The gang filtered back in. They always did. They were a little surprised at Katie being there, but they each took their favorite chair anyway. Except Winny. She wanted to join the table, and there was Katie in her way. "Buzz off."

"Shut the hell up, I was here first." She tossed a few coins onto the table. "We're not done yet."

Winny looked like she was about to do more than fuss when Joshua broke in, "Easy, easy! We're all friends here, right?" All his friends that were not imps gave him a look. "She's nice, and a good player. Katie, say hi."

The female imp leaned back, eyes locked on the other woman. "Hi, bitch."

Winny had to bite down, shaking. "That's fine, Josh." She swallowed. "I don't care." But she didn't seem happy at all.

Joshua took notice and squeezed Winny's hand as he stood. "We're all here for different reasons." That got a fresh set of looks. "But here, in this room, we're friends. We play cards, we talk. No fighting." He clapped his hands together, all smiles. "And I haven't broken everyone else's streak. Want to go out?"

Hank raised his paw, holding out his empty cup. "You're sweet talking. I'm going to miss your ass, so I need a drink."

Katie glared at Hank. "Are you sleeping with him?"

A round of groans. The Hyena growled as he stood, "None of your business."

Josh colored as he sank back into his seat. "Let's have some fun, okay?"

Katie laid her cards down. "Fold." She glared at Joshua. "I don't understand you. You're their lord, their boss! You literally have their souls in your hand. But you treat them like some chums."

"Because they're chums." He pressed his cheek against Winny's. "We're all stuck here, and the only way I can get through it is by having some friends. Even if I could break out of hell, I wouldn't do it alone." He winked at Hank. "Wouldn't leave anyone behind."

Katie scoffed. "Whatever. I'll beat you one day." She threw down a single coin. "Give me my card, I'm not paying you tonight."

The game grew more intense, with Winny joining them on a big, tattered, pillow. Cards flew and coins exchanged hands. Some went all in, others folded, while the middle ground tried to find out if their cards could stand the test.

And, of course, Hank went out with only beer.

"Man, you'd think this whole 'twice-dead' thing meant I didn't need to breathe." He laughed. "I wish it did." He propped himself up in the doorway of the apartment as he took a long drag of beer. "You're a nice one, Josh. We've known each other for a bit. Know where I am?"

Joshua eyed the hyena as he fished out another beer from his bag. "Somewhere nicer than here?"

"When I visit." He saluted and headed out.

The others were heading out, leaving Joshua alone with Katie. The imp smirked at Joshua. "I don't think you know what you have. Besides the whole 'actually mostly functional family' thing, which is nice and all, but your power is better than that."

He held his head in his hands, still staring down at his cards. "Power isn't the most important thing."

"In Hell?" She slapped him upside the back of the head. "It's the only thing. Fucking Christ on a neon-lighted stick, you're here for a reason. Don't you have a shred of ambition?"

"It was an accident, and a dumb one at that." Josh folded his arms. "Anyway, thanks for playing. It was really nice meeting someone new."

"Are you kicking me out? Fuck, figures. All nice rides come to an end." She threw up her hands. "I can see myself out."

"I didn't say that!" He whipped out a hand, grabbing Katie by the very back of her shirt just barely. "Look, you don't have a lot of other places to go, I get the feeling. Hang out, if you want."

She tugged from his hand. "Why should I? This is just one more weird stop. You're some super powerful demon or angel or something that got trapped in Hell and decided to live with regular imps?" She raised a brow. "Or you're a pervy little sinner that's got his feet way in deep in places he doesn't understand. Which is it?"

"Neither. Not that way. Not at all. But... can we not do this here?" He waved around the apartment. "Look around, it's a mess. Let's go to the park."

She put her hands on her hips. "Wow. Wow! Are you that new? The parks around here are not better than here, let me just assure you. This place is practically a palace compared to every park I've seen. Unless your thing is dead bodies, people going nuts on drugs they mighta never really had, or other debaucheries people think are better with grass under their ass."

"Where else then? There has to be somewhere nice." He rubbed his throat. "At least for walking, maybe."

She sneered, crossing her arms. "Just what do you take me for? Some sort of tour guide? I'm no tourist attraction. Hell, I'm an imp. I'm used goods, and there's a reason nobody wants me."

"Right, then." Joshua picked up the scattered cards on the table, collecting them into the pile. "I've gotten some nice things used." He gently set his fuzzy hand on Katie's smooth one. "They just need to be treated right and they're just as good, in the end."

Katie ripped her hand away with an appalled face. "What do you mean? Do you have some 'use an imp like a blowup doll' kink? Because that shit is sick, and--"

"Stop." Joshua lifted his hand at last, catching his breath. "Stop making everything about sex. I'm talking to talk to you about you, as a person. I don't give a damn where you've been, or who you've been with. You're still you. You're still..." He faltered, leaning back. "I didn't mean that."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Katie grabbed the chair she had been sitting in, her tail wrapping around one of the legs. "What do you mean, fuzzyboy?"

He pressed his paws together. "Look, I know we just met. But you're cool. I just mean, you're cool. And I'd like to hang out some more. We could even get some drinks. But we're already at my house, so..." He rubbed behind his head. "Here we are."

The imp grunted. "Good point. Why the hell not?" She heaved the chair into her arms, marching for the kitchen with it. She casually climbed on it, using it to reach the top shelves where she began taking things out. "You sit there, fuzzyboy. I'm making dinner. You can tell me how much it sucks ass only after you've tried a bite."

Joshua did as he was told, taking a seat at the table with the rest of the cards. His thoughts ran wild at what this strange new friendship could possibly become, but he pushed those down. Instead, he nudged the cards aside, cleaning things off so it was more of a dining table instead of a gaming one. "Do imps just not have friends? Friend friend, friends because they like each other friends."

Katie snickered. "How can you tell me not to jump to sex, and then immediately make assumptions about love? Damn. For a horny thing, you're kind of dense. Not like the real, demonic kind of dense. That's something else. But the thick-skulled, male-human kind of dense."

He squinted at that. "The old human kind of dense. Yeah, I know that very well." He rolled a hand at her, though he could only see her waving tail around the corner. "I'm asking questions, not assuming. Tell me, and I'll know."

There was a click of metal from the next room over. "You're going to try some soup, the only thing I know how to cook that doesn't have any meat in it. Not a lot of fresh vegetables down here."

"I noticed that." Josh rubbed behind his head. "So, about friends?"

"Rare." He could hear the fire starting, burning under something that slowly began to smell good. "But happens. Shoot, a few imps even find what you could call true love. Most just get horny and blow off steam, the end."

The otter rubbed his chest at the comment about true love. "Huh. That's neat. Well, we can start slow and see how we do. A meal or two. I'll teach you a game without betting souls, and we can see if we get along."

Katie peeked out from the kitchen. "Are you asking me to date you?"

Joshua dropped the deck of cards he had been fiddling with. "I don't know?" He gasped. "Is that what dating means here?"

The imp sighed heavily. "Sometimes it does." She ducked back into the kitchen. Something squealed in there, then a splashing sound. Despite that, the smells just got better. "You are a crazy otter, just so you know."

He frowned. "A lot of 'sinners' seem to become animals. What does it mean?"

"I'm not the master of souls." She emerged, carrying the pot in mitted hands. "It's a reflection of who you are, about all I know. You're a doofus." She slammed the pot down on the table. "And you look it."

He tilted his head to one side. "Why are you so angry?"

"Life sucks, I hate you, get over it." She dragged a ladle through the broth, which began to bubble out of the container. She poured out a bowl to shove at Joshua, and one for herself. "I'm still trying to figure out your angle. You sure you don't just want some sweet imp ass? I swear, that'd be a lot easier to grasp."

"Nope. Just looking for a friend." He smiled as he leaned forward. "To be honest, it's hard to trust people after a while in hell. But you're interesting!"

She scowled at him, slamming down her bowl. "Interesting, right." She picked at her teeth with a fork she found laying there, her eyes wandering over Josh's apartment. "Damn, you've lived here longer than I expected." She nodded to the worn corners of the furniture, the scratched tabletops. "Looks like someone actually lives here, even. Most of us just sleep, eat, and go. Only an asshole tries to pretend they still have it together after the long drop to the bottom of Hell."

Joshua didn't miss a beat. "What do you do when you're not crashing in my house?"

Katie set her fork down. "Surviving. Getting my soft parts kicked or punched sometimes." She rolled her eyes. "You met me in one of those. Look. Look." She cradled her head in her hands. "You soft-ass son of a bitch, you need someone to watch your ass, since you sure as hell aren't doing it." She patted her chest. "And that someone is me. You don't mind being kept safe, do you? No fucking way. It's heaven for you."

Joshua colored brightly. "It's not like that."

"I don't care if it gets you hard or not." Katie leaned forward. "You need someone to tell it to you straight, and lead you on. I don't mind free food and a safe place to crash. We both win!"

The otter choked down some of the soup. It was good, a savory mix of mushrooms and root veggies in a thick broth. He caught his breath slowly, clearing his throat before he answered, "How does that make you different from everyone else that uses me?"

She shrugged, palms up. "For one, we're setting things right from the start. You know what I want. I know what you want. We keep to our side of things, nothing to worry about. But that's the other side, you get that right?" She reached for him, only to catch herself. Her hand returned to her own bowl, circling the edge as she continued, "I can't just be some cute little waif for you to fix."

Joshua squirmed in place. "Is it wrong to want to help?"

She flicked his wet nose lightly. "When they tell you to fuck off, yes, it's annoying. Now, are we going to go in as partners, or should I fuck off and find something else to do? Your choice, I'll find something."

"No, it's just... what if I wanted something else?" He flushed a little as he spoke. "I mean, it's nice having friends, but..."

Katie laughed as if cheered up. "So it is a sex thing. Lord almighty, thank you. That is so much easier to grasp. Look, if you want that, you shoulda just said so from the start. What's your kink? Pain, humiliation, beating, breeding, getting beat?"

"It's not about sex!" He hid behind his tail. "I was hoping for something romantic, you know?"

Katie folded her arms. "Romance is a big fancy word for foreplay. You know, that thing before sex?"

The otter rubbed under his muzzle. "I thought we were talking about a relationship."

"Look." She leaned forward enough to use her elbows as props. "You have a boyfriend, and a girlfriend it looked like. Why are you even sniffing around an imp anyway if you just want another buddy?"

"I'm not. Not just a buddy." He lowered his ears. "Sorry, I guess you didn't know. None of them, uh..." He rubbed behind his neck. "Wanted anything serious." Joshua let out a tense laugh. "We're all buddies, nothing more than that, even to hell and back."

Her brows shot up. "You were a polyamorous couple?"

Joshua froze a moment. "N-no! Different times." He worried his fingers together. "I was finding myself, okay? Look, you seem nice."

"Come off it." She thumped the table. "I have not put off that many 'I am so nice' vibes today." She prodded Joshua in the chest. "I'm just trying to be forward with you about the situation. And if you're not being forward with me, then I don't see a problem with just leaving, do you?"

Joshua was silent a moment before a sigh escaped him. "Alright. Alright. When I saw you being beat up like that, it reminded me, of things, of myself, of other people I know. If I can offer something better, I want to. If we get along, even better. I want to try that, if you have room for that, um, kind of thing?"

Katie cocked a brow at him. "Been awhile since you've had to ask for a date, huh? You need to work on that pitch. Here, let me help. How about this, you promise to not treat me like a kid, or like I'm made of glass, and I'll let you take me out to nice places whenever I want. Deal?"

The otter brightened at that, holding out his hand. "Deal."

"And we'll have lots of fun." She met his hand with her own, the two giving a firm shake on the matter. "Deal is a deal. Deals can mean a lot, down here. They can also mean nothing. Depends on the collateral, and who's involved. Whatever." She hopped down to the floor, tail flicking behind her. "I can see why you need to protect that big soft heart of yours. Better me than some other whore." She marched to the door of the apartment, waving for Josh. "Coming? I got some shopping to do and I'm bored of your little place already."

"You can't shop for yourself?" He moved to follow, tail wagging behind him. "And yeah, let's go!"