Finding somewhere nice and secluded to talk was easier said than done when in the company of a local hero thought to be dead or missing for the past two decades. As the crowd at Quincy Hanlon's rally fell to chaos and his security team was forced to step in and try to keep the peace, Cobalt was similarly forced to get his father off the stage and escape sharpish, with Viola quickly following close behind. After many weeks of avoiding paparazzi and nosy reporters, the Incubus had grown quite skilled at escaping pursuers and disappearing into Brimstone's urban sprawl, so it was only a matter of time before the three of them eventually managed to escape into a small café tucked between a pair of narrow backstreets. It was thankfully empty, and the proprietor was an elderly Golem with failing eyesight, so he didn't even notice Brass when his son rolled his wheelchair over to a table at the back. The two Incubi sat down as the Succubus went to order at the counter. She looked more flustered than Cobalt had ever seen in his life. Even when Diate beat her senseless the previous year, the Headmistress still retained her composure. But all it took was one glance at Brass Trayer to completely throw her for a loop.

She was leaning against the café counter, shaking all over as she stumbled over her order, again and again. Outside, Cobalt could hear the sounds of a town slowly unravelling as people fell to upheaval in the wake of Brass' sudden reveal to the public. The man certain had a penchant for instigating chaos, and yet there he sat, calmly reading over the menu sitting on the table.

"Hm... Could really go for somethin' salty right about now..." he murmured, scratching his chin.

"... Dad?" Cobalt finally asked after a long period of saying nothing.

"Mm?"

"What was... all that?"

"Oh, that? Just a little grudge what needed settlin'. Before Quincy was mayor, he was just a lil' rat scurryin' about City Hall. Still, he took great offence to what I was doin' at B.I.D. Backed up Vio's whole gang, eventually allowed her to call in the big guns... it was a whole thing," he answered casually, flipping the menu over.

"How did you get onstage like that?"

"Asked nicely. Manners makes a man, y'know?"

As the café's coffee machine hissed and spat, he looked up at Viola, who was leaning against one of the counter stools for support. She was sweating badly.

"Is she okay?" Cobalt asked, unnerved by seeing his employer so shaken.

"Her? Probably. Ain't nothin' that can get to her. Well, barrin' me of course."

"What did you do?"

Brass pulled a face and awkwardly tugged at the collar of his shirt.

"Vio had a, uh... 'thing' for me, back in the day."

"She... had a crush on you?"

"Crush? Oh fuck no, ain't no love involved whatsoever. Nah, she kinda deluded herself into thinkin' we'd make a perfect match. Y'know, the two most powerful people in B.I.D., that sorta thing. Gave me this whole spiel about how strong we would be, how we'd unite the student body, how we'd move on to politics and all that bullshit. Pfft. Like I'd ever make it into college."

Cobalt just stared at his father. Viola Terna... wanted to date him? No, more than that; she wanted to-!

"Don't get me wrong, son," the older Incubus interjected, noticing the look in his eyes, "Vio was a looker, but she weren't my type. Only ever had eyes for your mom, see, and she didn't take too kindly to me havin' prior arrangements. Hell, she even crashed our weddin' after the whole Diate thing. That was a gas, lemme tell you."

"I... just... what?"

Brass shrugged.

"Just how things were back then. Best not to mention it, I'd say."

"Mention what, exactly?" the irate voice of Mistress Viola suddenly interjected, startling them both.

The Succubus slammed a tray down onto the table, nearly spilling the three mugs of coffee that sat upon it. She sat down next to Cobalt in order to glare into Brass' eyes, thoroughly trapping him.

"Nothin' of importance. Nice to see you again, Vio. Meet your kid a lil' while back; Hell of a resemblance, barrin' the, uh..."

Placing both fingers aside of his mouth, Brass made an exaggerated frowning gesture, much to the Succubus' annoyance. She slammed her fist down on the table in response, causing Cobalt to jump.

"How the Hell are you sitting here, boy?" she hissed, her eyes narrowed.

"Ain't like I got a choice. Thought the chair made that obvious."

"You know that's not what I meant!"

The older Incubus grinned and rolled his eyes.

"Magic or somethin', I dunno. Best not to question the why of it, I say. Helps you sleep better without stressin' over life's lil' mysteries, and you look like you've stressed enough for one lifetime," he quipped, sipping his coffee.

He was keeping Alison's failed cure a secret. Cobalt should have known by now that his father was an honourable guy, but still; he silently thanked him as he grimaced and pulled the mug from his face.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Fuck. Forgot about that. Hey Vio; think you could get this replaced with just milk or somethin'?" he asked, pushing the mug forward.

"Twenty-six years, Brass. Twenty-six years since you barged into my life. Twenty-three since you rode right back out of it. Seven since I had to educate your son and put up with your eyes staring back at me every time we spoke. What the Hell gives you the right to sit there and speak to me like nothing's happened?!" the Headmistress spoke, growing more and more distraught as her words dragged on.

With a heavy sigh, the old Incubus leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. Outside the window, Cobalt saw a crowd of demons rush by, carrying broken campaigning equipment from the rally and proclaiming anti-Hanlon chants.

"If you wanna spar again, Vio, then just say the word. Wasn't kiddin' when I promised you a rematch."

"I won't fight you like this, boy."

"Fine by me. How about a hug, then?"

"I..."

Brass opened his arms. Baring her teeth, Mistress Viola sat there for a moment before relenting, standing up in order to awkwardly hug the Incubus. Despite the tension in the air, she lingered longer than Cobalt would have expected, shutting her eyes as she held the Incubus close.

"... I looked out for Jezebel the best I could," she said once she let him go.

Brass nodded.

"You two finally gettin' along?"

"She... grew on me, after a while."

"Heh, yeah, she's like that, ain't she?"

Viola glanced over at Cobalt. All the cold, hard professionalism that he had grown accustomed to was gone, replaced instead by a more varied kaleidoscope. Uncertainty, confusion, frustration... and something else, as well.

"You made the right choice, Brass," she sighed, sitting back down.

"Oh c'mon, don't get all sappy on me now, Vio. It's disturbin'. Besides, you got a kid of your own now, and she's one Hell of a gal from what I've seen."

Viola's gaze shifted back to Cobalt.

"You took her to Phrodival," she said, instantly piecing it all together.

He swallowed hard.

"I said that-"

"She's always wanted to go there. Always caught her staying up late, watching your mother's movies over and over again, until the tapes snapped," the Succubus murmured, staring at her reflection in the coffee.

"Can't fault her taste. Been watchin' those flicks throughout my hospital stay. Fuckin' Hell, son; Jezzy was always a fantastic actor, but whew... fine wines and all that," Brass added, running his finger along the rim of his mug.

Viola... something was off about her. There was an insecurity in her gaze, the kind Cobalt found strangely relatable.

"You still in touch with the boys?"

She looked up and nodded slowly.

"Somewhat. Calvin made Police Chief a few years ago. As for Caen and Davis, they got married not long after your... departure. They have a son now, I believe."

The Succubus let out a deep exhale.

"Richard and Grant remain as they were."

"... Been keeping the graves clean?"

"Spotless."

Noticing a dip in the conversation, Brass cleared his throat and leaned forward, propping himself up on the table with his arms crossed before him.

"So... how's he been holdin' up in the big bad world of the educatin' business?" he asked in a mock whisper, dramatically holding a hand over his mouth as he snuck conspicuous glances at his son.

Viola just stared at him for a moment.

"... He's very... popular, amongst the students. Six in particular."

Cobalt's cheeks began to burn.

"Six?!"

"Lorenzo's daughter being one of them."

As the Incubus grew more embarrassed, his father nearly collapsed out of this chair.

"He had a kid too?!"

"They were slated to be married at one point," Viola continued, conveniently forgetting to mention how that entire ordeal was directly her fault.

"HUH?!"

For the barest, briefest of moments, Cobalt saw the corner of her mouth twitch upwards. That... That couldn't have been a smile... could it...?

"It was a lovely ceremony, I'm told. Both families in attendance, silver fireworks, a perfect fusion of modern trends and Oni tradition. Before it all went to pot."

"I'm guessin' it didn't work out, considerin' the lack of ring on his finger."

"Indeed. Long story short, Lorenzo shot your son."

"HE FUCKIN' WHAT?!"

"Your son's personal guardian cut his finger off for that."

Brass slumped back, completely bewildered.

"Fuck me, I've missed all the excitement. Hey Cobalt, couldn't you have rescued me earlier?" he asked, nudging his son.

"That's... I didn't even know about you back then, Dad."

"Oh yeah. Remind me to kick Hanlon's ass about all that later. Or... punch, I guess. Legs ain't what they used to be. Besides, Vio here's got a lock on the whole kickin' thing. She ever tell you about her special talent?"

He thought back to the awards he remembered seeing in Viola's apartment.

"Kickboxing?" Cobalt suggested.

The Succubus rolled her eyes.

"A mere hobby. I haven't properly fought in years."

With the tension finally broken, the two got to talking like the old friends they were. They made jabs, called each other names, reminisced about times gone by... and completely forgot that Cobalt was sitting there. He didn't mind though. Viola... she seemed like she needed this. Her cold, flinty exterior had cracked in his eyes, and beneath it he saw the girl she once was. Tough and uncompromising, yes, but passionate too. Sitting there, watching the pair of them, Cobalt could almost see them as they were.

Two Lust demons constantly at loggerheads, each no stronger than the other, finally at peace now with families and children of their own. The stories they told of the many times they clashed; everything Viola did to build an empire of her own within the walls of B.I.D., and the bombastic displays of recklessness Brass and the Rowdy Boys put on in order to tear it all down. The riots, the fire, his expulsion, the Damned Defense... They spoke of it all like they were fond memories. Brass kept trying to drink his coffee, even though it made him gag and choke, and as Viola chided him for his idiocy, her fledgling smile grew wider.

"And Dassie? She still kickin'?" he asked, forcing down another sip of coffee.

"Indeed she is. Bloody Hell is a club now, but it's still her domain."

She stared into her drink.

"... I can call Caen and the rest, get them to meet up there this afternoon. You can bring Jezebel. We all ought to have a reunion."

The older Incubus smiled.

"A reunion, huh? You gettin' sappy on me, Terna?"

"They deserve one after all these years. They kept your memory alive even if no-one else did."

"Yeah, I... I'd like that."

Looking up, the Incubus glanced from one to the other. Between them both, there was a lot of history that he wasn't a part of. Cobalt didn't want to get in the way of that. Taking a deep breath, he stood up.

"Well, uh... I should probably get my shopping and head back to the school. If I leave it any longer the market's probably gonna be overrun," he said, rubbing his neck.

Viola's gaze hardened as she glared at him, but Brass gave him a nod.

"Of course, son. Me and Vio got a lot to catch up on, anyway. Oh, Cobalt?"

"Yeah?"

"You mind pickin' me up from Bloody Hell later in the evenin'?"

He nodded.

"Of course, Dad."

"That's my boy."

Bidding them both a brief farewell, Cobalt turned on his heel and headed out into the street. Brimstone was already in uproar, spurring him to quickly head in the direction of the market plaza. The moment he was away from his father, all the familiar pains returned, hunger the loudest of all.

He thought of that Oni butcher stall, with all its bear ribs and brimicerv legs and still-bloody cuts of...

Cobalt wiped his mouth and hurried along.