Helluva Child

12: Loo Loo end

{Elsewhere in the park...}

"Wow! Man, you're really starting to make this sad." Sneered a Carnie imp, holding $600, going so far as to take a dollar to roll it up into a bunt, grinning at the seething Moxxie before him. "Y'know, if you suck, you suck! Guess you won't win your honey here a prize..."

"Let me try!" Millie abruptly snatches the toy gun and takes a wild shot at the apple target, though the cork misses it entirely.

However, the devious carnie smirks as he presses a petal hidden beneath the booth with his foot, causing the target of fall over, much to the surprise of Millie and the shock of Moxxie.

"Ohhhh, look at that! Lucky shot, baby." The carnie smirks as Millie as he puts out his "bunt" against Moxxie's cheek.

"Are you kidding me?!" Moxxie fumes while Millie claps at her 'achievement.' "You- you- you charlatan!"

"Hey, uh, get lost, pipsqueak." The Carnie grips Moxxie's face, pushing him off to the side as he sat on the booth's edge beside Millie. "I'm talkin' to the lady."

Millie leans away in disgust at his advances, but was thankfully interrupted as something smashed through the booth's roof, crushing the snide carnie. Peering in, the couple found that it was not exactly a something, but someone.

"Sir?"

"Ohhhh… Hey, guys!" Blitz greeted, slightly dazed from being thrown. "You should probably go, uh, make sure Stolas is okay." As he spoke the two imps turned to find green flames have engulfed the area, along with the sinister, lanky robo imp himself approaching, as his fake flesh melted off. "I've... got some unfinished business to take care of."

As the two departed to leave Blitz alone with his "business", Moxxie suddenly realized something.

"...Wait, where's (Name)?!"

~~~[yet another part of the park]~~~

"Octiva? Stois?"

You called pit, crawling through the flaming theme park in search of the two tall bird demons, barely taking note of the half-melted animatronics or the panicked park goers as they ran for cover.

You then spotted Stolas' tail-feathers disappear into the mouth of an unsettling clown head reading "Fun House."

"Stois?"

As you tried to crawl towards the building, you were suddenly picked up by a pair of strong, yet gentle hands.

"(Name)! Thank Satan!" Huffed Moxxie, hugging you, nuzzling his cheek against yours. "Are you okay? Nothing broken?" He then holds you up under your arms, looking your tiny body up and down, sneering at the burnt pieces of clothing on your legs and back. Despite this, you didn't seem hurt, and was infact smiling cheerfully at the sight of your father. "...well.. you aren't hurt, so that's good."

Millie comes up to him, looking frantic. "Is our Lil' devil okay?" She takes you from Moxxie's hands and nuzzles her cheek against your head. "What were ya doing all the way out here, shug?"

You pointed towards the fun house.

"Stois!"

~~~~~~{inside the fun house}~~~~~~

Inside, Stolas is confronted with a purple-magenta room of eyes on the walls, tubes leading who knows where, spikes on spinning pillars and disembodied hands on a ground carousel.

As the Stolas tried to decipher which direction his daughter had gone off to, a random Imp suddenly ambushes him, jumping onto his back.

"Umm, I think I'm supposed to be bodyguarded right now!" The Goetia King exclaimed with annoyance, as the imp covered his beak in a possible attempt to chloroform him until he was shot by someone in his back, and slid off with a squelch.

"Stois!"

Moxxie and Millie appear in the entryway of the fun house, with you clapping excitedly at seeing Stolas.

"Ugh, that's better." Stolas remarks, dusting himself off. "Where is Blitzy? He's my knight in shining armor, not you littler ones."

"He's, uhhhh... busy." Millie states somewhat nervously, sliding down to be face to face with the prince.

"...Being a fool." Moxxie finishes on a dry note, handing Millie a thing plush and you a mini-thing plush he had snatched.

"What kind of fool?" Stolas questions.

"The 'everything is now on fire' kind." Moxxie stated with a roll of his eyes.

"Hm. Keep the littlest one close then." Stolas states with a brief point to you before venturing deeper into the Fun house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

After walking past a couple obstacles, Stolas comes up to an apple shaped entryway to another room, where a quartet of Apple-shaped carts rode in circles.

In one of said carts was Octavia, who was huddled up on the seat crying to herself.

"Octavia..." Stolas said softly, taking his now frowning apple hat off and dropping it to the ground as he approached his crestfallen daughter.

"I take it you're..." He hesitates for a moment. "...not having fun?"

"I didn't even want to come here!" Octavia exclaimed tearfully.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." Stolas said gently. "I... I thought you loved it here."

"When I was a kid and my parents didn't hate each other..." Octavia stated, her voice bitter and solemn. "And my dad didn't flirt with some... weird red d**khead the entire time."

"...I'm sorry, Via. I'm sorry for... everything... happening right now." Stolas felt heartbroken for his daughter's pain, unsure of how to mend it. "I know it's... a lot. I-- uh-- I should have listened."

"I just want to go home... but home doesn't even feel like home anymore..." Octavia whimpered, wiping her tears with her sleeves. "You ruined it."

"You need to understand..." Stolas wanted to explain himself, but found himself fumbling over his words. "Your mother and I... I just-... I felt-... She's always been... I haven't been- Ha-... We weren't in..." at last he gave up, unsure of what to say to amend his fault. "I'm sorry, I- I- I don't have the words."

"...Are you gonna run off with him?" She asked in a small, slightly anxious voice. "And leave me behind? Go away where... I can't find you?"

"What? No! No, no, never." Stolas assures her, pulling her close to him. "I'd never do that. Never."

In the warm, reassuring embrace of her father, Octavia smiles as Stolas picks her up into his arms. "I think it's time to leave this place. You were right. You are too old for it, anyway."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside the two Goetias walk outside, with Octavia in Stolas' arms, completely content with themselves as the park around them was in complete chaos; completely engulfed in flames as the I.M.P employees tried to subdue Robo-Fizz, who was inevitably eaten by a draconic creature from a nearby petting zoo.

As they were safe outside the park gates, Stolas breaks the silence between them. "So, What would you like to do now?"

"Oh, can we go to Stylish Occult?" Octavia piped. "They sell weird taxidermy there."

Stolas hummed, not entirely liking the idea of it, but nevertheless gave a reluctant smile. "...Okayyy..."

Octavia giggles at his reaction. "Thanks dad. You're okay, sometimes."

"Thank you, Via." Stolas was touched by his daughter's words. "Thank you."

As they both rested their heads against one another a massive explosion erupts behind them, along with the sounds of screaming as Blitz, as well as Millie and Moxxie slammed into the ground, with you safely landing atop of Millie.

"Way to ruin another good thing, sir!" Moxxie growls in a daze.

"Worth it!" Blitz exclaimed, equally dazed "That sl*tty toy clown had. It. Comin'!"

"Yah!" You cheered excitedly.

As Blitz and Moxxie fall unconscious, a black creature suddenly tries to drag Millie away, only to have you attack it.

"...I want to babysit them sometime." Octavia stated out loud as she watched you maul the small creature, making Stolas sneer in discomfort.