It was a cold Sunday afternoon, night approaching in a couple of hours. In the warmth of home, Stolas was sitting at his library –a large and decorated place filled with books of all kinds, "Botanicum: Visit our museum"; "Medicinal Plants: The Dioscorides renewed"; "Guide to the Firmament: A walk through the stars"; "A wilder time: Notes from the confines of ice and time", just to mention a few. Books of all subjects and all perspectives, by human and demon writers, even humans already in hell who continued their quest for knowledge, now with an eternity ahead of them to imbibe information. Stolas found himself reading one of these many books to kill time while his mind flowed like water in a stream, this water crashing against the rocks that was the memory of the past and the changes it had brought to his life, his mind completely fixated on the memories of years where without being aware of it; he was happy.
Meanwhile a faint fragrance of incense could be smelt, which was decorated by the scent of millions of books.
The faint sound of pages turning from one to the next.
Music in the back of the room came from an old turntable that played without fail the sobbing chants of an obscure classical orchestra in time with pain and sorrow, deeply hidden in one's heart.
Little by little, in Stolas' mind the memories were advancing chronologically, involuntarily passing quickly through the moments of bitterness; and forcing himself, trying to lengthen his stay in the moments of greatest happiness; striving to remember in depth every detail of those days as an excuse not to leave them, remembering words; taste or aroma hidden within them.
«Ring Ring» —The phone rang—.
A pinkish-purple cloud came out of the phone with a thick, billowing consistency, gradually forming the word «Octavia». This made Stolas jump back into himself and his face broke into a smile similar to that of a young child who's happy to see his mother return home, or from discovering the presents under the Christmas tree in the morning, and as if it had all been the creative imagination of that same child; smells and sounds stopped immediately as he answered, leaving only room for the voice of his little daughter.
—Via! How wonderful! —Stolas replied in a childish and excited tone—.
—Yeah –eh… dad, mom is bringing me back home. —Octavia is heard saying through the phone—.
—Tell that idiot I don't want to bump into one of his filthy imps when we get there!
Stella was heard interrupting the call in the background, although from her raised tone of voice it could well be believed that she had snatched the phone just to insult him. Yet, the squabbling could be heard at a distant volume:
—Mom for the love of...
—It's okay starfire. —Stolas concluded, wishing not to start an argument over the phone—. I'll wait for your arrival, and tell your mother she has nothing to worry about.
There was no way of knowing what was said next on the other end of the call –for it was only the murmur of shouting between mother and daughter as the call was hung up, but it was enough to draw a sigh from Stolas as he too hung up the phone and fixed his composure by pushing his feathers back into place; putting everything back in order and making his way to the palace's entrance in order to greet his little daughter. Every time he was with her it was like feeling a warm sensation all over his body, Stolas always felt that there was no love more honest, pure and sincere than the one that emanated from the two of them.
Outside the palace the sun was beginning to set and the difference between the warmth of home and the cold wind that blew outside, and that I had taken so much trouble to talk about, was evident. Stolas waited patiently outside the front door in his pyjamas –a red dressing gown that he usually wears when he is at home.
After a few minutes the vehicle in question was heard approaching, an ostentatious vehicle that only caused Stolas to grimace with contempt; not for this quality, but for the owner of this car –a woman who for many years made his life an eternal torture and suffering.
The car parked in front of him, the back door opened, and Octavia emerged from it with a jaded look on her face; she waved to her father with a brief hand gesture, and let out a small, forced smile as she hurried inside to lock herself in her room again, as had become her habit.
—Are you coming in as well? —Stolas asked in a serious tone—.
—I thought you wanted me out, or is it that you already realized that you are a failure, and you need me to make shit work? —Stella replied in a burlesque and pompous tone—.
It was already known that she took advantage of any opportunity however mediocre it might be; to insult or make fun of him.
—All your things are still here; I'm inviting you in to see if you start taking them out. — Stolas continued, frowning and speaking in a more aggressive tone of voice.—.
—I'll pick up my things the same day you stop fucking everything that moves. Deal? —Stella started screaming—. I don't want to come for them and find you showing even more pity.
—You know, Stella. I'm fascinated by how you keep pretending you care. —Stolas concluded, undeterred by the insults—.
—Whatever. I'll send someone for my things later; I don't want to arrive and have another imp jump on me; like the day of our anniversary.
Saying this, Stella signalled her driver to get going. She didn't plan to spend another second in her ex-husband's presence.
—You wished an imp jumped on you... —Stolas muttered to himself with a brief laugh—.
As the vehicle retreated, Stolas entered his palace while breathing a great sigh of relief.
You could see on his face how much this simple interaction had exhausted him emotionally; but at last, it was over for the time being.
He didn't have to wake up every morning next to someone he hates, or endure their mistreatment and constant insults all day, a few minutes of her existence were nothing in comparison. The only thing left was to wait for her to get tired of Octavia or for Octavia to get tired of her and he could achieve complete peace.
Stolas was ready to go to his room, slowly passing through the corridors; again, admiring everything that brings back beautiful memories. It was not until he passed in front of his daughter's room; that he stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity. In his mind flowed joy and love, but also melancholy, guilt and regret.
On the other side of the door, Octavia was lying on her bed in complete silence, but she was not sleeping –she seemed to be meditating as she used her phone to distract herself. She could hear her father's footsteps approaching and stopping in front of her room, waiting for the moment when he would come through the door and try to make her smile with some light-hearted comment or bad joke –but that moment never came; and she could only see the shadow cast by Stolas' feet. Even to her that time seemed infinite.
—Come on in, dad. —Octavia finally exclaimed weakly—.
The door opened slowly, and with some fear as well as a nervous smile, the tousled head of her father was peeking inside, as he was entering the room.
—How did it go? —Stolas asked, trying to start a conversation—.
—As good as it can go when you're with mom. I managed to temporarily deaf myself after an hour of her talking shit about you, the rest of the day I didn't do much. Mainly listening to everyone talk about stupid things. Does she really earn anything for doing this? —Octavia asked—.
—Well Octavia; your mother knows that I love you and that I hate her, so the fact that I must share parental custody with her, gives her the satisfaction of knowing that I still must put up with her. Also, it gives her the opportunity to shower you with insults about me to try and drive you away. —Stolas replied mockingly—. Just wait until you're 18, then you'll choose where to be or with whom.
Stolas moved to sit on the bed with Octavia, taking her hand in the process, caressing her claws lovingly and carefully.
—If I stay with you, will I have to call Blitzo Mom, or Dad? —Octavia tried to say in a serious tone, but she couldn't help but to say it laughing in-between words—.
—HAHAHAHA. —Stolas couldn't help but to laugh as well, as he found the comment hilarious—. I don't think he wants you to call him either way. Also, we're not exactly dating either; our relationship is... complicated.
Without realizing it, Stolas' melancholy at the thought of Blitzo made him look away from Octavia. He had not been able to detoxify his emotions about his love life for some time; and by letting out these emotions; He felt that he was taking it out on his daughter, which made the guilt immediately fill him.
—Uh... sorry dad, I-. —Octavia tried to apologize—.
But she was interrupted by Stolas who hugged her as soon as he heard the apology.
—You have nothing to apologize for. —He reaffirmed her—. It's not your fault.
Octavia was a little surprised by the sudden hug her father had launched into. But upon hearing those words she understood what he meant and chose to simply silently return the hug, which was only momentary.
After that, Stolas returned to his original position sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.
—You know, it's not that late yet. How about we order some dinner? We watch a movie and go to bed. —Stolas tried to sound cheerful as he said this—.
Octavia seemed to have a slightly guilty look, which Stolas interpreted as distaste. But when she realized the consequences that this would have on Stolas after what they were talking about, she couldn't do anything but take a deep breath and return a smile that almost seemed real.
—I guess... We could order a pizza with soda and some fries, —Octavia answered, hoping that by taking some initiative she could make sure she didn't come across as cruel—.
—Wonderful! —Stolas exalted quickly, taking out his cell phone to place the order—.
As Stolas began ordering through a food delivery app, Octavia approached Stolas making it look like she was taking care of him to place the right order. Or as in the moments of going through a self-service; that even knowing what you will order you want to observe the menu one last time. Finally, she went from lying down to sitting on her knees on the bed, next to Stolas, but a little behind, with her arms resting on her legs; a pose like «Seiza» (A popular sitting style in Japan), as her face peeked just over her dad's shoulder; Again, pretending a vigilant position.
—Anything else you want? —With a sarcastic but playful tone he asked as he turned to see his daughter—.
—The most attractive delivery boy they have. —Octavia answered with the same attitude—.
—I'm not in the mood to terrorize people tonight. —Stolas countered—.
—What if that delivery guy was Blitzo? —she countered back—.
Stolas instantly blushed.
—If it was Blitzy you wouldn't be home by then. —He mentioned amplifying his playful tone with some sensuality—.
—Gross. —Octavia concluded the conversation—.
—I am glad to know that my daughter is still pure and chaste. If I ever find out that you have a boyfriend… I have you know that dad is very scary. —Stolas replied, moving a little into the bed so he could embrace her in his arms once again, an act to which she responded by leaning her face on his shoulder.
—You and mom scare everyone already; to have a boyfriend I must first have friends and you two don't make that an easy task. —Octavia continued the conversation, returning to her flat, disinterested voice—. The only people I know are on the internet, and on accounts where I hide my identity. Being a Goetia sucks.
—I see, so there are secret accounts where you avoid my supervision.
—Excuse me? Supervision!?
—I'm joking! —Stolas laughed nervously—. I'm happy that you can live a more social life than I did. I never had friends since I was little.
—And apparently you don't get along with the family either.
—Well Via that's because this family is full of idiots.
—I guess I should pause long enough for you to say, 'Except for you and I.'
—You guess correctly. Except for you and me.
—And Blitzo? at least he's your friend, right?
—Blitzo told me one time, that when I met him, it was because my father had paid his father to play games with me to keep me happy and distracted from the fact of my arranged marriage with your mother. Currently you could say that we are... intimate acquaintances with shared interests.
—Friends with benefits. —Octavia replied, emphasizing her first comment—.
Stolas couldn't help but get a little sentimental about that comment. He was really questioning the state of his relationship with Blitzo and what they both really wanted from each other, remembering their date at Ozzie's and what a flop it was. He clearly didn't want to pursue this topic of conversation either so he improvisedly sought to change the pace of the conversation.
—Well anyways, I'm certainly glad you didn't come off as much like me and are more outgoing. Also, now that I think about it, I do have another friend, and she's really fun!
—She?
—Well, you of course! at least apart from being my daughter, I consider you a friend as well.
—T-that's... —Octavia paused between her future words for fear of hurting Stolas' feelings again—. ...Nice of you.
Stolas smiled at her once more and kissed her forehead fondly.
—Don't let my problems take over your life, look for what you like and pursue it with all of your might. Meet people, make friends, fall in love. And remember that no matter where you are, I will always be there for you.
Octavia was constantly in a conflicted state with her emotions but knowing that she would always have her father there for her brought her peace and happiness; and hearing those words from him would never fail to bring her to that same state of calm.
—You promise?
—I swear.
Stolas hugs her tightly at that moment.
—Then I'll be there for you too, dad.
Octavia hugged him back.
Silence begins to envelop the scene, father and daughter embracing with gentle and sweet caresses that would calm even the most violent animal or would put anyone to sleep like a baby tired of crying all day. You could feel as if time froze at that moment, or at least stopped long enough to make each other's movements imperceptible.
And then without warning; or a sign that could indicate some danger, something forbidden is about to happen. Something was taking hold of Stolas without causing him the slightest suspicion; like a strange energy running through his body and putting him to sleep, as if it were a drug numbing his consciousness.
—My princess. —Stolas exclaimed affectionately—.
This caused Octavia to turn to see him, and at that moment, both faces met, and Stolas; taking a sudden step into the unknown, he kissed Octavia on her beak.