The meeting was in 20 minutes.
I'd showered, changed, and managed to get most of the egg off my horn. The cut above my eyebrow had clotted quickly enough that I didn't have to cover it, which in Hell's professional landscape was practically a normal state for most.
Moxxie had set up the conference roundtable neatly. and was in the corner scrubbing something nervously. Moxxie rarely did this unless he had nothing to do and was bracing for something.
I stood in the doorway and looked at the spread of coffee cups and thought about the contract number at the bottom of that page.
Three months of rent plus van repair. no matter how I mental gymnastics my way it was to worth it.
The van was currently being quoted at approximately "just buy a new one" by our mechanic, who I called twice already.
I sat down. Picked up the coffee. Put it down.
I couldn't let my nerves get to me this much, it was a shame we allowed V.I.P clients into the meeting room for so much longer. I can already imagine Verosika Mayday glaring daggers at me before I could even get a word out, the only issue being I couldn't argue back with past in her favor. She'd watched me choose myself and spiral over her, watched me get sloppy and mean about it, and then I'd had the audacity to be surprised. I somehow had to keep this professionally maintained.
All I had to do was nod and cash the check.
Loona's voice drifted from the front desk, almost warmly. I recognized the register. The tone she used for clients and people she respected was an obvious difference.
Verosika Mayday walked through the door looking like money.
Her Ombre white and Pink hair was pinned high into a ponytail, with a to small creme colored maxi dress and red cherry fur coat. her heels, pearly red stopped clicking followed by two assistants who didn't make eye contact with anything below their sightline. She scanned the room the room without much expression seemingly check the bland decor but I already knew she knew exactly what she's looking for.
Her eyes landed on me.
"Blitzø."
"Verosika." I gestured to the chair across from me. "Coffee?"
She sat down with the economy of the wealthy. "I won't be here long enough for coffee." She set a tablet on the table, and turned it toward me. "This bastard has six months' worth of documents. Letters, photographs, evidence of two separate dressing-room breach attempts, and a report from the incident with my backup dancer. I finally found his name, Korveth. He's been following the tour from the Lust ring circuit through three human world venue stops."
I looked at the documentation. She wasn't kidding about this guy looking at her thoroughness.
"So your own security, is it—"
"My security is excellent," she said immediately. "He keeps coming back. My head of security believes he has some kind of occult ability that helps him evade our standard sweeps. Which is why, I need specialists."
"What kind of occult ability?" Moxxie asked business like from my side, ready to write down her conclusion.
Verosika gave him and a glance and a hand gesture as she responded "Our best guess is some kind of sight control. He gets past people who are actively looking for him. It's not invisibility since he appears on our cameras mostly, it's—"
"perception manipulation" I said.
She looked back at me. "Yes."
I drummed my fingers once on the table. That was a specific kind of bad. Attention redirection sounded like it worked through similar means to what succubi did naturally, which meant if Korveth had it, he might be partially resistant to Verosika's own passive influence. A stalker who'd specifically armored himself against the thing that made his target powerful.
This stalker was dedicated.
"Where's the next tour stop?" I asked.
"It's The Rosewood Arena in Los Angeles. Four nights from today."
"I need your team on site from load in through closing night with a full sweep before each show, crowd monitoring during, and I want him removed permanently before the final performance."
It seems Verosika hiring I.M.P. instead of her own security connections meant this had gotten bad enough to go outside her own normal channels. She didn't want this traced back to her management.
"The money, it'll come right after you deal with him.:
Moxxie made a small, contained sound behind his papers.
I kept my face neutral.
"If where doing full sweeps then we'll need all the access available" I said. "Backstage, dressing rooms, load in docks."
"My team will be briefed."
"And your talent."
"My talent," she responded, before pausing to see what I meant by that, "will cooperate if need. I'll see to it."
I looked at the contract.
She looked at me.
"One more thing," she said, and her voice dropped the professional register just enough to be something else. "Whatever we were, Blitzø, this is a job so take it seriously I don't want history in that venue. give me the professionals I paid for."
"You're talking to one."
She picked up the tablet, stood smoothly. "Then I'll see your team at load in. Thursday." She paused at the door. "And try to look like you work in security."
She left. Her assistants followed without breaking stride.
Moxxie waited until the front door closed. Then, carefully "Blitz. She's covered everything."
"I heard her."
"That money, are we gonna start allocating it all now."
"Moxxie." I looked at him with a face that said we haven't even started yet.
"Right, I'll go and brief Millie."
"I'll tell Loony." I said it before he could move. He turned back.
"Yes sir."
Loona was at the front desk between calls. Her ears flicked before her eyes reached me when I leaned against the counter.
"Soo, our client is Verosika Mayday," she said in obvious Fein casualness.
Her tail curled around the chair leg as the pause dragged.
"Yeah."
She fully looked at my eyes. "And you took the job?"
I gave a prayer gesture "Well, I did destroy the van, the pay is too tempting."
She looked at the ceiling for a second before looking to me, "try not to be a weird about it."
"Come on Loony were both professionals I think we both know this isn't the time for something like that."
Loona was quiet for a moment settling her head on the pc. Then, without looking up from her screen: "I know. I've seen her shows, but do you know" she paused more carefully. "Why she hired you specifically."
"She didn't have a lot of other options."
Loona's ear twitched again. She kept her eyes on the screen. "Right," she said, in the tone that meant she was thinking something she'd decided not to say.
I could only let it go, whatever fantasy she was dreaming had nothing to do with me.
Thursday Morning Human World-
Closing the shimmering portal behind us the Rosewood Arena stood tall as if the size of a small country and lit like the inside of a pride flag. We arrived, all in fancy ball disguises except Loona who'd simply transformed, entering into a service corridor that was almost sterile due to the lack of people and its cleanliness. immediately after exiting the corridor got separated by the scale of the thing.
The stage dominated the entire far end of the main floor a three-tiered structure rising thirty feet from the main platform, two secondary platforms cantilevered on either side connected by walkways that glowed soft pink from beneath. A massive circular screen hung above the center, sixty feet across at minimum, currently cycling through abstract visuals during soundcheck. The rigging system alone—catwalks, automated lighting bars, follow spot rigs, photographing red carpet, suggested a budget that made me refuse to call it envy.
A production crew of maybe twenty people moved through it everything like it was casual.
"There's, a, Pool, backstage," Millie said, arriving at my elbow in a black glitter dress with a slit.
"Ooof course there is."
"Im just sayin," She adjusted her axe strap. "Moxxie's already found the lead production manager. Found the security chief too, and they're having what some kinda disagreement about our access."
From across the floor I could see Moxxie gesturing at a clipboard while a very large man in a headset looked at him with the expression of someone who hadn't expected to be managed this morning.
"He'll handle it," I said.
Millie glanced at me sideways. "You doing okay?"
"I'm doing fine."
"Because you've been looking at the stage like it insulted your mother for about two minutes straight."
I made myself look away from the rig. "I'm just staying aware of our surroundings"
She patted my arm once, then she moved off toward the backstage corridor.
While walking around to get a lay of the land I found her in a production meeting near the stages left wing, surrounded by her choreography director and two demon dancers I'd recognized in human form, working through some adjustments on a tablet.
She looked up with a raised eyebrow when I approached. "You found the place."
"Wasn't that hard, one of the first places I checked, ya know besides load in." I replied with a smile that sorta felt cocky.
"Korveth breached my last rare Detroit venue through a freight access on the east side. That corridor has to be swept every thirty minutes during the show." She turned the tablet to show me a schematic she'd already marked up. "These are the blind spots my own security identified. Three of them,'
I nodded and she continued, "We'll add two positions."
"My security chief will find it a bit redundant but its the best I can think of."
"Alright I'm on it captain!" I saluted and left to check with the rest of the team.
Moxxie was no longer arguing with that guy, with what millie had told me I decided to head over to the security room remembering the schematics a bit.
As I was walking I loosened up my black tie a bit it was tough wearing such a sharp suit I didn't know how Moxxie didn't seem to struggle at all with his own white one.
With a push of the door I entered a room titled security "Hey Mox is everything doin good on yo—"
He looked pale as his head turned to me. "Sir." he said with a crack in his voice, I immediately took it seriously walking forward. "While I was clearing the east corridor just using the camera, I saw something off about it."
He caught his breathe " It's difficult to describe but I swear I saw something move, I don't know if it was the air or my eyes playing tricks on me but.."
Hmm if moxxie says he saw something I'd be worth investigating even though we just barely began our search.
But the show hadn't even started yet and with no actual evidence and the personnel also in here looking to moxxie as if he were a crazed guy.
No wait, this is exactly why this guy keeps getting away, with no one taking active action until evidence is found theres no way to catch this guy.
I immediately turned to the head of security who had been silent this whole time.
"Clear the house," I said. "Now. Before doors."
"We have—"
"I know what you have. Clear the house."
Verosika's voice cut across both of us on a third frequency. "Do it, Marcus. Clear it."
"Y-yes ma'am" He bowed to the audio speaker in the room.
I texted our group chat and all of us began sweeping the venue again.
But Korveth had already been in the building.
And one of Verosika's backup singers hadn't reported to the thirty-minute pre-show call.
Her name was Milky. Yeah that name. But she had been with Verosika's tour for two years. It was no wonder she was a target.
The freight corridor camera caught a figure walking with her toward the loading dock. Not dragging. Walking. what in the world could have happened.
Judging by his ability to control perception the only thing I can think of is that she probably hadn't even known she'd changed direction.
I immediately attempted to dial in Verosika's number before realizing I hadn't even gotten it for the mission shit I must have been to flustered, I rushed quickly around the giant building for twenty minutes before spotting her and spilling all I knew. She went rigid
"Where," she said.
"We're working on it. Huff, The loading dock feeds—"
"Where is she, Blitzø."
"We, We don't have that yet." I said huffing
For three seconds that felt longer. Then she turned to her security staff. "Lock down the dancers No one moves without a paired security escort."
"Verosika do you have any more insight about that guy. Since she left through the dock he must be that direction to "
She pulled out her own tablet. "I have a few of my team on the inside, they tracked him her only to a stoplight but there was a warehouse district nearby similar to Detroit.
"We didn't pursue—we didn't know—" One security guard attempted to speak up but now really wasn't the time I'd already delayed long enough
"Had me the address, I.M.P with do a full investigation there."
Moxxie had entered as soon as I finished. "Hey I found Blitz!" Suddenly Loona, and Millie joined his side.
"Heres my tablet you better not break it." I grabbed it and only looked for a moment, the general already was already google mapped in.
"Do you think he built himself a lair, essentially. beforehand?" Moxxie questioned.
"Of course he has." I checked my weapon. "Millie."
"I'm ready ta go!" She was already rolling her neck.
"Moxxie, you and Marcus's people hold the venue. If he comes back here while we're pulling—"
"We'll manage," Moxxie said quietly but certain.
Verosika stepped forward. "I'm coming."
"Huh? No way you're the primary target—"
"She's my singer," she said, I couldn't for the life of me come up with a professional counterargument, I was a second away from tell her
I looked at her. She looked back. Neither of us was going to win this in the time we had.
"Stay behind Millie, tell loona to aswell" I said.
She nodded once without argument.
Getting out the car I moved along with verosika to check out the many warehouses, somewhere filled to the brim with human cash, others had old furniture littered throughout.
with a blade I snapped of another lock and hauled it up with ease, Oh yeah this was definitely the place. The lair was exactly what a six-month obsessive cultist training with a hoarder problem looked like when it fully externalized.
A disused warehouse three blocks from the venue, the walls inside covered in sigil arrays I doubted worked, dozens of them, connected by drawn lines that formed a collection network. At the center, sigil carved containers each labeled in cramped handwriting. Artist names. Tour dates...
Verosika stopped walking when she saw the wall.
There were thirty-seven named targets. She was the largest entry and the only one repeated hundreds of times.
She put a scowling expression on ready to kill, until an even deeper killing intent arrived.
Who was that? Huh! The sigil activated in the center and in a glow Korveth came from thin air along with a dead Milky.
Looking at Verosika only he had a "expression of reverence".
"M-Milky! Damnit,"
He dropped between us and Verosika, in an instant. Shit! I clutched my blade readying to stab. but my head started to clear from the fear of death placed on me.
Attention redirection, there's no way he could actually come here in an instant. If he could do that then he'd be able to kill verosika easily.
Verosika was luckily immune to it but I'd almost fell for it. He this time really moved forward judging by verosika's stance.
"Your gonna pay!"
She swung at him, and I did as well, sending him skidding into the circle's outer edge.
He recovered and came up fast. Threw something a condensed ball of power the blast hit the wall beside me hard enough to crater the concrete. I moved left. He tracked me like a scanner and threw another. The tracking was to odd, smooth to an impossible degree. I dodged again seeing verosika with wide eyes at my non movement, she mouthed something but it was blurred by his perception.
I waited only a second later
With my pistol I shot and a scream rang out my hearing was back and looking at him his hand had gotten caught by my bullet.
"AGHH!"
"Damn you.. Blitzø!"
Wait what, "Do I know you?" I asked cautiously
Verosika seem equally as confused behind her rage, "SPIT IT OUT!"
With almost bloodshot eyes he laughed to his self "If it werent for you, me and Verosika would have been a happy couple long ago," he paused he anger seering.
"DAMNIT ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS STAY AWAY!"
This guy is crazy.. I looked to Verosika again for some kind of answer.
Her head was down but her veins were bulging "So, your just one of my long time fans is that right."
Korveth's anger seemed to instantly subside "Y-Yes, trust me this no good loser doesnt even deserve to look at you, along with any of those fake friends of yours" he replied in a tone that sounded coquettish.
"Come here"
An aura around her formed and he obeyed her without thought.
She didn't kill him like I expected her to instead looking in my direction. Did she want me to deal with him? Well, she doesn't even have a weapon in hand so.
I pulled my pistol out while he finally reached her kneeling and fired a round hearing a body flop to the ground.
Verosika in moments went directly to Milky. She crouched down beside her and held her hand, and her voice was quiet and steady, and it wasn't the performance voice or the professional voice.
I looked away. Out of courtesy, Afterall I counted this as a mission failure.
The final show went on regardless.
The stage at full operation was a different creature than it had been previously. Three tiers lit in overlapping washes of pink and white, the circular screen cycling through visuals synchronized to the music, The floor was packed like a Beelzebub party and I could feel the sound in my chest from the production corridor twenty feet from the stage wing.
Verosika moved through she knew exactly where every light hit and she met each one with a smile. She did great as usual. The audience responded the way audiences do with a succubus at the height of their game
I watched from the wing and thought about the first time I'd seen her perform. Before any of it went wrong.
Before I got to deep into thought I watched the rest of the show and made sure nobody breached the perimeter, which was what I was being paid for.
Afterward, in the backstage corridor, with the venue emptying and Millie and Moxxie working through another argument with the chief of security I'd headed to Verosika for the money and to apologies for her friend even if she didn't need it.
She'd changed out of the performance costume. Hair down. She looked like someone who'd worked hard.
"Verosika I,"
"Your team," she said, "and you did good today."
"Thanks." I rubbed my head.
"Hey, blitz you know I can tell what you're thinking, I'm not being complimentary, I'm just being accurate." She stood and placed an envelope in my palm. "Agreed sum, plus a discretionary supplement for Milky's extraction."
"Theres really no need for extra money, I should be the one apologizing," I took the envelope. "But I won't refuse your hospitality."
She looked at me for a moment. We were standing close enough that I was very aware of the resonance that wasn't a choice for succubi, it was simply what they were. It didn't hit me to hard though. Maybe because I'd built up some tolerance.
"He was targeting me specifically because of my reach entertainment wise I guess I got a little too popular in the Human realm."
"Yeah. Try not to die alright."
"You got to the conclusion pretty fast I kinda feel stupid for not thinking of going to him ourself, I guess it's because your a professional murderer and because—" She paused. "Because you know how I operate I guess, I should have been more careful with my fanbase."
I didn't know what to say, It sounded like she thought to highly of me I definitely wasn't thinking three steps ahead, I was just being a attentive boss.
"If you're not to pussy after today I'll put I.M.P. on a preferred vendor list," she said instead. "For human world clients I can back you."
I looked at the envelope. Looked back at her. "You really don't have to do that."
"Jesus Blitz I know I don't. Always so self-centered." She picked up her bag from a nearby rack, and swung the strap on her shoulder. "You did the job. Correctly." A pause. "Blitzø."
wow the ø from her mouth finally didn't sound like Hoe, but the name she'd always used, back when the name had meant something else.
"Alright get out of her," she said. "You still look like you crawled out of a dumpster fire and keep the tablet."
She walked down the corridor toward her dressing room, heels quiet on the tile.
I stood there for a moment. Held the envelope.
"Blitz!" Millie appeared at my elbow again this time with news.
"Let's hurry back,"
A message who could it be. The rest of the team was slightly in the distance so I took out the book and open our way back home.
There werent any prepared document when i entered but the change in atmosphere alone made me feel infinitely more comfortable.
BUZZz
I picked the phone out of my pocket an unread message from Stolas's appeared now that we were back in hell.
I understand you completed a protection assignment for a public figure. Court talk reaches everywhere. I'm not expressing concern about your work I know it's your thing, I have no doubts there. I Only have to say be careful in celebrity territory carries a certain political adjacency that standard contracts don't. Just—be careful what doors you open. Some of them have complicated rooms behind them. And see you again soon!
— S.
I read it twice to make sure it was actually her, court talks my ass, the message sent was much more professional than she'd typically send. Then I thought about thirty-seven names on a warehouse wall and a collection network that had been operating for years, and figured Stolas probably wasn't wrong about the complicated rooms part.
I replied immediately: 'Thanks Stolas I'll be careful just call if you need me'
Then I went to find Loona.
She was at the front desk. Using the work computer to upload photos from the venue to her social media. Verosika at the top of the center platform, the screen behind her, the whole stage lit at full capacity.
Loona had the photo open and closed it immediately after she finally her my steps, not quickly enough to be subtle, and we both knew it.
"The job's done," I said.
"I know. Moxxie let me know."
I leaned against the counter. She let me stand there for a moment before she swiveled her chair to face me, arms crossed, ears at an angle that meant she was going to actually say the thing.
"If what she said was true, why'd you do it to her," she spoke a farcry from her sarcastic self.
I was quiet for a second. Not because I couldn't say it, it felt different telling her compared to anyone else.
"I was in bad she was close, and she was doing well, and I wasn't, and I made that her problem instead of mine." Thinking more I continued "and I at the time I thought everyone who I slightly believe was better than me would decide to leave me first."
Loona looked at me. She didn't soften exactly, but something in her shoulders changed.
"You fix it?" she asked.
"No. You can just fix something like that." I thought about the corridor. The envelope. The name said differently than it used to be. " All you can do is stop making it worse."
Loona turned back to her desk. Uncrossed her arms. Pulled up whatever she'd actually been working on.
"Fine," she said. Which was Loony for okay. I understand. Thank you for telling me. Which was Loona for a lot of things.
With a burst from the front door wind swept us.
"EVERYONE!" Moxxie exclaimed brightly
"Come in see the brand new Immediate Murder Professionals Van!"
The new van was Moxxie's fault in the best possible way.
He'd spent three days on it before we even did the job in complete seriousness he even defined it as "professional curb presence." bro just say you're a car guy. He'd presented me with a two-page comparison document that I'd read the executive summary of and then told him to just pick the one he thought was right.
He'd picked correctly.
It was matte black, broad-shouldered, built like something that had decided to become a everyday vehicle as a secondary career option. The black reflected no light. The wheelbase was wider than the old van by eight inches, and the chassis sat low. New reinforced windows tinted with a metal grate that looked like it could be lifted or shrunk, the kind you could see out of but that made the outside world feel like it was asking permission. The IMP logo was mounted cleanly on both side panels, our goat skull and crossbones hovering over a matte red lettering that didn't shout but was visible from the right distance.
Moxxie stood leaning against it cooly like someone who has done a thing correctly and is experiencing the rare peace that comes with knowing it.
"OOOoh Wow Sweaty way to go!"
Millie had her hand on the hood and was looking at it the way she looked at weapons she approved of.
The two interns stood near the back, one with a tablet open still monitoring something, the other holding a stack of new client intake forms that had arrived that morning, the pile thick enough to require both hands.
I walked around it once. Looked at the logo. Looked at the new tires and suspension. Looked at the clearance on the undercarriage.
"Moxxie," I said.
"Sir?"
"Good call on the vehicle." I gave a double thumbs up.
He straightened slightly. "Thank you, sir."
The intern with the intake forms shifted the stack in his arms. "Um—sir? Should I start scheduling these, or—"
"Give them to Moxxie," I said. "He's doing intake reviews this week."
Moxxie blinked. "I am?"
"You are now." I opened the driver-side door. The interior was clean, new-car practical. Cup holders in the right places. Reinforced door frame. "We've got a 2pm call with an old client. Someone prep a file."
"On it!" Both interns said simultaneously.
I turned the key. The engine caught on the first try with a loud Vrrrr.
No knocking or smoke.
in a parking lot that was ours, with people I'd do it all again for.
I pulled out of the lot ready to continue forward.
-------
five thousand word :0 what am I a workaholic, thanks hope you enjoyed, sorry for the gaps as always hope this makes up for it and have a god day.
Btw I did not make up the name Milky it's real ;-;