The Pompous and The Prick

Chapter 7: Everyone Should Cry More

Typically, the Stolas mansion was dead silent, without even a single creaky floorboard to announce a living presence. It was as schrödinger's box; with everything in it could be dead or alive and you wouldn't know until you looked inside. At least, that's how it was on a usual day.

"Sh*t!" Stolas screamed, turning over furniture, "Blast it all to hell and up your father's *ss!"

Loona heard this from outside, but was busy looking up at just how big the mansion was, mouth agape. She traced her hand along the smooth curve of a pillar. D*mn, what was Blitz running from again?

Octavia, however, heard the expletives and approached with caution.

"That . . . Is unusual. Maybe wait on the doorstep? It's not that he would hurt you, I just don't want him to have an aneurysm if he realizes that you heard all that." Octavia said to Loona before she opened the door. She began sneaking through the palace, hearing crashing and the occasional curse from Stolas, only some of which made sense.

". . . Dad?" she peeked her head through the open door.

Stolas spun around so fast, his head had to catch up with the rest of his body, "V-Via! Darling! How long have you been home? Don't mind me, dear, I'm just doing some . . . cleaning! Yes, cleaning; I'm sorting things that need to be thrown out, and things to keep. You know how the saying goes, you gotta make a mess to clean a mess!" He said, before tripping over some books on the floor.

Via looked around at the overturned nightstands, sheets stripped off the bed, vanity drawers emptied of their contents, "Yeah . . . very organized sorting."

Stolas sighed, leaning against his bed frame which was now several meters away from where it usually was, "Alright, I'm looking for something I've lost. I'm sure I never took it out of this room. Still, it was a light blue envelope, if you see it, please give it to me directly, and for heaven's sake, do not open it. There are things in there that a young child should not read." He went back to looking around and rummaging through his own reckage like a maniac.

"I'm not a young child anymore." She said, leaning on the door frame.

Stolas paused his chaos to look her dead in the eyes, "Okay, then there are things in there that my child should not read. It was addressed to Blitz. I was never going to send it, of course. It was just an exercise advised by my therapist."

"You go to therapy . . .?" This was news to Via.

"I was planning on burying it in my garden, or perhaps throwing it poetically into a brimstone lake on a family trip together, but if I don't know where it is, then anyone could have gotten their hands on it. And just when you had specifically asked me to lay low in the media, too-" Stolas's eyes wandered over to where the grimoire usually was held on the shelf, ". . . Sh*t . . . I know where it is."

He began gathering his coat and barrelling past her..

"You mind if I have a friend over-?" Via called after him.

"Of course, darling! They can help themselves to whatever's in the fridge!" He shouted as he ran.

"Hi, Stolas." Loona smiled and waved as the prince ran out of the house.

"Hi, Loona. Sorry, not now." Stolas said without looking, "Where the devil is the car?!"

"Uhh . . . Don't you, like, portal everywhere?" Loona cocked an eyebrow up at him.

"Oh, right! Thank you dear!" He called back, and made a portal in front of himself.

Octavia walked over to Loona and they watched Stolas leave.