Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Ivan immediately panicked at the state of his boyfriend. He knew that Azaiah was one of the strongest people he ever met - hell, when Azaiah had offered to repair the roofing on the classic, gothic-style church, he had fallen a good four stories and got up with no care, dusting himself off and continuing the work. For that to leave him unscathed, but a punch to the face knocked him out, he held onto Azaiah while taking in the woman's disposition.

"F-Fine. I'll come with you, just... please make this quick. I don't want to just leave him in my bed unconscious..."
 
"Are you honestly telling me what to do? I don't think that's entirely wise, do you? Maybe I'll take as long as I want. Hell, maybe my sister and I will stay for a few days, just lounge about in your house... I will, you know. I don't care if it fucks you off, or if my mother gets angry when she realises I've left home-- I'm old enough to do as I wish, aren't I? But hey, maybe I'll be a little lenient and a little compassionate if you hurry downstairs and keep that mouth of yours shut."

Consolidating her less than subtle threat by shoving the priest towards the stairs, she did cast a final glance back at Azaiah. Regardless of what she'd just done to him, and the fact he was the family's servant, she had a soft spot for him. All her family did. Even if she teased him during their childhood and knocked him out, she never wished to bring harm to him, unless it was necessary. "He'll be fine, you know. Azaiah, I mean. My sister Minerva and I once threw him out our bedroom window as children and he broke a leg, yet he still managed to get all the work done and serve my parents excellently. He's tough, you really don't need to be concerned with him."
 
Ivan stumbled forward, whether he wanted to or not, and gave a final, wary glance towards his bedroom. Primrose's 'reassuring' words didn't help whatsoever, unsurprisingly, and simply left him even more frightened than prior. After all, he always felt protected when he was with Azaiah, and the fact that he was now left to protect Laura, with no help? His anxiety only grew more intense.

Meanwhile, Minerva had gone back on her elitist opinion and had fully peaked through every item in the livingroom, all the while keeping a loose eye on Laura. She knew the girl wouldn't run, and if she did? Despite her small size, she was fast. She made that very clear, in fact, when Laura moved slightly from the couch.
 
"You know, if you do kill me and I end up in Hell -which is likely- there's a chance Makai and I would get back together. He wanted to marry me again, don't you see? He would have happily stayed with me, so he clearly didn't think I was disgusting, or plain, or tedious," drawled Laura, becoming just a little more comfortable in the demon's company, because she didn't really... scare Laura. Makai hadn't scared her when she'd seen him in his real form, or when she'd seen him at the peak of his anger, so Minerva really didn't stand a chance of even intimidating the human.

Eyeing her brother when he entered with Primrose, she did shift a little in her seat. Her instinct was to jump up and rush to him, but she could do without the teasing from the demons, which was why she stayed sat on the couch until he joined her, where she instantly grabbed at his hand. "...Did she hurt you? You're alright, aren't you? I mean--"

"Gosh, she's so annoying... What do you want to do with them?" Primrose interrupted with her loud voice, standing with her arms folded again in dismay with the lack of a plan. "We really should have thought about this before we came, Minerva, we look like idiots now. What would Makai do, if he wanted to hurt us? He'd... well, he wouldn't kill them..."
 
"If I were you, I would do a little torture. We can't kill them, right? But we can come close." Minerva cooed, while taking a seat in an armchair with a smirk. "Hurt one, though. Watch as the other freaks out. Of course, we could always bring them with us. Hide them up in the castle, and watch as Makai eventually finds out, hm?"

All the while, Ivan had offered his sister a halfhearted smile. Taking her hands in his, he glanced towards the stairs and it was hard to keep the strained smile. "I'm fine. Azaiah is unconscious upstairs, so... I-I don't know when he's going to wake up."
 
"Can we even take living humans down with us? I mean, what if they, like, spontaneously combust, or just permanently die, or... get real sick and shit? I am not going to mop up some human's vomit and tend to their every need, Minerva. Besides, we'll have to keep them fed and nourished if they don't die. I'm not going to act like a pathetic little servant to them-- though it would be worthwhile to see the look on Makai's face, wouldn't it?" Primrose murmured, deliberating between one decision and another. On one hand, if they did take the humans without killing them first, and they somehow managed to survive, the thought of having to potentially care for them both was disgusting. On the other hand, it was worth it when Makai found out - she would gladly do anything she could to piss her older brother off. Having him just stroll back into Hell after all this time without any punishment for his actions? It was irritating to say the least, so this... this all seemed to be a perfect way of giving him the punishment their mother seemed reluctant to hand out.

"We should take them with us, Minerva, it'll be perfect. Imagine Makai's face when he finally realises? He'll be furious and upset and... maybe Mother will see that he's just some big goddamn baby, hm? Maybe we'll get some respect for once~"

"Oh, that sounds fun. Let's do that. You can whisk me off right now if you want. Ivan has no reason to be there, you know. Makai won't care less about him being hurt. He'd be horrified if he knew you'd hurt me, though, so let's leave my brother out of it," smiled Laura as calmly as she could in an effort to protect her brother-- though she knew the demons would do what they wanted, regardless of her protests.
 
"So you're saying you want to bring them for a little while, but not long enough to have to care about them? That means you're only gonna keep them around for, what, two days?" Minerva reiterated, before offering a cocky grin. "If that's the case, you have to deal with them. I only came to mess around a bit, you want a full-blown capture."

"Laura, let me go. I mean, I got us all into this situation, right? If it weren't for me, you'd be happily living back in California, and I'd be here alone with the dogs." Ivan pleaded, while pursuing his lips tight
 
"It could be fun! I've always wanted a pet. Mother never even allowed us to share one, did she? But precious little Makai had all the pets he could dream of. I can look after them for a week or two, assuming they don't die. If Makai still hasn't noticed, I'll just... I dunno, tell him. Then we can send them home and forget about them once I've achieved what I want from Makai," she decided delightedly, her smile growing on her lips. Granted, a lot could go wrong. They could die and end up in Hell permanently as tortured souls -which would suck- or Makai could get furious and kill her, which wasn't improbable given he'd murdered their father without an ounce of guilt or regret... but she figured the pros outweighed the cons.

"Right, Azaiah will figure it out and come after you both later, I suppose," she shrugged, turning her attention on the siblings once absently noticing their whispering. "...Don't you want to come with us? It'll be real fun. No human has ever really gone to Hell, at least alive. Most have to die before they get to see it-- so think yourselves lucky~"
 
"Yeah, there's nowhere we'd rather be," grunted Ivan, though tried to hide it in fear. With a nervoud laugh, he decided to look away from the demons to at least act somewhat calm, espite his clear anxiety. Blocking out Minerva and Primrose, he took Laura's cheeks with the most reassuring smile he could muster. "Look, this will be quick, okay? We'll go, a-and Azaiah can get us when he comes through. Then we can come home, and we can relax. I mean... I-I would love to go on a vacation with you and Azaiah, go down to Miami. Sounds fun, right?" He whispered to her, immediately in 'big brother' mode.
 
There weren't many times where Laura had accepted the big-brother role from Ivan. Often, she insisted that she was perfectly fine taking care of herself and that he needn't bother going out of his way protecting and comforting her. It was why she decided to leave for California at a young age - she had been confident that she could do it and survive without her brother. Except, this was a situation where she couldn't do without him. It was incomparable to any other situation, and she was happy to let him take up the big brother role again just so she didn't have a full-blown panic attack. It was one thing dealing with Makai's bitchy sisters, but it was another actually being dragged to Hell while still alive.

Though, she didn't really have enough time to thank him for it when Primrose dealt her the same punch she'd given Azaiah... and Ivan wasn't too far behind. Shaking her hand again with a whine, she reluctantly grabbed Ivan and threw him up over her shoulder with ease, motioning for her sister to do the same with Laura. "Where are we even supposed to put them? I don't want Makai finding them too early, that wouldn't be fun at all..."
 
"You could put them in the garden shed? I know mother isn't tending to her garden right now, what with the whole 'killing our father' sort of thing. We could probably pop them in there, and later ask of Makai could help with the plants? I'm sure he'd offer if we suggested it enough to him," Minerva replied, while casually lifting Laura over her own shoulder. Her only problem was to avoid having her hair messed up, which she grunted in distress once a single flyaway strand made an appearance.

"Let's just go, I want to take a nap. This was all so exhausting- how Makai or Azaiah could stay on this stupid realm for so long is beyond me."
 
"Exhausting? I thought it was interesting! I can see why Makai wasted his time here, it isn't all bad. It's an ego boost, you know? Knowing you're better than everyone around you, that you could theoretically kill them all without breaking sweat? I totally see why he spent his time here. Why he slept with a human I'll never know," the elder of the two responded, biting her lip to herself at the realisation that she rather liked this realm. Sure, it was nothing like home and she couldn't stay here for more than a week without losing her mind, but she saw the appeal.

Unceremoniously dumping the priest in said garden shed once arriving home, she grimaced to herself and dusted herself off in disgust at having had to touch the priest - though she was thankful that the cross around his neck hadn't touched her, at least. Grimacing more at the state of the shed, she shut the door as hard as she could so it remained locked, before scouring the garden, in case some pathetic servant had been watching secretly. Thankfully, there were none... though there was Makai, who was sat in the large garden with both his sons laid out on the picnic blanket in front of him. Despite this being Hell, and the setting less than beautiful, the scene was surprisingly cute in its domesticity.

"...What are you two up to? Mother's looking for you. She said you ought to help out preparing the table for dinner. She's had to fire some staff, so we're low on servants. Who better to take over the role than you two? You're already practically servants in Mother's eyes-- and mine, actually," grinned the brother, his smirk only softening when he glanced back down at his sons, holding the rattle up over their heads with a loving coo. "Seriously, you're both acting strangely. Where have you been? You're acting shiftily..."
 
"Hm... we're just tossing some backs of dirt in the shed. Helping mother out and whatnot." Minerva replied quietly, though her voice still held a perky tone. "Maybe you should let me watch your children. You should know that, of all people, I'm the best babysitter. Probably better than what your wife could have been."

With a cocky grin, the demon cared far less of her dirty clothes as she stepped around the prockly bushes and nightshade.
 
"I don't trust you near my children, if you want the truth. Why would I? You've insulted them the moment you set eyes on them-- which is ridiculous, given who their parents are. I'm handsome, and if you saw my ex-wife, you'd see how pretty she is, so for you to insult my kids is pretty stupid, really," he muttered defensively, having taken offence immediately when the two -and, admittedly, the rest of his siblings- had shown disgust with his sons, though he knew it was mostly because they weren't fully fledged demons.

"...That's unfair. It was a shock to see you with children, that's all. They're sorta cute, Makai. Their horns have come through, they look normal now... I take it back, if that helps," smiled Primrose, deciding to sit down on the woollen blanket and ignore her mother's apparent desire for her to help out. There was no way she was going to act like a servant, and she much preferred sitting with her asshole big brother and his children. Hell, there was some amusement to be taken from it - Laura was unconscious in the shed several feet away while Makai sat unknowingly with their sons. Reaching for one of the twins, just to distract Makai from ordering her to help out their mother, she offered the widest smile she could while rocking the child. "He is very cute, I suppose. And it's softened Mother up considerably, which is a positive. She's too distracted with them to yell at me."
 
"I imagine your wife is no more than average, Makai. She's a human, right? I bet she has some crazy colored hair to try and stand out, but yet having the most basic personality." Minerva 'guessed', while absently playing with the frills of her dress, her babydoll-esque aesthetic being incredibly important to her. After all, it seemed to attract proper men, and what else was she going to do in Hell?
 
"...She dyed her hair a few times, but who am I to judge her? I liked that about her. She knew who she was, you know? I thought it was attractive. I mean, don't you realise that I loved her, and that she had to be pretty damn special for me to even marry her? I wasn't going to marry some boring, plain girl, was I? Honestly Minerva, use your brain. Laura's exceptionally beautiful-- I don't think you can judge me. I was married and I had kids. What have you done with your life? I don't see many suitors asking for your hand in marriage," he retorted bitterly, unable to take the criticism of Laura without getting riled up, which he realised was natural. She may have dumped him, but that wasn't that long ago - a few hours at the most. He was hardly going to get over her in that short amount of time, was he?

"Minerva doesn't mean to get under your skin. We just don't understand why you loved a human, Makai, it's... bewildering. But you're right. We can't judge," smiled Primrose as she stretched out her long legs with a hum. "And you're wrong, by the way. At least with me. I've had dozens of men want to marry me. I just don't see why I ought to accept. Marriage is boring, and if Mother and Father are examples, it'll end up with countless infidelities and no happiness whatsoever. Not exactly my cup of tea, that."
 
"I've had plenty of suitors as well! You've been gone for years, Makai, don't pretend that you know everything. I actually had a solid relationship with one of the servants, until Father killed him because he 'looked at him the wrong way', whatever that means. Isn't it sad? I had a better relationship with a servant, that of whom never once even had the thought of breaking up with me, while you marry and have kids, yet she's still not here."
 
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"He was very handsome," agreed Primrose in defence of her sister. None of the siblings really got on like houses on fire, and bickered like small children at times, but Primrose did feel protective of Minerva. They had shared a room since they were little, thanks to the little age difference between them, and so, even if she often argued fiercely with her, Minerva was hands down her favourite sibling. "You'd have loved him, Makai. He was kind, funny, he really loved Minerva--"

"Sorry if I don't actually give a shit, but it's hard to find a part of me that cares when you've both fucked me over. Azaiah, for instance, was always my boyfriend. You both didn't care about me when you had sex with him, so sure, I don't care that Dad killed your little boyfriend, Minerva." Makai answered with a faint frown. He knew that he shouldn't get so wound up by them, but it was hard not to when they continued to mention Laura like that. "...Mother's organising a date for me, you know. Does she ever organise dates for you, Minerva? Or does she care that little for you~?"
 
"Hm, yeah. Azaiah was your boyfriend. Then he decided to fall in love with a priest. Isn't that just some lovely salt in your wounds? It's hilarious, knowing that you - for once in your pathetic, spoiled life - didn't get what you wanted. I know it's such a hard concept, that's what makes your human leaving you all the more delicious. You left so you could prove that you didn't need us, then the moment you don't get what you want, you come crying home to Mother because you know she'll coddle you." Minerva replied venomously, while keeping her eyes firmly locked on her brother. "How unfortunate. Oh, well. You can always try again, with some demon that you find laying around."
 
"I didn't come back because Mother would support me. I came back solely to help her out now Father's dead. I was being selfless. You wouldn't know about that, of course-- you know, Minerva, if I can trick Father into downing half a glass of poisoned wine, and do so without an ounce of regret, don't think I wouldn't snap your neck or completely slaughter you in your bed. I totally would, so less of the disrespect, please?" He responded with his own glare, lips pursed, though he did attempt to end the bitter atmosphere, if only to stop his sons becoming distressed.

"Look," he eventually sighed, "I am... sorry, how about that? About being away and about your boyfriend being killed. Father was a bastard, we all knew that. He never favoured me. You know that. He hated us all equally, which is admirable of him. Unlike Mother, he chose to treat us equally. When he slapped you about, he'd come and do the same to me-- you ought to thank me for killing him, really."
 
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