Phrodival. The Hidden Heart of Aporue. The Crucible of Our People. Fesser's Embrace. Sidroc Siroam.
The largest permanent Lust demon settlement to ever grace the surface of Hell. A bastion for Succubi founded millennia ago by Lady Fesser and her consort, Atticus siEques. A place for her dynasty to protect and lead her people for centuries to come, through times of both weal and woe.
Phrodival was a place of legend to most. But to Cobalt Trayer, it was his home.
Nestled safely within an ancient crater, the Succubus town was a thing of beauty. Now that they were closer, the pair could truly appreciate the aesthetics of the place; the mossy cobbles underfoot, the ivy clinging to the cross bracing on the medieval-style buildings all around them, the strings of gently glowing lights cross-crossing above their heads... To Karazelle, it brought on feeling of awe and amazement, while Cobalt just felt uncomfortably nostalgic.
All around them, the citizenry were going about their business. Despite the history oozing from the architecture all around them, most of the local Succubi were wearing modern clothing. A few donned the more traditional handwoven dresses and robes associated with diehard Fesserites, while others wore protective alchemical suits and guard uniforms similar to Tabitha's.
It was strange, seeing Phrodival again. Cobalt just stood by the front gates and watched for a moment, taking it all in. A woodcarver hawked her wares from a small stall at the side of the road while an alchemist was hurriedly carrying an armful of orange herbs from one storefront to another. A pair of young girls were laughing and screaming as they chased each other around a well, while over by a nearby bench, their guardian read a book, occasionally glancing up to keep an eye on them. Above the din of town life, he could hear the faint twanging of a lyre band, playing a traditional folk tune that he once knew by heart. A few dragonflies buzzed around his head. The air smelled of life, love, and sweet perfume.
"Sugar?"
Cobalt glanced over at Karazelle. She had stopped staring at Phrodival and had focused her attention on him.
"You're crying," she breathed, reaching up to his face.
Shaking his head, Cobalt quickly wiped at his cheeks, rubbing away the traitorous tear leaking from his eye.
"Sorry, I'm just... sorry," he murmured, blinking his vision clear.
"You don't have to apologise. It's okay to be-"
"I'm alright, Karazelle. Let's just get to our lodgings, shall we?"
She cocked her head.
"What? Can't we have a look around first?" she asked, a little disappointed.
The hairs on his skin bristled at her words. A part of him wanted to tell her no; that his priority was to head straight to the Matriarch's villa and request access to the Undercroft. He wanted to get this whole thing over and done with quickly, preferably with as few people recognising him as possible. But another part of him simply couldn't be so cruel. Karazelle had dreamed of coming here for a long time. He couldn't deny her that.
Taking a deep breath, he bit the bullet. Answers could wait for a day or so. At the very least, Cobalt could give his loyal student a tour.
"Alright. Where would you like to go first?" he asked, doing his best to smile.
The smile she returned validated his decision and then some.
With their luggage still in hand, the two delved deeper into Phrodival, much to Karazelle's delight.
The first place he brought her to was the western edge of the lakeshore; a massive cobbled plaza filled to the brim with market stalls. Everything was for sale; fish, vegetables, herbs, leather goods, carved bones, alchemical supplies, magical paraphernalia, and much more. A rosegirl caravan was parked close by a sundries stall, and its workers milled around the surrounding stalls, catching up and making merry as their thorn hefted crates of food into the back. As the pair approached, Cobalt explained the historical significance of each business on display, but didn't enter the markets proper, preferring instead to remain on a bench at the edge of the plaza.
"Go on," he told Karazelle, taking hold of her luggage, "go knock yourself out."
"You sure?" she asked, clearly chomping at the bit to go.
"I'm sure. I just need to rest after all that. Just remember to meet me here, and don't forget to haggle. Especially with Bindi's bead stand; she will gouge you if she can help it."
With a mighty grin and a wink, Karazelle turned on her heel and delved deep into the thick of the bustling market, as happy as a kid in a candy store.
"She's gonna get fleeced," Lilith commented.
"The people here are generally fair with their pricing. Except Bindi, but she's always been a little shifty."
"You don't sound too happy to be back."
"Yeah, well, the last time I was here I was more or less kidnapped and dragged underground to be imprisoned for the rest of my life. You could say I left on bad terms."
"Raised a stink on your way out, huh?"
"Something like that."
"Huh. I know the feeling."
Cobalt sat in relative silence, watching Karazelle as she darted from one stall to the other. The locals took to her well, recognising the amulet around her neck and immediately taking to her. She looked overjoyed with her armful of Phrodival goods.
"Still... She'd want you to join her," Lilith continued, her voice tinged with something almost resembling a warm tone.
The Incubus sighed.
"I know. But my presence would just complicate things. I'm already drawing too much attention where I am."
Sure enough, a few Succubi passed him by, their eyes widening at the sight of the Incubus in their midst. Right as he began to wonder whether this entire venture was a good idea, Karazelle returned, gasping for breath and beaming at him. She was struggling to carry all of the stuff she had bought, and had a new leather tote bag crammed with even more trinkets.
"I think I just spent my entire life's allowance," she gasped, struggling to catch her breath.
"Did you have fun?"
"Sure did. You know, I asked about you-"
Oh no.
"-and some of the stuff that people were saying was... I mean... did you really fight a hellhound when you were a kid? And win?"
Cobalt delved into his patchwork memory, but in the mists of his mind, he could recall no such event.
"People around here like to talk, and more importantly, they like to embellish. Best not to believe anything you hear. Shall we?" he asked quickly, standing up straight.
Once Karazelle caught her breath, the pair packed away as much of her new merchandise as they could manage before setting off again. Heading to the edge of town, Cobalt brought her to see the apiaries; a massive meadow filled with multicoloured flowers and dotted with thatch beehives. See seemed enraptured by the industrious little insects, and after some time, she deigned to buy a few bottles of their honey.
After that, it all began to pass like a blur. Cobalt and Karazelle toured all over the town, with the Incubus bringing her to locations from all across his childhood. His old school, the stream where he liked to play, the open-air eateries where his family sometimes visited on the weekends, and even his old place of residence, though he insisted that they only observed from a distance.
"Why can't we go in? It's your house, right?" the Succubus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's... currently being looked after by Lydia."
"Oh, your maid, right? Let's go visit her then, sugar!"
Cobalt grabbed her wrist and shook her head.
"That's... well... Lydia can be a little... intense..." he murmured to her.
"Ah, I get it. It's that 'older-Succubus intensity', right?"
"She's an Oni."
"She's what?!"
"L- Let's go to Cocoa's, shall we?!"
-----
By the time they circled back to the centre of the town, the sun had begun to sink below the horizon, bathing Phrodival in warm orange light. The chemical lights up above reacted to the gloom with gusto, glowing brighter and adding their own multicoloured hues to the kaleidoscope of light. With Karazelle completely enraptured, Cobalt had to place a hand upon her back in order to guide her, eventually bringing her to a halt outside of a beautiful freestanding townhouse in the middle of a busy street. Tables and chairs filled the outdoor patio, and as the pair approached the front door, the overwhelming scent of coffee overtook them.
"What is this place?" asked Karazelle, completely enraptured.
"The best café in Phrodival. It's owned by a friend of my mother's."
She gave him a sly grin.
"And a friend of yours, right?"
He didn't answer.
Cocoa Lattess was a pillar of the community. Warm, kind, caring, sweet... It was like she was a mother to everybody, as well as her five daughters. There was always a running joke that she and Jezebel Trayer were competing to see who could have the largest family.
The Lattess family were lovely.
Most of them, anyway...
"Sugar? Are you gonna...?" Karazelle asked, gesturing to the door.
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He swallowed hard, gave her a nod, and stepped inside.
The bell above the door jingled as Cobalt entered the café, drawing all eyes to the two newcomers.
Cocoa's main floor was typical of a café; a wide open space filled with comfortable furniture and tasteful art pieces. Warm chemical lights hung from cables wrapped around the rafters, and all around them, Cobalt and Karazelle could see various denizens of Phrodival wind down after a long day's work. Behind the round counter at the far end of the room, a pair of identical Succubi were pouring coffee and tending to customers, while a third, gloomier girl was wiping down the empty tables. As the newcomers looked around, a little girl sitting in the corner suddenly looked up from her drawings and gasped loudly.
"Cobalt?!" she cried loudly, vaulting over her table and scattering colourful pencil sketches all over the floor.
Try as he might, Cobalt wasn't able to move out of the way in time before the excitable ball of energy that was Cookie Lattess headbutted him in the stomach in an effort to hug him, winding him badly and almost sending him to the floor.
"Agh... Cookie... Horns..." he coughed, holding a hand to the spot where the young girl had almost gored him.
She just stood up and jostled from one foot to the other, practically vibrating with energy. The last time Cobalt saw Cookie Lattess - the youngest of the Lattess family - she was barely older than eight or nine, and to be honest, he didn't remember interacting with her much. Since then, her sight had apparently worsened, if the thick circular glasses she wore were anything to go by.
"Well hey there. You a friend of his?" Karazelle asked, leaning down to pat the girl's head.
She grinned, proudly displaying the gap between her front teeth.
"Yeah! Cobalt's my friend! Mommy said he wasn't ever gonna come back!"
The Incubus in question winced at her words and how loudly she was saying them. A few of the regulars looked up from their drinks, disturbed by the young girl's yelling. He could see their eyes widening at the sight of the Incubus, and he could even see recognition on a few of their faces.
"Speaking of, could you go get your mother for me, Cookie? I have something important I need to discuss with her," he told her urgently as the stares burned into him.
"Yeah, sure! She's upstairs; I'll go get her. Here, you can have my seat!"
Pushing the pair into the booth by the door, the young Succubus quickly darted behind the counter and through a back door.
"Aw, she's sweet," Karazelle said, gathering up the drawings and setting them aside.
Cobalt just shrugged and sat down next to her. He could hear the regulars whispering to each other about him. He had hoped that Cocoa would be working the floor, and that there would be less people around.
"What do you want to get?" his student asked him, picking up a menu.
"I'm alright, thanks," Cobalt responded absentmindedly.
"You sure?"
"Yeah... I'm actually here to speak with the owner about something."
She gave him a concerned look, but after what he hoped was a reassuring smile, Karazelle just patted his shoulder and returned her attention to the menu, reading it aloud to herself as she tried to pick something. Before she could settle on a drink, however, the gloomy Succubus who had been cleaning the tables arrived at their booth. She was a second-stager much like Karazelle, dressed in dark clothing and bearing an annoyed expression on her face. She held a steaming mug in one hand; likely someone else's order.
"... What are you doing back here?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the Incubus.
"Clove? Hey, it's been-" Cobalt began.
"I asked you what the fuck you're doing back here?" Clove Lattess interrupted, tightening her grip on the mug.
"Hey!" Karazelle snapped, slamming her hands down on the table.
The waitress shot her a furious glare.
"You stay out of this, city-slicker. This is between me and him," she spat, returning her glare to Cobalt.
He swallowed hard. Clove Lattess; the problem child of the Lattess family. She had always been standoffish and antisocial, but she had never liked Cobalt, especially after...
After...
Something happened. In third-year. He couldn't remember what it was, but it turned Clove's indifference into revulsion. He remembered getting into a scuffle with her the night he left, sparked by whatever that event was.
Sweet hellfire, why couldn't he remember...?
"Get out," Clove said, glaring at him.
Cobalt opened his mouth to speak, but Karazelle beat him to the punch.
"Listen, I don't care who you think you are, but you don't get to push us around like that," the Succubus retorted, her fists balled tight.
He placed a hand upon her shoulder and sat her back down before he shuffled out of the booth and stood next to Clove.
"Clove, listen. I understand you have your reasons not to-"
"Cut the shit, Cobalt. You know what you did. So do us all a favour and just leave, and make sure to stay gone this time."
"Not until I speak with Cocoa."
She closed the distance, squaring right up to him. Despite her shorter height, Clove's glare was enough to make Cobalt shrink down into his boots.
"Nobody wants you here, you fucking monster, especially not Mom. Cherry can't even look at herself in a mirror after what you did to her; do you really think she'd want to speak to you after something like that? Get the fuck out of our café before I fucking kick you out on your ass," she spat, her tail coiled tight.
He glanced over her shoulder. Everyone was staring at them now, including the two baristas. They were whispering to each other, conferring whether they ought to intervene or not. He took a deep breath.
"I just need to talk to your mother. Then I'll go."
Clove snorted.
"Fine. Have it your way."
Taking a step back, she swung the mug of hot coffee with all of her might, smashing it right across the side of Cobalt's skull. As shards of ceramic scattered all over the floor, a flood of scalding fluid scorched his skin, wrenching a scream of pain from his throat and sending him crashing to the floor. Blinded and debilitated by the burning deluge, all Cobalt could focus on was the pain as chaos erupted all around him. He could just about make out the café regulars leap to their feet and cry out as the two baristas rushed over to them. One grabbed Clove's arms and pinned them behind her back before she could lay into Cobalt, while the other grappled Karazelle before she could tackle her teacher's aggressor.
"You have some fucking nerve coming back here after what you did to Cherry! Let me go! Let me at him!" Clove shrieked, kicking and screaming as her coworker dragged her away.
"Caramel, take her outside to cool off!" the other barista called, keeping Karazelle back before things could get any more violent.
Taking deep breaths, Cobalt grabbed the edge of the table and clambered to his feet, doing his best to keep his composure and filter out the pain. He could already feel his skin beginning to repair itself; right now his priority was to deescalate the situation.
However, he couldn't for the life of him remember why Clove had suddenly assaulted him. She ranted about something he did to her sister, but all the name Cherry Lattess inspired in Cobalt was feelings of fear and apprehension.
But... nothing resembling a solid memory...
"Ma'am, calm down!" the remaining barista cried, trying to calm Karazelle.
Cobalt raised his hand as he wiped the hot coffee from his eyes.
"K- Karazelle, don't... It's alright," he gasped, leaning against the table.
She rushed to his side as the barista sighed and began to pluck bits of broken mug off the floor.
"I am so, so sorry about that, Cobalt. This... is not the kind of welcome we would have given you if we knew you were coming," she sighed.
He just nodded understandingly. Cinnamon Lattess; one of two twins, the other being Caramel. Cobalt remembered them as being the most diligent of Cocoa's daughters, but he always had trouble telling the pair of them apart.
"I'm sorry for suddenly dropping in. Especially after..." he breathed, rubbing the spot where the mug made impact.
Cinnamon gave him a sympathetic smile. She had a tattoo of a bee upon the side of her neck; one of the few things differentiating her from her twin.
"It's alright. We know it wasn't your fault, Clove's just... well, she's always felt a little too strongly, you know?"
"Yeah..."
Looking from one to the other, Karazelle raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?" she asked cluelessly.
Cobalt looked away while Cinnamon just shook her head and gave her a smile.
"So, you're a friend of Cobalt's, huh? Thanks for keeping an eye on him in the big city," she said, effortlessly redirecting the flow of conversation.
She glanced over at the Incubus, amused by the idea that Brimstone somehow constitutes a "big city."
"Ah, yeah. I'm his student, actually. Been wanting to visit Phrodival for a while, and after a while I managed to... convince him~" Karazelle responded, shooting Cobalt a sultry gaze.
He sighed but didn't respond, for fear of interrupting the healing process currently taking place upon his face. Cinnamon gave a weary laugh and jokingly bumped her hip into the Incubus.
"Oh? It's about time he took an interest in someone. The Matriarch was considering bringing back the communal husband idea."
"Wait, you mean that wasn't a joke?"
"I mean, it was a real position. I'm pretty sure if you pick through the town bylaws you'll find it's still a thing."
With the broken mug all gathered, she nodded to Cobalt and smiled sweetly.
"See you around, Cobalt. Nice horns, by the way."
She brushed past the pair of them, allowing Cobalt to slump back into his seat. Taking a staggered breath, he held his head in his hands as Karazelle sidled up next to him. She stretched an arm across his shoulders, but he could feel the reassurance from the gesture, rather than the flirtatious intent it would usually have.
"You okay?" she asked quietly.
He just nodded, already exhausted.
"Yeah... Beginning to see why you were so iffy about coming here."
Shutting his eyes for a moment, Cobalt decided to let it slip.
"My memory isn't very good. You probably know that. But... I get the feeling that I did something bad, Karazelle."
"Is this the Incupsychosis thing?" she asked, cocking her head.
"No... I think this was something else. I- I don't know. Maybe I'm just getting my thoughts all messed up."
Leaning over, she pressed against him, resting her head upon his shoulder.
"Hey. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out, okay? Whatever happened, happened. It's in the past, and we can move on from it."
"But-"
"No buts, sugar. You know how dangerous it can be to get stuck in your own head, yeah?"
"... Yeah. You're right. Sorry."
"Don't be sorry. Just keep me in the loop with what's going on up here," Karazelle giggled gently, tapping Cobalt's head.
Her finger suddenly flinched away.
"Ah... is your face okay?"
He nodded.
"I suppose one good thing about being an Incubus is that first-degree burns are only minor inconveniences," he told her, rubbing the freshly-healed wounds.
"That's... great?"
The sound of pumps slapping against hardwood drew both of their respective attentions, prompting the pair to look up as Cookie rushed back to the table, completely out of breath.
"Mommy's in the kitchen! She wants to see you! You too, miss lady!" she gasped, pointing at Karazelle.
Guided by the excitable little Succubus, the pair were brought behind the counter and into the Lattess' living area. It was a rustic home that Cobalt hadn't seen in a long time; he remembered spending hours in this kitchen, getting his hair pulled and tail stood on by Cherry while he waited for his mother to drink her coffee and stop nattering. As he and Karazelle were sat at the table, he looked up to see a matronly Succubus standing at the stove, murmuring to herself as she fiddled with a coffee roaster.
He knew even without seeing her face that it was Cocoa Lattess. She was a broad, matronly woman with an unusually-lengthy tail laden with decorative ribbons. The apron she wore was weathered and frayed from years of use, and upon turning around, Cobalt was met with a pudgy face and a pair of kind, dewy eyes.
"Cobalt... It's really you," she breathed, wiping her hands clean with a cloth.
He gave his mother's best friend a tired smile.
"It's good to see you against, Cocoa."
Taking a step closer, she sat at the head of the table, looking from Cobalt to Karazelle respectively.
"I... I thought you'd disavowed us, honey," she said, fiddling with her apron.
The Incubus took a deep breath.
"I realise I left on a sour note. And I'm sorry."
Cocoa shook her head.
"No, don't apologise. We should have... I mean, Felicity shouldn't have... We didn't want to scare you, honey. This whole... you..." Cocoa stammered, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
The Succubus barista took a deep, shuddering breath. He could practically hear the regret in the mighty heave of her shoulders.
"We should have told you from the outset, honey. Me, Jezzy, Felicity... We should have told you what you were in for. Hiding it all from you... It wasn't right. We just-"
"You wanted me to live in blissful ignorance. I get it, Cocoa. Really, I do. I... I've mostly come to terms with it," he sighed, reaching over to touch her hand.
He gave her a smile.
"But that's not why I'm here, actually. Cocoa, I want you to meet Karazelle. She's maybe one of my best students," Cobalt said, nodding to his companion.
A blush burned in the Succubus' cheeks as she introduced herself, much to Cocoa's amusement.
"Jezzy sent us a letter a while ago, gushing about your students. It's nice to finally meet one of them," she laughed, wiping her eyes dry.
"She's been wanting to get in touch with Succubus history for a while, hence..." the Incubus continued, nodding to their luggage piled by the door.
Cocoa nodded.
"Say no more, honey. You can stay over as long as you like. Clove's going to be staying over at a friend's for a while, so... well... I am so sorry about that, honey."
He waved her apology away.
"It's okay. Really."
"I- In any case, you two can stay in Cherry's old room. You two are okay with sharing, right?"
"Yeah, that's fine!" Karazelle interjected before her teacher could say anything.
Sighing, Cobalt suppressed his burgeoning smile and fixed Cocoa with a serious stare.
"Cocoa, one more thing. Is the Matriarch busy?" he asked, finally broaching the subject he came here to discuss.
She cocked her head.
"As far as I know she has nothing planned. Why?"
"Karazelle wants to visit the Undercroft."
His student cocked her head.
"I do?" she asked quietly.
"And I know it's not standard protocol to allow outsiders in without proper vetting, but this is really important to her. I'd consider it a massive favour."
Leaning back in her chair, Cocoa rubbed her chin.
"Hm... Well, I have a delivery due tomorrow, so I suppose I could run that by Felicity in the morning. You'd have to go see her yourself, though; you know how she can be."
"Kid? What are you doing? I thought the plan was to just talk to this Matriarch," Lilith complained.
Swallowing hard, Cobalt glanced over his shoulder at his case.
"Thanks, Cocoa."
A lump formed in his throat. He felt bad for throwing Karazelle under the bus, but in the last few hours, Cobalt had come to a conclusion.
Despite their centuries of knowledge and experimentation, the Succubi of Phrodival would only be able to teach him so much about Incupsychosis and the effects Cordelia Fesser's cure would have upon it. That wasn't good enough for Cobalt, and it didn't outweigh the risk.
Simply put, he needed someone with direct experience.