Chapter 7
Stolas searched for them anxiously, having lost sight of them at some point.
“Seren? Octavia?” He called out.
“Just leave us alone!” Octavia’s voice yelled back.
He turned to see both his children entering the fun house and he ran in after them while calling out their names, unaware of the weapon-wielding imps following him inside. One of the imps jumped onto his back and Stolas grew angry by the imp’s presence.
“Um. I think I’m supposed to be bodyguarded right now!” He said with a scowl, completely unconcerned by the imp covering his mouth with his long-sleeved shirt.
The offending imp was quickly shot through the head, killed instantly.
“Ugh. That’s better.” Stolas said as he immedietly began to brush the imp’s blood off his sleeve before turning towards the imp couple that had rescued him, “Where is Blitzy? He’s my knight in shining armor, not you littler ones!”
He gestured at Mellie and Moxxie with a condescending look, angry about many things and taking out on them. Nothing was going the way he had hoped they would.
Millie quickly moved to stand before him, “He’s… uh… busy…”
“Being a fool.” Moxxie finished blandly as he held out a strange-looking plushie for his wife.
“What kind of fool?” Stolas asked with a small glare, not liking how Moxxie had insulted Blitzo.
“The everything is now on fire kind.” Moxxie said dismissively while reloading his gun.
Stolas gave Moxxie a deadpanned stare before turning away to continue his search for his son and daughter. He finally found them both crying while sitting inside one of the circling seats in the shape of a mostly eaten apple. They cuddled close to one another in an effort to both provide comfort for their sibling as well as feel better themselves.
His face fell when he saw this, “Seren... Octavia…”
He quickly took off his ridiculous hat and dropped it the floor before making his way towards his precious children. He slipped into a part of the seat they weren’t occupying.
“I take it you both are… not having fun…” He said sadly.
“I didn’t even want to come here! Neither of us did!” Octavia choked out, pulling her little brother closer to her.
“I’m sorry. I thought you both loved it here.” Stolas replied.
“When we were both kids and we hadn’t yet realized that our parents hated each other. And our dad didn’t flirt with some weird red dick-head the entire time.” She snapped back and clutching Seren to herself, although she was unsure of whether it was to comfort him or herself by this point.
“I’m sorry, Via! I’m sorry Seren! I’m sorry for… everything… happening right now. I know it’s… a lot. I-I should have listened…” Stolas stuttered out.
“I want to go home… but home doesn’t even feel like home anymore…” Seren said tearfully before burying into her side, “You ruined it…”
“You need to understand… your mother and I… I just… I felt… she’s always been… I haven’t been… we weren’t in… I-I’m sorry! I don’t have the words!” Their father broke off his explanation, burying his head in his hands.
Seren and Octavia both looked at their father sadly. Octavia decided to ask him about the main concern both of them had ever since finding out about his affair and how he planned to continue seeing Blitzo.
“Are you going to run off with him? And leave us both behind… go away where… we can’t find you.” She asks with a sniffle.
“What? No! No, no, never!” He exclaimed as he pulled both his children into a reassuring, “I’d never do that. Never... I think it’s time to leave this place. You both were right! You two are too old for it anyway.”
He scooped them both up into his arms and slowly began carrying them away. He noticed a sound from the ceiling behind him and waited for the assassin to make their move. It leapt to the ground and pulled out a switchblade, grinning menacingly. Stolas quickly twisted his head around and used his powerful glare to turn the imp to stone instantly. He then continued to slowly walk with his children cradled safely within his arms towards the park exit, ignoring all the fire and absolute chaos happening around them.
“So! What would you two like to do now?” Stolas asked.
“Oh! Could we go to StylishOccult? They sell weird taxidermy there.”
“Hmm, o k a y… And what would you like to do, Seren?”
“Can we go to the exotic magical pet emporium? I really want to have a pet, an animal even mother wouldn’t be able to deny me from having for being too plebeian.” Seren requested with an arrogant tone of voice and turning his nose to the air like a stuck-up noble before breaking out into a small laugh of amusement.
“That sounds just like her, Seren!” Octavia chuckled softly before hugging their father, “Thanks dad. You’re okay sometimes.”
Seren nodded shyly and hugging their father as well, maybe everything would still be alright. He could have both his mother and his father, just... separate from one another. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Blitzo, his father's imp lover. On one hand, the imp made his father happier than he'd seen him in a long time. On the other hand, the discovery of his father's lover was the flame that had lit everything that had been building up through their marriage into a blazing inferno.
“Thank you, Via. Thank you, Ren. Thank you.” Stolas said softly as he hugged them both close.
Their moment was interrupted by loud screaming getting closer and the three imps roughly landing face-first into the pavement in front of them.
“Way to ruin another good thing, sir.” Moxxie groaned out.
“Mhm. Worth it! That slutty toy clown haditcoming!” Blitzo replied before fainting.
The three royal avians stared at the unconscious imps for a few minutes before noticing an animal slowly dragging Millie away. Seren decided now was the time to speak up.
“So… do we just leave them here… or what?” Seren asked.