"Three hundred."

"No."

"I'm not budging, Kara."

"These aren't even yours."

"And? You think you're gonna find these cheaper if you go legit?

"Two fifty."

"Piss off."

"Two seventy-five, and you have to help me set them up."

Quinn stuck her lip out at Karazelle's suggestion. She glanced over her shoulder at the corner of the girls' dormitory basement, where a pair of construction lamps and a small electric generator were sitting, all looked as though they had been pinched straight from a construction site.

"Alright, fine. I'll consider it mate's rates," the Imp sighed, holding out an expectant hand.

With a smile, Karazelle opened up her purse and began flicking through the various brand notes she kept within. Upon counting them, however, she suddenly frowned.

"I've only got like sixty on me. Do you take credit?" she asked with a half smile.

Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Do you even have that kinda dosh in your account?" the Imp asked, adjusting her cap.

"Nope, but Momma does," she announced triumphantly.

With a flourish, she produced Mistress Viola's black credit card from her purse, grinning all the while. Quinn Redtile wasn't the only one with sticky fingers.

"Uh... I'm not one to turn down a deal, but... even I'm not keen on stealing from Mistress Frostyknickers. No offense to your mum."

"None taken. Don't worry about that, she doesn't keep track of her outgoing transactions. And even if she does notice, what's she gonna do, huh? Spank me?"

Quinn folded her arms.

"Still..."

"Oh come on, Quinn! Look, do this for me, and I'll even throw in some shibari lessons for Lottie!"

Immediately, the Imp's face went even redder than normal as her calm, cool demeanour shattered into a thousand pieces. She nearly tripped backwards as she physically recoiled from Karazelle's statement.

"Wh- Why the bloody Hell would you do that?!" she choked.

"Quinn. Please. Give me some credit. I've heard all about the magazines you keep under your bed."

"That's private!"

"What, so you wouldn't want Lottie to tie you up like that~?"

The Imp opened her mouth to argue, but quickly shut it as she got lost in thought. Judging by the widening of her eyes and the dilation of her cattish pupils, however, Karazelle could easily tell exactly what she was thinking about.

"Well?" the Succubus asked.

"A- Alright, alright, fine! Just don't forget to wire me the brands, okay? I'm trying to save up," she sighed, wiping her brow as she heaved the generator into her arms.

Unable to resist, Karazelle giggled as she lifted a construction lamp beneath each arm.

"Oho? And what, pray tell, are you saving for?"

"... Dunno... Place to live, or something..." Quinn murmured, staring at the floor.

The Succubus took a deep breath.

"Hey."

The Imp glanced up at her, looking unusually sheepish.

"You don't gotta bend over backwards trying to impress her. Lottie loves you more than anything in the world, and I don't think that's ever gonna change. Just take a deep breath and relax. Spend too much time worrying about the future and you're gonna forget to spend the present with your hot girlfriend."

"I... yeah. Yeah, you're right," Quinn sighed, reaffirming her grip on the generator as Karazelle set off across the basement.

She followed closely behind, but her face quickly scrunched up.

"You ever think about being a councilor or summat?"

"Nah, not really my thing. I've got my sights set elsewhere."

"Like where?"

"Secret~!"

Directing Quinn through the maze of dusty crates and old boxes that had languished in the dormitory basement for longer than Karazelle was alive, the Succubus took a deep breath and readjusted her grip on the lamps.

She really had to try and nail this formula, and fast. What happened with Izzbelle on their gym date was an unfortunate mishap, but at the very least she now knew that her previous attempt was a failure. The concoction worked, but only as an aphrodisiac, and apparently it had some nasty side-effects akin to ipecac syrup or other such emetics.

If Karazelle had a brand for every time she accidentally made one of her friends throw up because of an alchemical mishap, she would have two brands. Weird.

"Wait... Was this always here?" Quinn asked, grunting as she carried the generator.

The pair came to a stop before a sizable hole in the wall, beyond which were steps leading deeper down into the darkness.

"Nope. There was a bunch of plywood nailed to the wall around about here, but... hey, remember that crowbar you sold me?" Karazelle asked with a sly grin.

The Imp raised an eyebrow.

"Well shit. Didn't take you for an urban explorer," she commented, squinting through the gloom.

"There's tunnels down there that go for miles. I tried exploring a few but my phone battery's completely fucked. Light doesn't last long enough."

"You need a new one? I know a guy who works at the docks and scalps parts off the shipments. Getting a better battery probably wouldn't be too hard."

"Uh-huh. And how much would that set me back?"

"Fifteen brands?"

"... Reasonable."

"I'm a reasonable girl."

"Also suspicious."

"I've been called that too."

Pulling out her phone, Quinn switched on the light and tucked it into her jacket pocket, illuminating the staircase.

"So every building in the school's connected by these tunnels?" Quinn asked, glancing over at her friend.

"Yup. All the entrances are blocked off. Some are bricked up, but a couple are just boarded."

The Imp grinned.

"Good to know," she murmured, already scheming something if her glinting eyes were anything to go by.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Right, c'mon, we don't have a lot of time. We're already missing last period."

"Yeah, yeah, right behind you."

Laden with heavy equipment, the two demons slowly made their way down the stairs, taking care not to scrape the side of the generator off the walls or accidentally shatter one of the lamps. Once at the bottom of the steps, Karazelle took a deep breath of the cold, stale air.

"Welcome to the underschool," she sighed, wincing as her shoulders began to strain.

"Blimey..." Quinn breathed, squinting as she saw her breath form into vapour in front of her.

"Just follow the pink stickies."

"The what?"

She nodded at a far wall, where a pink sticky note was. An arrow had been scrawled on it in blue biro, directing them down a different tunnel. Nodding, Quinn followed her companion's instructions, gazing around with wide eyes at the dusty stonework and carbon-caked sconces. With Karazelle taking up the rear, the pair made their way through the dark, claustrophobic passageways of the underschool.

"What all kinda shit is even down here?" asked the Imp as they passed by a set of iron doors.

"Couldn't tell you. Magic workshops, libraries, alchemy labs, that kinda thing. I've set up shop a little on down the way, just keep going. My arms are getting sore."

The continued on for a few minutes, turning this way and that as they traveled beneath the surface of B.I.D. Eventually, Karazelle instructed Quinn to stop outside the heavy metal door to the Aimehcla Muirotarobal. Shunting the door open, she set the lamps down near the door and groaned as she massaged her aching joints. Dragging the generator in after her, the Imp pointed the flashlight of her phone around the inside of the old alchemy lab, eyes wide with wonder.

Since Karazelle had moved in, she had done everything she could to spruce the place up a little. She managed to clean most of the carbon stains off the walls and workbenches, but the ceiling was far to high to reach. Most of the chemistry equipment that littered the shelves had been stolen from all over the school, and upon one of the walls, dozens upon dozens of molecular structures and chemical equations had been hastily scrawled in chalk.

"Is this... a drug lab...?" Quinn asked, pointing her light at the chimney vent in the ceiling.

"Sorta. Help me set these up, will you?"

Arranging the construction lamps in the corners of the room, the two demons dragged the generator over by one of the storage racks. As Quinn worked her tinker magic, Karazelle plugged the lamps in and checked the generator's fuel gauge. With a not to her friend, she gave the chord and mighty pull.

Nothing.

Frowning, she gave it another pull.

Again, nothing.

"Dammit, Quinn, you better not have sold me a dud," she grunted.

"Hey, I don't sell dodgy merch, alright? Just try it again."

Giving the Imp a look, Karazelle gripped the chord and pulled it as hard as she could.

Finally, the generator kicked into gear, guttering and spluttering as a plume of diesel fumes began to spray out of the exhaust pipe.

"Where does it go?" the Imp asked as she watched the fumes rise.

"As long as it isn't here, who cares?"

"Hm. Must be some kind of old ventilation system or summat."

"Does it matter?"

As the lamps filled the old lab with bright light, Quinn raised an eyebrow and sat down upon a plastic crate filled with ingredients that Karazelle had ordered off the internet. Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out a small tin flask and took a sip.

"What's gotten into you, Kara?" she asked, frowning as she swirled whatever liquid was inside.

"What do you mean what's gotten into me?" Karazelle replied, grabbing a few beakers from a shelf.

"You sound tired."

The Succubus stopped for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her face to fall. Her strained smile disappeared, and her shoulders slumped as she raised a hand to massage the bridge of her nose.

"... We're all tired, Quinn," she sighed after a moment, grabbing a bundle of small reddish roots off another workbench.

"Still thinking about the trip, yeah?" the Imp asked, passing her flask from one hand to the other.

Clodfingers. An odd, skinny root that grows on muddy beaches down in Angam. Supposedly some Succubus bouquets there used to use it as a post-coital stimulant in order to extend afterglows. Karazelle was hoping it could add some potency to her mix.

"Who isn't? It's kind of a big deal," she said, grinding the roots up into a paste.

"You're worried about them. Izzy and Jel and Cobalt."

"Of course I am."

As Karazelle added water to the mix, bit by bit, Quinn slowly peered around the makeshift alchemy lab.

"I'm not gonna poke into your business, but I'm guessing this all has something to do with them?"

"With him, yeah."

The Imp sighed.

"Kara, I know you wanna get into his briefs and all, but-"

"It's not like that anymore!"

The Imp flinched as the Succubus suddenly slammed the pestle down on the workbench. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and scraped the clodfinger paste into a beaker.

"Quinn, have you looked into Cobalt's eyes, lately?" she asked quietly, setting the beaker onto the stove.

"Can't say I'm in the business of staring longingly into blokes' eyes," the Imp replied dryly.

"There's something wrong with them."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Eh?"

Karazelle stepped over to the other side of the alchemy lab and grabbed a few more ingredients. A jar of sugar, a few cloves of Fesser's Passion and some honey. Not the store bought stuff, but a jar of honey from a genuine Succubus apiary just outside of Pumice Bay.

"I can't explain it, but there's something about them that just... I dunno. They're not right."

"How so?"

"There's a fire in them."

"Isn't that a good thing? To have like a spark in your eyes?"

"Not this one. This one doesn't sit right with me."

Grinding down the Fesser's Passion, she added it to the mix, turning down the stove so it didn't explode again.

"But even aside from all that, he's going through more than he can handle. I wanna make him something to help him feel better."

Measuring out a few dollops of honey, she added them alongside some of the sugar, mixing it all with a glass rod. Everything slowly began to combine into a dull, mauve sludge. Taking it off the heat, allowed it to cool for a moment before dipping a finger in and tasting it.

A little bit of a tingle, but not much. It needed something to intensify the effect.

Glancing over at Quinn, she nodded at her flask.

"What is that?" Karazelle asked.

"This? Cider. Not great, but it does the job."

She frowned. Whiskey or brandy would have been ideal, but cider would do in a pinch. Probably.

"Could I borrow it?"

The Imp snorted.

"You gonna give it back?"

Grinning, she tossed the flask to the Succubus, who deftly caught it and dumped its contents into the beaker. The fluid brightened in colour a little, but the smell grew exponentially worse as pink steam gradually rose from the beaker.

"Still, Kara. You're saying that I don't have to bend over backwards for Lottie. But... aren't you doing that for Cobalt?" she asked, cocking her head.

The Succubus sighed.

"I guess I am. Never claimed not to be a hypocrite, though."

"Kara."

She looked up at Quinn, squinting through the fumes.

"Are you okay?" the Imp asked in a low, serious tone.

Karazelle pretended not to hear her.

The Succubus stood there and stirred the beaker, lowering the temperature bit by bit as she stared into the middle distance, quietly thinking to herself.

So much had happened in so short a span of time.

She had made friends with more people than she could imagine. She had acquaintances, yes, but they were never close. Not like Quinn and the rest. They felt like a family to her. Closer than a family, in fact. In just over a year, Karazelle found herself feeling closer to them than anyone else she had known in her entire life. And Cobalt... he was like the glue that held them all together. She did her best to help everyone with their problems, but there was something about that man that seemed to touch the hearts of those he encountered. He was strong, even if he wasn't aware of his strength.

But the longer Karazelle thought about it, the more she realised that the past few months had been rife with far more turmoil than any one person should bear. The Devils were just the tip of the iceberg. Izzbelle had her problems with the Sulfur Bloods. Jelli had family troubles of her own. Quinn and Lottie both went through a lot to find one another, and Whitney was still suffering. As for Elya... she was in her own league. So much suffering carried by so few people.

And Cobalt was pushing himself to shoulder it all, even though he was already breaking beneath the weight of his own troubles.

She just...

She wanted to see him smile again.

Seeing him sitting alone on the bench, staring at the claws on his hands... She could see it in his eyes. Burgeoning thoughts of self-loathing.

"Kara?"

Glancing over at Quinn, the Succubus blinked a few times, snapping herself out of it.

"Y- Yeah?" she stammered.

"You always tell us to talk to you if there's anything bothering us. You know it works the other way around, right?" the Imp told her in a sincere tone.

No.

It didn't.

"Don't worry about me, Quinn. I'm alright," the Succubus said, pouring her alchemical solution into another beaker.

Lifting it up, she turned to the Imp.

"Don't suppose you'd mind testing something for me, would you?" she joked, putting her smile back on.

"Sure."

"I was joking, I didn't-"

"Nah, gimme. I'll do it."

Taking the solution from her hands, Quinn unceremoniously tipped it down her throat, wincing at the taste and choking a little. Frowning, she thumped her chest and handed the beaker back.

"Blimey, I take my tea with three sugars but that stuff really hurts the teeth, huh?"

Anxiously taking the beaker, Karazelle shrugged.

"Well, um... Do you feel anything?" she asked.

Folding her arms, Quinn shut her eyes for a moment, as if waiting for something.

"Hm... nope. Nothing. Little tickle in my throat, but that's about it," she reported.

Karazelle's shoulders slumped. Another failure. This one didn't even have the good grace to show any kind of noticeable effect.

That... That was fine. Now that she had light now here, she could work for as long as she needed.

"Thanks for helping me out, Quinn. I really appreciate it," the Succubus sighed, clearing the workbench.

"Any time, Kara. Just make sure to-"

She was cut off by her phone suddenly ringing. With an annoyed sigh, she pulled it from her pocket and answered it, stepping out into the darkened hallway.

"Hello?"

From where she was standing in the lab, Karazelle could only hear muffled murmuring on the other end.

"Bit sudden, innit? What? No, No I'll be down in a minute. The Terminal, yeah? See you then," the Imp said, stepping back into the lab after a moment.

Zipping up her jacket, she hooked a thumb over her shoulder.

"Listen Kara, I gotta go help with something. Call me if you need help again, okay?"

She gave the Succubus a little smile.

"Or if you just need to talk. I'm here if you need me."

She left the underground lab, her rapid footsteps echoing off the desolate stone walls of the underschool tunnels. Left by herself, Karazelle slowly stepped over to her wall of formulae. She picked a piece of chalk off the floor and violently scored several of them out, scattering bits of white all over the floor.

She'd get it right. One way or another, she'd find a way to make Cobalt smile again.

Because Karazelle knew that there was nothing worse than feeling alone against the world.