words they wanna hear,
It isn’t real.
She took you for a ride in summer, baby.
Lost all your money to her.
All I wanna know is if you love her,
How come you never give in?
Well, everyone except Octavia thought that the song choice had no meaning behind it. Everyone but the owlet saw a bulge in Chris’ pants pocket. Stolas was curious, as were the others. Was it a ring? Was Chris going to propose? Time would tell.
Each time you have a dream, you never know what it means.
You see that open road, and never know which way to go.
And each time you fall in love, it’s clearly not enough.
You sleep all day and drive out in LA, It isn’t safe.
She took you for a ride in summer, baby.
Lost all your money to her.
All I wanna know is if you love her, how come you never give in?
The song’s ending notes played and their dance number stopped, Chris looked deeply into Octavia’s eyes, holding her attention all while he pulled out a black box that looked months old. Had he planned to marry Octavia for months at this point? He held it in his hand and opened it slowly so as to not bring her attention to it.
He leaned forward as she did and the two kissed and while they kissed he pulled the ring out. It was silver and was embroidered with amethyst stones as opposed to diamonds because f*ck tradition. He slipped the ring onto her left ring finger and held her left hand, showing the ring he’d been wearing all day was the exact same as hers.
As they parted the kiss, her eyes diverted to the ring and she stopped. And again, if bird demons had evolved to explode when overtly excited Octavia would have. Her feathers fluffed out, she jumped and she squealed and she waved her hands all in the usual young girl fashion. Stolas totally wasn’t crying at all, he’d just gotten something in his eye. However Blitz was f*cking crying, happy crying, but crying no less.
The group assembled in a hug because not only was the now engaged couple family, the hug was also needed to quell the very large emotions everyone was having. With time, sobs, and many ‘Congratulations’ later, they all parted the group hug, Chris and Octavia still holding hands, her eyes looking constantly at the ring, as though if she looked away too long it’d all go away. Stolas loved seeing the excitement in his daughter, after all her first marriage was going better than his already, however he was plenty happy that his daughter was getting a better early adulthood than he did, after all that’s what any parent should want for their child, for their life to be better than their own.
The day progressed and night fell like usual. Blitz felled a new deer and distributed the pieces of meat to the others, all while Stolas praised how well his Blitzy took care of them all which totally didn’t make Blitz blush and f*ck you for insinuating that. While they sat and ate, Blitz looked at his hand and focused on his hand alone. Slowly the black energy that came with being a horseman overtook his hand, he smiled, thankful that he still had it, but also thankful that he didn’t have use of it for the time being, because him not needing to use it, meant there was no danger aimed towards his found family.
Stolas noticed Blitz fidgeting with his power and looked at his own hands. He focused on the appendage and watched as his black hands flickered with the flamelike embers of his horseman form, similarly grateful about not having to have used this form since The Breaking Day. Octavia activated hers as well, simply letting her hand be covered, Chris following suit.
Loona looked at her own hand, biting the inside of her lip as she silently sulked about everyone else getting a cool ass power but her. She looked at her hand, focusing on it aimlessly. The white fur on her palm seemed to shine, as though her hand were being covered in white as opposed to the other’s hands being encapsulated in black. But alas, twas merely a trick of the mind.
Thus, everyone made their beds and laid in them, falling into sleep.
Blitz sat at the bar sipping his spiked coffee as his pocket vibrated like crazy. He knew why it was vibrating, he was getting texts and calls out the ass from Moxxie, Millie, and Loona. He sat there and looked forward absently, his eyes practically staring through the backsplash on the wall adjacent. He shook his head lightly and threw his head back, downing his coffee and getting up, setting a tenner on the bar.
He walked out of the bar and started walking home. After all, the van was still at the apartment. His dew claws that sat in the designated holes on his boots clicked against the concrete sidewalk as he made his way home. He was wearing his usual work getup, suit jacket, slacks, boots, choker, and boy was he getting catcalled. While yes Blitz knew he was f*cking hot he hated being catcalled.
He walked for what he could only guess was hours, given that his phone was now dead. He looked at the city of Dis and he growled seeing the skyline. He knew why he was out here, he needed to get away from it all and while he didn’t plan on running away and leaving his found family behind, he had entertained the idea for longer than he was proud of.
Regardless, he eventually made it to the door to his apartment. He paused and sat there, listening in on what was going on inside. He could hear Millie talking to Loona and comforting the poor hound, Moxxie was seemingly also comforting her, but mostly repeating what Millie was saying. sh*t, he really didn’t want to deal with this. Having a breakdown was one thing for Blitz, but facing the repercussions of said breakdown was an entirely different monster.
“Time to face the music.” He said to himself and killed himself emotionally. Breathing out he took the door handle and opened it, looking forward at his coworkers and daughter who now looked at him. His eyes looked dead, he was feigning as if the breakdown were continuing when it was well and over.
“Blitz where the hell have you been?” Millie asked, looking at the rouge and cream imp who simply stood there as if he’d not her.
“Blitz? Sir?” Moxxie asked, walking over to Blitz and setting his hand on his shoulder. Blitz’s eyes shot to Moxxie’s face, his iris shaking as he stared wide eyed at Moxxie’s face. The smaller male removed his hand and nodded, thoroughly convinced.
Blitz looked at Loona, and her face was nearly enough to break him from his lying to get out of this needed talk. Her mascara had ruined down her cheeks, which made it evident her fear of abandonment kicked in, likely the moment she noticed Blitz had gone AWOL from the apartment. He began taking small restrained steps to his room. He heard Millie tell Loona to give him some space, and his fatherly instincts nearly kicked in, but he forced them down, he needed to not have this talk, he needed to sleep and then deal with the inevitable hangover that would absolutely follow it.
Loona sat on the cot in her borderline jail cell looking at the wall adjacent from her despite the group of other kids in the same room. She took a breath in before pushing herself up and walking over to the sink and mirror, looking into the cracked mirror as she brandished a comb and began picking through her hair, the teeth of the comb tugging at the knots in her hair. After all, living in an adoption center Puppy mill didn’t much allow for proper hair care.
She looked behind herself in the mirror and she saw Riley moving to pickpocket one of the younger kids. She watched the idiot pick the only kid who was seemingly cute and innocent, his hand slipped into her back pocket, his palm facing her rear. The girl noticed and Loona turned around just in time to watch that same girl turn around and whip her baseball bat around at Riley’s temple.
The loud crack of wood on a hard headed idiot rang through the room and the kid took no time at all to start kicking Riley in the chest repeatedly even though he was likely knocked out. Loona rolled her eyes and sat back on her cot, watching the kid kick the sh*t out of Riley. She didn’t stop it, after all, one, why would she care if Riley gets his ass kicked? And two, it’s not like he didn’t deserve it, like who the f*ck tries to pickpocket a child? She watched and the kid was still going, but her face had tears running down her face. She knew that look, hell she knew that feeling of crying from frustration boiling over.
However what she didn’t realize until, give or take half an hour later, that Riley wasn’t just knocked out, he also wasn’t breathing. Loona stood up and nudged the side of Riley’s head with her foot. “C’mon dickhe*d, no one’s falling for you playing possum.” She said kneeling down and slapping his cheek a few times. No response, which caused her eyes to widen slightly. “Look I know I don’t f*cking like you nor does anyone but you better not be f*cking dead.” She said before getting up and grabbing on the bars of the room’s entrance.
“Oi bitch someone knocked Riley the f*ck out!” She yelled at the guard, who looked at her, walking over to look at the body on the floor.
“How long’s he been out?” She asked, her eyebrow arching curiously.
“f*ckin’ I dunno like half an hour now?” Loona shrugged, unsure due to the lack of a clock.
“Has he been breathin’?” She asked, looking at the younger hound.
“I-I don’t know, I just checked and he wasn’t.” Loona said, looking at the guard. “Please don’t tell me I’ve been sitting here for the last half hour with a f*cking corpse.”
“Guess you better plug ya ears cuz you just did.” the guard said, pulling a key ring off her hip and opening the door. Loona backed away from the door all while the adult picked Riley’s body up off the ground and carried him out.
She looked back at the younger hound. “Sorry you had to see it.” She said before walking out and shutting the door once more.
The dream, like all the others prior, restarted.
Loona sat on the cot in her borderline jail cell looking at the wall adjacent from her despite the group of other kids in the same room. She took a breath in before pushing herself up and walking over to the sink and mirror, looking into the cracked mirror as she brandished a comb and began picking through her hair, the teeth of the comb tugging at the knots in her hair. After all, living in an adoption center (Puppy mill) didn’t much allow for proper hair care.
She looked behind herself in the mirror and she saw Riley moving to pickpocket one of the younger kids. She watched the idiot pick the only kid who was seemingly cute and innocent, his hand slipped into her back pocket, his palm facing her rear. The girl noticed and Loona turned around just in time to watch that same girl turn around and whip her baseball bat around at Riley’s temple. Loona crossed the room and grabbed the bat after it whacked Riley and looked at the little girl who had readied for another swing.
“Hey, hey you got him.” Loona said, crouching down to eye level with her. She had a little name tag as they all had when they’d first gotten to the orphanage and Loona glanced at it briefly, it read ‘Ezzy’. “Ezzy, look at me, you got his ass.” She moved slightly to show the young girl the knocked out but alive Riley behind her.
Loona could guess what caused the bat swing, it was clear as day and so she did her best to calm the girl, and to her surprise it worked. Once she was calm enough to not break Riley’s face in, Loona tended to the idiotic teen, She hoisted him up and over her shoulder and walked to the door. “Dipsh*t here got knocked out and I can’t say I want him in here after he triggered a little girl that’s been raped.” She said before laying him at the door and turning around, going back to her cot and sitting against the wall, spacing out.
Eyes opened and blinked sleep from them. Hands reached up and rubbed those very eyes, pushing the sleeping eye crust from them as a particular hellhound raised from her sleeping bag, finding a deer skin draped over her. She looked at it and looked around, seeing a fully awake Blitz. Had he put it on her?
“I woke up after my dream. You looked cold baby.” He said softly, smiling at his daughter lovingly as he paced over. “You’re havin’ em too aren’t you?” He asked, looking into her eyes as he spider-man squatted next to her.
She nodded softly and he nodded too. “Yeah, I had a feeling you were baby. Think of it this way: only 3 more months and we’ll have reached Eden.” He said rubbing her shoulder. “We’ll bathe in the river Lethe and the river Eunoè. And you know what we’ll do after that?” He asked her.
“What’ll we do dad?” She asked, adopting a small smile.
“We’re gonna burn that f*cking garden to the ground and we’re gonna go to Heaven to kill history’s worst deadbeat dad.” He said, showing his mad cheshire grin. She chuckled at the idea and nodded softly. “Sure dad, sure we will.”
They sat in comfortable silence and eventually, the other three beings awoke, yawning and stretching before arising and picking up their belongings. Blitz kicked a mound of dirt over the long expended fire and with that, they began their last stretch of the Sloth ring.
