Eighty five brands. It was no small chunk of change, but with the market as chaotic as it was, Cobalt didn't have time to haggle. He just bought it, wrapped it and ran, hoping to make it back to the school before the entire town completely went to pot.

He never could have imagined that Brass' little stunt would have had such an effect on the populace of Brimstone, but then again, in the little time Cobalt had known him he had come to learn just what a wildcard that old Incubus was. Coupled with his historic taste for chaos and upheaval... maybe he intended for this to happen. Quincy Hanlon's hardliners were taking to soapboxes and streetcorners to try and repair their beloved candidate's tarnished reputation, while other representatives were quickly taking advantage of the situation, spreading the mayor's dirty laundry far and wide. Quite a few streets had been overcome by fighting, and while the police were quickly getting involved, on the way back Cobalt noticed a group of Iron Hound Faithful taking their frustrations out on their surroundings.

They were dressed in ripped shirts and had ties wrapped around their foreheads like bandanas, their mouths spattered with red facepaint as they wielded lengths of heavy chains to break windows and damage cars.

This was getting out of hand.

Feeling completely on-edge, the Incubus held the large grease paper package tight and booked it for the school, praying that no-one noticed him in the chaos.

"What the fuck's gotten into these people?" Lilith asked, completely bewildered.

"Don't know...! Have to keep running...!"

"Did... Did you dad want this?"

"Not sure...! Maybe...?"

As ever, the high walls of the Brimstone Institute of Demonics stood strong against the chaos. A few bleary-eyed staff members had taken to manning the gates, but upon spotting the Incubus hurriedly fleeing towards them, they just stepped aside and allowed him in. Perhaps they were more focused on the ensuing chaos down in the town, or perhaps they just didn't want to deal with the Incubus, but either way he didn't have time to think about it.

The fire in his gut had returned with a vengeance, and it felt as though all of his thoughts had been drowned out, replaced with one simple, burning desire.

Hunger.

He darted past students emerging from their dorms as he tore down the path towards the dormitories. At one point he passed Izzbelle and Whitney on the benches out front, but before they could call out to him, the Incubus just barged straight into the building. Right as he made to ascend the stairs, however, the Incubus froze up.

Up there in his room, he would be interrupted by Karazelle again. He just knew it.

"Kid?" Lilith asked, concerned by his sudden pause.

He took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Basement," he murmured, turning around.

"What?"

Ignoring the Devil, he made a beeline for the staircase leading to the basement, an area normally off-limits to students. Descending into the gloom, he pushed deep into the storage area beneath the dorm buildings, away from where anyone could see him. It was cold and dusty down there, filled with old furniture and housekeeping supplies. Finding a spot amidst piles of rolled-up futons, Cobalt fell to his knees and dropped the package to the floor.

The hunger... it was stronger than ever. Saliva was flowing uncontrollably, spilling out of the corners of his mouth and spattering against the floor. He wiped it away as best he could, but it was a fool's errand. As he tried to get a hold of himself, Lilith appeared behind him, perturbed by her host's behaviour.

"You okay?" she asked softly, stooping down to place a hand on his back.

Cobalt swallowed hard, almost choking on his own drool.

"It... It hurts. My stomach. Hurts so much..."

"You haven't eaten since Phrodival, kid. All the excitement must have kept it suppressed."

"Agh..."

Her single red eye glanced from the package back to him. Taking a deep breath, the Devil stood up tall and nodded.

"... Do what you have to. I'll keep an eye out," she said, turning her back to him.

The Incubus nodded shakily.

"Thank you, Lilith."

With one bony claw extended, he ripped the twine holding the package together, exposing what lay within.

The foreleg of a bear, expertly severed below the shoulder by an Oni butcher. It was huge and heavy, still bearing thick brown fur and sharp claws. To most, the torn limb of an apex predator. To an Oni, a component of a traditional meal reserved for warriors and clan chieftains. To Cobalt...

He opened his mouth. His teeth glinted white in the dim glow from the stairwell.

Meat of any kind; red, poultry, fish. Eat it raw, bones and all. That was the advice given to him by his grandmother. He couldn't keep the pretense up anymore; to behave like he was okay in any shape or form would just be bad acting. At least with something in his stomach, he could keep his mind focused for the days to come.

Hunched over his meal like an animal with his fangs and claws bared, Cobalt unceremoniously tore into the bear's paw.

He had tasted bear meat before, back when he had dinner with Izzbelle's family. It felt like a lifetime ago. He remembered it being tough and chewy, bitter in taste and unpleasant in texture. But now, it seemed to just melt right on the Incubus' tongue. Scraps of fur were tossed all over the floor as he ripped through the skin like paper, his teeth effortlessly gouging the muscle beneath. Though cold and bloodless, the sensation spurred him on, urging the Incubus to snuffle and growl as he swallowed chunks of meat with barely any chewing.

"Slow down, kid. You'll... you'll choke," Lilith murmured behind him, clearly uncomfortable.

He could barely hear her. All Cobalt could register was the rapid, steady pounding of his own heartbeat as he felt his mind degrade to that of a beast's. The world around him shimmered and reddened. Rose petals flickered at the edges of his perception as he tore deeper into the bear's leg. He struck bone, but even the strength of a bear was no match for the Incubus' jaws. He crushed them between his teeth, stabbing his mouth with splinters and rewarding his tongue with thick marrow.

Stolen novel; please report.

It lacked the warmth and pulse of blood and life. But in that moment, starved for so long, Cobalt couldn't have been happier.

"Fuck was that? Kid, I think we're being watched."

He could feel blood flowing from the jagged cuts left from the snapped bones, but he just bit deep into them and swallowed the shards whole. Fat and sinew got jammed in his gums as he ate, while behind him, he heard the echoing of Lilith's boots off the cold stone floor.

"Just... stay here. I'll go check it out," the Devil whispered, slinking off into the shadows.

Cobalt barely even registered her disappearance.

He just kept eating and eating. Tearing and chewing, biting and ripping, twisting and breaking until it fit down his throat. It was only when he heard a sharp yelp followed by the sounds of a scuffle was he finally snapped from his starved delirium. He collapsed back, gasping for breath and recoiling at the sight of the mutilated limb before him. There was fur in his teeth and blood all over his mouth. Deep down, the fire had quelled, and his stomach was experiencing a different, more welcome pain. He was full. For the first time in a long time, Cobalt felt full.

Shaking his head, Cobalt staggered to his feet and looked over to see Lilith emerging from the shadows, dragging someone along with her in a chokehold. His eyes widened at the familiar sight of a Succubus.

"K- Karazelle...?" he breathed, hastily wiping his face but without much success.

"Found her lurking in a doorway just over there. Looks like it leads further down," the Devil said, completely unaffected by the girl's struggling.

"Let her go, please."

"Tch. Fine."

She let go of the Succubus and shoved her forward. Cobalt instinctively leaped to catch her, but upon remembering what he had promised to do, he quickly let go once she found her balance. Karazelle looked unnerved, but not completely shaken. She glanced over at the bear leg and took a second to steady herself.

"... So you're eating again. That's good," she said, her voice tinged with relief.

"Karazelle, I know what it looks like-"

"You don't have to explain, sugar. I understand. Hey, if you ever need a safe space to eat, I could always lay a tarp down at my place," the Succubus interupted, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Lilith snorted.

"This some sort of joke to you?" the Devil grumbled, arms folded.

The Succubus shot her a cold, venomous glare.

"I wish you could have told me about her earlier," she said, not taking her eyes off Lilith.

Cobalt shuffled about uncomfortably.

"I wish I had too, but... I didn't want you involved. Not after Diate."

"I told you I could handle things like that. That we all could."

"You still got hurt in the end. You almost died. I can't run that risk again. Please... don't tell the others."

Her features softened as she shut her eyes for a moment.

"... I'm not gonna take that from you, sugar. It's your story to tell, but please; you can't keep it all bottled up like this."

"I know, just... things are complicated."

The Succubus nodded understandingly and sat down on a crate. Cobalt looked down, cheeks burning as he wiped his face clean to the best of his ability.

"Quinn... she's been saying a lot of stuff lately. About how you're shallow and can't be trusted," she remarked, drumming her fingers on her legs.

"... Yeah."

"Why don't you contest that, sugar?"

"Because..."

He couldn't let it slip. He couldn't tell her that he vowed to push them all away. Even her.

"... it's true, isn't it?"

"Bullshit."

Standing up straight, she marched up to the Incubus and swiftly grabbed him by the tie. Lilith bared her teeth and readied to leap to his defense, but a raised hand from Cobalt kept her at bay.

"You know I'm not above slapping some sense into you whenever you talk like this, sugar. I don't want to, so don't make me. Why? Why think something like that?" she asked, pulling him closer.

He could smell her from here. Not just her perfume, but everything. The natural musk of her sweat. The mint on her breath. The blood beneath her skin. Her meat. Her-

Cobalt held his breath.

"Quinn's an adult. She can make her own choices," he gasped, turning his face.

"I know Elya shot Lottie. Everyone does. Hell, I was with them in the hospital. But I want to know why, sugar. Why would she do that?"

"Elya's... not okay."

"That much is obvious. I saw it for myself when I met her alone one day. All it took were few genuine words to send her packing. Did something happen? Why would-?"

A grey hand clasped her shoulder.

"That's enough," Lilith grunted.

She tore Karazelle away from her teacher and threw her back against the wall. The Succubus just glared at her as she fixed her rumpled shirt.

"What about you, cyclops? What have you been telling him to do?" she asked, straightening her back.

"Karazelle, please..." Cobalt breathed weakly, but his words were ignored by them both.

The Devil scoffed.

"None of your business."

"It's my business when I have to sit and watch as my closest friend wastes away in front of me."

Lilith laughed at that.

"Friend?! Is that what you call him?! I've had to sit back and watch every single time you tried to put the moves on him! Do you have any idea how that made him feel?!"

"Yes! I do!"

"How?!"

"Because he told-!"

The Succubus bit her tongue. Shaking with rage, she composed herself and fixed Lilith with a cold stare, eerily similar to her mother's.

"You might be in his head, Devil, but I've known him longer. And I actually give a shit. So get the fuck out of my way," she spat, clenching her fists.

"No. You've done enough."

"Enough! Both of you!" Cobalt suddenly snapped, startling the pair of them.

Baring her teeth, Lilith rolled her eye and pointed at Karazelle.

"I know where you sleep, and I don't need his permission to act. Keep that in mind," she threatened before fading into mist.

As she rejoined with Cobalt, Karazelle rushed forward and took his hands, not caring for the fat beneath his nails or the scraps of meat still clinging to his skin. She gazed into his eyes, her own full of turmoil.

"Sugar, please. I need you to be honest with me. What's going on with you?"

"It's nothing."

"Please. You can tell me. I won't say a thing if you don't want me to."

Why did she have to be like this? Considerate, yet... why couldn't she just leave well enough alone? Give him an excuse to keep quiet?

He took a breath.

"I have everything under control, Karazelle. My dad is back. I know how to get food now. I'm... I'm going to be okay," he lied, gritting his teeth.

She didn't have the face of a woman who believed him, so he took her hands and gazed deep into her eyes.

"I've taken enough from you and the others. This is your final year of tertiary education. It's important, and you can't spend all of your time worrying about me."

"Sugar..."

"Please, Karazelle. Focus on yourself. On your studies. At the end of the day, all I want is for you to pass, to move on to whatever future you have planned for yourself."

"I don't want a future like that if you're not there!"

Cobalt's eyes widened.

"What are you... what are you saying?" he breathed, taken aback.

The Succubus shook her head and laughed. A quiet, pathetic little noise that contrasted sharply with her moistening gaze.

"I know how I sound. It's stupid, right? That I'd rather fall behind and get stuck here with you than move on with my life. You've changed me, sugar, whether you know it or not. I'm sure the others would agree."

"You can't-"

"Yes I can. Because I know them, just how I know you. All of us... we're different from the rest because of you, because of what we've all been through. Never mind education or teacher roles or any of that bullshit, we just..."

Karazelle took a deep breath and moved her hands up to his shoulders.

"We love you, sugar. Whatever way you wanna take that, know that we love you. Me, Butterskin, Izzbelle, Jelli, Lottie... and yeah, Quinn does too, and Elya in her own way. Do not forget that. No matter what happens, no matter what you do..."

She sniffled.

"We love you too."

Turning away before he could reply, the Succubus bundled her blazer around herself and disappeared deeper into the basement, over in the direction of the staircase that supposedly led further down. Left guttered and bewildered, Cobalt just stood there for a moment, staring at the mess of fur and meat on the floor.

"What the Hell is she playing at?!"

"I..."

"That bitch has been stringing you along, kid! This whole time, can't you see it?! Always with the late night chats, the constant harassment; this is all just a sick little game to her!"

"Lilith, please... enough..."

"No! I'm not gonna let you get played like that! Not when we've got so much to prepare for!"

That's right. He almost forgot. Devils could rain down on their heads at any moment. Cobalt could die long before he would have the chance to lose himself to his base desires. A mercy, almost.

Checking his watch, he stepped over to the torn bear leg. There wasn't enough time for doom and gloom. He'd have to get this cleaned up, get washed, then meet his father outside of Bloody Hell. He wanted to lie down and sleep, but he knew there was no time to rest. Deep down in his very bones, he could feel it;

The Incubus was on borrowed time.