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When the Drakkaren stepped back into his home, he was greeted by Mahihko bounding up to him and hugging him tightly around the waist, exclaiming cheerily: "Daddy, Daddy! I'm glad to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, kiddo..." Zerrex patted the little wolf on the head, looking quietly amused even as he glanced around for Cherry. "Where's your big sister, though, huh? The muscular one, not the artsy one."

"Cherry-Berry is up in your room, Daddy. She said she was going to polish up your guns, too, and that I could finish by cleaning up my own." The wolf paused, then he held up one of his silver handguns, beaming as he proclaimed: "This is Sunshine, Daddy! Cherry's going to help me engrave it and everything!"

He waved the gun back and forth, his fingers outside the trigger guard but the reptile still feeling more than a tad bit nervous before the lupine finally lowered the gun, looking at him curiously before he asked: "Where'd you go, Daddy? I don't see any shopping bags or anything. Did they not have any shirts in your size?"

"Not where I went, at least." The reptile squatted, then he took off his leather jacket and held it out to the little wolf, looking quietly amused. "Here, maybe you could fix this the old-fashioned way and sew it up for me, huh?"

Mahihko positively beamed, nodding rapidly before he ran off, almost tripping over his own paws, and Zerrex let out a sigh of relief before he made his way over to the ladder and climbed up to the second floor. His cane tapped lightly against the floor as he stepped into his room, and he made a face at Cherry, who looked guiltily over her shoulder at him as she stood in a pile of sawdust on his bed, surrounded by various tools. "So this is how you clean my guns."

"Shut up, Boss." The muscular female hopped down off his bed, then she coughed and rubbed the back of her head as Zerrex looked up with amusement to see that she'd installed the silver sword holders on the wall above his bed, and she was currently in the process of fumbling with the wiring. A large hole had been cut out of the wall, but Zerrex knew by now that whatever Cherry did, she had her reasons for... even if the reasons didn't always make sense. "You totally were supposed to still be out shopping. I mean, come on. You always end up getting in fights when you go out and shit."

"I did get in a fight, actually, but then I didn't get much shopping done afterwards. It's a complicated story." Zerrex said dryly, and Cherry frowned as she tilted her head, crossing her arms. The Drakkaren held up his hands, smiling a bit before he leaned to the side and looked at his bed, continuing: "It wasn't anything serious... that kid from the hardware store was a demon hunter. He was following me around, and I ended up getting in a fight with him. He was able to summon demons-"

Cherry interrupted him here, asking stupidly: "But magic is impossible without like, those demonic crystals, right? I thought it was corruption that fuelled magical spell power or shit, and that even rune magic didn't work so hot up here, 'cept that... protective bullshit the Scanners have covering their building."

"He had demons bound into crystals... I think the Clan is from a branch of demon hunter whose ancestors struck a deal with some powerful old devil, I'll ask Sin about it sometime... and wait, you didn't tell me the Scanners used mortal magic as well as technology." Zerrex looked at her pointedly for a moment, but Cherry only grunted and shrugged, and the Drakkaren sighed and rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I went back with him to his base, and met his sister, and-"

"Fucked her senseless?" Cherry supplied, grinning cheerfully as she tilted her head, then she squawked as Zerrex shoved her, pinwheeling her arms before she huffed and crossed them. "Dude, you fuck everyone's sister! How was I supposed to know?"

Zerrex looked at her dryly for a few moments. "By listening, maybe? Now shut up, I'm getting to the important part. Since she's in the same clan, she's also training as a demon hunter, and although I did not have sex with her, she did ask me to act as her Patron Demon. I can ask her to perform services for me-" The Drakkaren ignored Cherry's cackling at this point, steamrolling her as he continued in a louder voice: "And she inherits some of my powers, which I guess also explains how her brother was so in tune with his own abilities, at least until he screwed up in summoning too many demons in and I had to bail him out."

He paused, waiting for Cherry's childish giggling to subside, and then he said quietly: "They had the same sigil as we found on that earring on the wall of their house, though. It was on an art piece called 'Dawn of the New Gods,' and it was shaped just like the earring, except on a larger scale."

"That's it!" Cherry lost her childishness, snapping her fingers as she looked across at Zerrex like she hadn't just been laughing over the word 'services.' "That's where I saw the fucking thing... the old art museum downtown! A few years back, they sold off most of the art and renovated it... we bought a few pieces and put 'em in safe storage, Cindy was gonna show you 'em and see what you thought of 'em at some point, I guess... but anyway, they turned it into a dealership instead of a museum, and you can buy tourist-trap level shit like bumper stickers and decals, but they also got a supplier who sends them in fancy reproductions. I bet that's where I saw it, when I was there a few weeks back runnin' an errand for Bebop since she's too damn lazy to buy her own fuckin' paintbrushes, and I don't like the thought of Mahihko runnin' around in that place of town by his lonesome. Too many Scanners, too much security."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly, then he frowned a bit as he tilted his head, asking quietly: "Something else Mary said struck me, however... yes, that's the name of the girl I met, I know." Zerrex smiled a bit at Cherry as she rubbed her head slowly and mumbled sheepishly; it was a name she'd never forget, either, although that day they had been set apart, instead of at each other's side. "She said that her brother had been investigating similar symbols around town, laced with demonic energy."

Cherry frowned at this, then she shook her head and grunted. "Fuck. We sure as hell don't need that... maybe we should get this Mary chick to help us out then, and her brother or whatever. I mean, I'd at least like to know where the hell to look... because if there's enough energy to leave a residue, that means corruption. And corruption on the mortal plane is always from somethin' nasty, 'cause the demons interested in bringin' Hell to the planet are usually the same ones uninterested in getting along with everyone."

Zerrex didn't reply for a moment as he thought about it, then he finally nodded, looking at the hole in the wall and then at the mess on his bed with a grouchy expression. "I guess I should let you do whatever the hell you were doing in here, anyway. In you know. My bedroom. To my walls. Of my old house."

"Oh, you and I both know that ain't what pisses you off, what pisses you off is the fact I got your dumb bed dirty." Cherry huffed, and Zerrex pushed her firmly. Cherry swayed on the spot, then shoved him back, and Zerrex glowered at her before tackling her. Cherry threw herself forwards at the same time, however, the muscles of both flexing as they shoved their heads together, eyes sparking before Cherry gritted her teeth as she began to lose traction and territory, slowly skidding towards the bed, and then they were both distracted as Marina politely knocked on the door, leaning inside with a flat look on her face. "The hell do you want, Bebop?"

"Just to see Daddy." The two ceased to shove at each other as Zerrex straightened, Marina smiling as she approached, and then she shot Cherry a look as the masculine female made to tackle Zerrex. Instantly, Cherry was frozen in place as Marina's eyes flashed, a faint purple glow surrounding the demoness, and the mortal female added softly: "No unfair play now, Cherry... you know no one around here likes that."

"It's alright, Marina." Zerrex said gently, giving her a meaningful look, and Marina sighed before the glow faded from around Cherry, and she fell to her knees with a wheeze, wrapping her arms around her stomach and hissing in pain through her teeth. The reptile looked at her, then over at Marina as she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as he asked: "What did you do to hell?"

Marina didn't reply right away, looking over her father's shoulder at Cherry even as the demoness winced and climbed to her feet, glaring back at the younger reptile. "Oh nothing... just an affectionate little hug."

"Don't be coy, Marina." Zerrex grasped her hips firmly, looking down into her eyes calmly, and she winced, looking hesitantly back into his emerald eyes. For a few moments, they stood like that, and then the Drakkaren sighed. Like it's not easy enough to figure out, anyway... "Will you do me a favor and go pick up some clothing for me?"

"Of course, Daddy." Marina smiled serenely, looking as if nothing had happened between the three of them as she reached down and pushed her hand into her father's front pocket, and she let it rest there as she grasped her wallet before finally drawing her hand free after a few long moments, and she vanished from the room with a graceful twist and a laugh that was strangely eerie as it followed her towards the ladder.

Zerrex and Cherry gave each other a look and a wince, and then the female muttered under her breath: "Dude, she's fucking psycho. I know I say this like, every week, but she is absolutely nuts. We totally need to do something about her."

The Drakkaren turned around, gently rubbing a hand along Cherry's side, and she smiled a bit at him before stepping forwards and dropping her head against his shoulder, leaning on him with a mumble. Zerrex's eyes closed as he wrapped an arm, around her waist lightly, and for a few moments they stood like that before he finally asked: "So what the hell have you done to my wall, anyway?"

"I'm installing a TV. First I was just gonna put one of the computers for the security system in there, and then I figured I'd shove all the shit I could into the same place. I know, I know, it's a dumb place for the fuckin' television, but it's a dumb place for the bed, too. It should be over there, so when you lay down, you don't have to worry 'bout everyone seein' your dick if you decide to masturbate." Cherry said mildly, and Zerrex snorted in amusement as she grinned and leaned away from him. "I'll put the security hub under the TV, and the TV on an arm. That way, the hub'll remain hidden most of the time, but be easy enough to access when you gotta. I was thinkin', too, that I could get our old satellite connection workin' again, too... some scavengers ran off with our fucking satellite when we first came back into the city, but it wouldn't be too hard to get our hands on another one. Then we could toss a line down to old Albatross... I hear he and Churchill are still running Hez'Ranna and it's nice and pretty down there, still. Bet they're wondering where the fuck you are."

"I'm sure they heard I died." Zerrex replied mildly, but he did admittedly like the idea. I wonder how much junk is floating around in space... last time I was on the mortal plane, it wasn't too hard to hijack a satellite's transmissions and call it your own. "What's space looking like these days, anyway?"

Cherry shrugged amiably. "Beats the hell out of me, but I haven't been paying much attention to anything other than porn lately. But I was going through some of my old journals, and I found the old passwords and information for the Apple Villa personal communication satellite, you remember that? Damn, I miss those days sometimes..." The muscular female looked dreamy. "That whole city, and we pretty much ran it... stupid little Lone, running around, all huff and no puff... everyone knew us and liked us, and shit, Tinny was right down the damn street and there were so many other damn good perks, too. Way less awkward than Hell, anyway, where I seriously get creeped out when people do that whole worship thing and you and I are far too damned important. A city, that's all I ask."

She paused, then grinned and leered at Zerrex in that terrible way that he knew meant she had what she thought was a really good idea. "Hey, wait a minute, Boss. What if you and me, what if we take over this city, and like-"

"That is the worst idea ever." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry huffed and crossed her arms. "Baskin's Grove was being killed from within, and we only maintained the peace. We did not 'rule the city,' or at least not for very long... by the time Marina was born, Lone was puttering along well enough on his own, and we only made sure... however aggressively... that no one had to worry about criminals doing bad things to them. I'd like to say we were a force for good, but you have to realize we did interfere with the natural workings of society... and that at least a few of those criminals were probably little more than people desperate to feed their families."

"Oh, here we go again with the philosophical bullshit." Cherry grumbled, but the Drakkaren grinned as she turned around and went back to work, fiddling with the wiring inside the hole. The reptile knew this stuff always frustrated her... mostly because he knew she privately agreed, even if she'd never admit it to anyone other than him, and even to him only rarely. "Things are as they are, Boss, and you can work to make 'em better or worse. Far as I'm concerned, we stopped acting like spoiled little brats at some point and we started taking on responsibilities."

Cherry rounded on him suddenly, gesturing wildly with a pair of pliers as she said proudly: "Boss, we stopped using our mighty powers for our own damn good, and started using them for the good of others! Do you know what that makes us? Superheroes! Champions of the Gods! Fucking... Assy Amazon and Big Balls McGee."

"I love your creativity." Zerrex said mildly, and then he ducked as Cherry threw the pliers at him, before he straightened and added dryly: "And by the way, clean up my bed once you're done, huh? You know how much I hate crumbs like you in it."

"You're a crumb. I hate your face." Cherry grumbled, and the Drakkaren snorted in amusement at this before he left, deciding it might be best to check on Mahihko for the moment. After all, it wasn't like he had much else to do at the moment... and the lizard felt a bit of listlessness as he climbed down the ladder, pausing for a moment to tap the handle of his cane against his skull as he sighed. He'd been so busy for so long down in Hell that he'd forgotten what it was like to have so much free time... and even if he had already been pulled into some kind of puzzle involving demons and mortals, it wasn't like he felt he was doing any work of value. With or without him, Cherry would likely have figured all this out herself... and he grunted and shook his head after a moment as he walked down towards Mahihko's room, trying to cast the thoughts away. Get a hold of yourself, Zerrex, the entire point of you coming up here was to act like a mortal, after all, and not worry about dealing with horrible, horrible political mires of Hell...

Zerrex made a face as he nodded to himself. That most certainly was not something he missed: for might demons, some of the monarchs of Hell sure could be whiny and petulant. But he knew that the dangerous avalanche he'd started had been a necessary one, and they had made enormous amounts of progress over the ten million years he'd ruled... and few of the monarchs had dared to stand up to him, out of either fear he'd squish them or the respect they held for him, if not for his ideas, then for his experience and combat ability. That just makes me sound like a military dictator, though... then again, most of the monarchs of Hell have always been based around the strongest, if not the smartest, rulers... "But hopefully that'll change... Hell's had enough of rule-by-power. We need a new form of rulership... something that celebrates another kind of strength..."

The Drakkaren nodded to himself musingly, and then Cherry poked her head past the top of the hole, looking down at him with entertainment as the Drakkaren looked owlishly up at her. "You talkin' all about that philosophical bullshit again, Zer? 'Cause you know there ain't no one there but you, and it gets a little creepy after you spend so long babbling to yourself." She paused, then added helpfully: "Besides, you know that like, you think way too much, right?"

"Go back to work." Zerrex said mildly, and the female huffed at him before vanishing. The Drakkaren rolled his eyes as he listened to her footsteps padding along the hallway, and then he shook his head slowly as he made his way towards Mahihko's room. He paused and frowned as he laid a hand on the door, hearing a strange thumping inside... and then he threw the door open as he realized: That thumping isn't from bedsprings!

Mahihko was laying on the floor, jittering wildly, a sewing needle in his hand sawing viciously back and forth through the air: Zerrex could see a few red dots in the wolf's fur where he'd already stabbed himself, but it didn't look like he'd hurt himself severely yet. Foam was flying from his mouth, and Zerrex could hear a strange whining coming out of his throat... almost as if something was trying to rip out of the little wolf.

The reptile dove forwards and dropped his weight on Mahihko, shouting at the same time for Cherry, then he winced as the needle flew towards Mahihko's face. The wolf caught it in the palm of his right hand, feeling the needle snap as it hit the not-flesh beneath his scales, and then he cursed and looked down into the wolf's eyes... and they gazed sightlessly back up at him as he bucked and jittered, Cherry skidding to a halt in the doorway a moment later and looking horrified as she shouted: "Wake up, hey, wake up little buddy!"

Zerrex shifted his weight on the wolf, straddling him as his legs kicked and flailed at the air, then he grabbed his wrists and pinned them above the lupine's head as he gargled and sprayed foam all over the reptile's chest. It was like no seizure or convulsion the reptile had ever seen... it was more like something inside Mahihko was trying to rip its way out... and then the reptile's eyes widened in horror as a hairless hand clawed its way up from the little wolf's stomach, as Mahihko's small horns came into existence on his head: the only demonic characteristic that the wolf had on his body to remind him of his time in Hell, at least so far.

Before Zerrex could react, the hairless hand grabbed his shoulder, as Mahihko's fur peeled back like a blanket but no blood, no wound appeared in his form: it was more like he had suddenly grown two extra arms. And now Mahihko was shrieking at the top of his lungs, his eyes still glassy but the wolf obviously terrified of something as a hairless head formed and shoved its way up out of the wolf's chest, the ears laid back and eyes shut like a puppy's... but a moment later they opened, the same periwinkle as the little wolf's.

Fur suddenly sprouted in a rush up the pink arms and over the naked face of the thing pushing out of Mahihko's chest, and a moment later, Zerrex was staring in shock at a white furred lupine with rough and handsome features, as it grinned widely up at him before grunting, muscular arms flexing as they hauled upwards, the skin connecting Mahihko and this new wolf stretching and molding into a muscular breast and masculine abdomen. Cherry was staring in horror herself as the second wolf, bit-by-bit, hauled his naked and pink form out of Mahihko's... until finally, Mahihko gave a last shrill scream as the wolf tore first one large paw, and then the second free of the tiny lupine, and he stretched and flexed a rugged and handsome body covered in arctic-white fur, grinning from ear-to-ear. His build was strong and easily visible through his short fur, and on either shoulder were swastika tattoos similar to the ones Mahihko had... but he was far more masculine, handsome rather than beautiful, and much taller than Mahihko, standing easily over six feet tall. His periwinkle eyes glimmered as Zerrex slowly stood, barely able to believe his eyes, as the wolf looked down at the dazed and dumb Mahihko before he laughed raucously, put his hands on his hips, and said clearly: "Lone's back, baby!"

"Lone Wulfe?" Zerrex frowned, and the white wolf made a bit of a sour face at him: whether at the name or because he recognized the Drakkaren, the reptile couldn't tell. "What the hell just happened here? Is Mahihko alright?"

"Chillax." Lone waved dismissively at Zerrex... and then he screamed as Cherry darted forwards out of nowhere, her hands around his throat as she hefted him high enough into the air to smash his head against the ceiling, his ears laid back and tail curled up between his legs. He tried to speak, but she was choking him too tightly as he clawed uselessly at her hands, unable to even whimper.

"Don't you dare treat either the Boss or the little muffin like that, you piece of shit, or I'll skin you alive." Cherry snarled, then she switched her grip to one hand before throwing Lone hard down into the floor with enough force to cause Mahihko's body to shudder, the muscular wolf laying in a tangled heap as the little wolf blinked and sat up quickly, rubbing at his head. Cherry turned her eyes to him, offering a hand... and then she frowned as Mahihko whined and jumped in front of Lone almost protectively, a bit of blood dribbling from one of his ears and some foam still leaking from his jaws. "Hey, think you're a bit mixed up, kiddo."

The wolf shook his head vehemently, however, as Lone groaned and slowly crawled up to his feet. "No, no, you don't understand!" He halted, then looked down and whispered: "I... I don't even understand. But that's not... Zerrex, look at him, please, really look at him!"

Zerrex traded a look with Cherry, and she grunted and stepped back, crossing her arms as the male Drakkaren carefully looked at Lone, as he stood and rubbed slowly at his head. He watched as the larger wolf gently settled a hand on Mahihko's shoulder, and for a few long minutes he was quiet before he said quietly: "I think you two have some explaining to do."

"Dude, would if I could." Lone mumbled, and then he winced and shrank back behind Mahihko as Cherry glared at him. "Sorry, sorry! Fuck! Look... I... call me..." There was a long, awkward pause, and then Lone muttered finally: "I wanna be Lone Narrius. Just like he's Mahihko Narrius. We're two halves of a whole, me and him... but like, not in a gay sense, and like, we ain't lovers or shit like that. We're just... I mean... see... it feels like..."

"Ravenlight and Zerrex." Cherry murmured, and the Drakkaren looked over at her sharply. She grinned stupidly, rubbing the back of her head, and then she said quietly: "Boss, I do pay attention to you, you know. At least, like, from time-to-time. But see, it's just like how you got your personality... and then there's that asshole in your head."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly, looking over at Lone and Mahihko, as they traded a glance. He'd always wondered if a personality could manifest itself as a physical being... and even though the reptile thought it was strange, he didn't think it was completely impossible. After all, as Cherry pointed out, although he'd once been Ravenlight in the past... Ravenlight himself now existed almost as an entirely different person, even if trapped in Zerrex's mind. Lone and Mahihko, in many ways, were entirely different people... but Lone was also my arch-nemesis in Baskin's Grove. And I can't afford another enemy in my life right now on top of everything else, especially inside my own family.

"Hey, whoa, wait. I know what you're thinking." Lone said after another moment of speculation from the two reptiles, holding his hands up as Mahihko looked curiously back and forth. While the little lupine seemed childlike and plainly thought everything was now okay, the larger wolf looked both suspicious and scared. They really are two different sides... "Look, I dunno how I got here, and I know, I'm Lone, and Lone was an asshole. Hell, still is, but right now he's more of... I dunno. A hot dude you can trust, really! I'm reliable and shit, and I ain't gonna turn on you... I feel just as clingy to Zerrex as the little tyke does, honest!"

Zerrex looked mildly at Lone, obviously not believing this... and Lone walked around Mahihko with his hands outstretched pleadingly, his eyes full of emotion... but at the moment, the Drakkaren felt too suspicious to guess just which ones they were. "Come on, Zer! Gimme a chance, let me do something, anything, to prove it! I ain't no spy, and shit, you guys can see that me and Mahihko, I... I didn't hurt him at all comin' out of him, did I? And look, I'm just as confused as you guys, but... come on, power, money, all that nonsense, I really don't want any of it anymore... well... I guess I do, but... but not at the cost of sacrificing my friends and loved ones."

Lone nodded firmly several times as he reached out to take Zerrex's hand, and the reptile let him, looking measuringly down at the lupine as the wolf gazed up at him, a bit of a whimper coming from him... and then Mahihko bolted forwards, clinging to Zerrex's leg as he looked up with tearful eyes, blurting: "Don't make Lone go away, Daddy! He's not a bad guy, really, he isn't, and I know it, I just know it!"

The reptile sighed after a few long moments, and then he mumbled something to himself before finally nodding slowly. Both wolves brightened as Cherry frowned darkly, and then Zerrex winced as Lone hugged him tightly, the wolf pressing his naked body firmly up against the Drakkaren's with a loud sigh of relief, clinging to him as he babbled thank-yous and adulations. After a few moments, Zerrex managed to pry the larger, masculine wolf off, and Lone looked back and forth dumbly before he traded a look with Mahihko, and he mumbled: "Dude, I'm not wearing girl's clothes like that faggot here."

Mahihko whined loudly at this, and the Drakkaren shook his head slowly before he walked over and picked up his torn leather jacket. Most of the arm had been ripped off during Mahihko's fit, but as the Drakkaren patted it down, he thought the rest of it was pretty intact... and then the little wolf whined quietly as he hopped up and down beside him, babbling: "Let me fix it for you, Daddy, I can do it, really I can!"

Zerrex sighed after a moment, and then he nodded before looking over Lone, asking mildly: "Is this your real body? Or do you have some different form?"

Lone frowned a bit at this, then he paused as he noticed the little horns sticking out of Mahihko's skull. He reached up and patted around in his own short fur, then he made a face like he was concentrating... but instead of his form changing, the lupine's body released a weak electrical discharge in all directions that made Mahihko yelp as it struck him, before he spun around with a glare and pointed a hand at Lone, a small jolt of electricity firing out of his finger to strike the lupine's nose.

Lone yelled as his eyes watered, grabbing his sensitive nose, but before he could retaliate Cherry stepped between the two, then jerked Lone's head down and Mahihko's head up, knocking their skulls together and sending them both on their asses. Immediately, Mahihko began to bawl loudly and Lone moaned as he fell flat and sprawled out, and she looked grumpily from one to the other before Zerrex said calmly: "Unless you start behaving, I'm going to put all three of you in a time out." Cherry looked up with a wince of surprise at this, and the Drakkaren said dryly: "Your tactics are only worsening the situation, I'm afraid."

"Sorry." Cherry mumbled finally, then she walked over beside him before pausing and brightening, turning around. "Hey, wait, Mahihko still has some old military uniforms he's kept in good enough condition... until we can pick Lone some clothes up, he can wear those, since they're made of that stretchy material shit like the clone uniforms are."

"Good call." Zerrex smiled slightly at her, and Cherry grinned widely as Lone looked down at himself before he blushed, covered his sheath, then cleared his throat and uncovered it, thrusting his hips forwards dramatically. Zerrex rolled his eyes at this, but he figured it showed a lot of this Lone's character... and then he shook his head slowly, saying quietly: "I'm going to leave you two alone. Lone, don't... stop snickering, I didn't mean to make a pun. Don't get into trouble, and don't leave the house for the moment... I'm going to see if I can find anything about this sort of thing and if it's ever occurred before. Behave yourselves."

Cherry grunted in agreement as the two wolves nodded rapidly, and then they both left, the female sticking her hands in her pockets as they headed for the living room and saying mildly: "At least the dude's hot. Looks like he's probably got a big dick, too, unlike old Lone."

"There's a lot about him unlike old Lone..." Zerrex murmured as they entered the den, and the Drakkaren sat down on the couch with a sigh as Cherry rested against the back of it, looking down at him curiously. "In fact, I'd say he looks like what Lone hoped to be. Tall, physically-fit, strong, handsome, probably naturally a leader figure... and the opposite of Mahihko. Tiny, fluffy and submissive."

"I dunno about that, Boss." Cherry said thoughtfully, then she let herself fall backwards, putting her hands behind her head as she slid to a halt with her skull off the cushion, her legs up in the air. She met Zerrex's eyes, looking up at him as she continued slowly: "What about the way he looked for attention from you? Not from me and my tits, or from you and your dick... but from you and your eyes. He wanted to make a good first impression... I think the fucker's still a follower, Lone or not. But shit, what else could he be, if he ain't Lone?"

"A shapeshifter, a spy, a ghost of some kind... I dunno." Zerrex closed his eyes as he concentrated, trying to remember everything he could dealing with this sort of subject... but there had been very few cases he could think of where something similar to this had ever occurred. Demons and spirits rarely lived in one another's bodies before some random event caused them to manifest corporally... and it hurt the reptile's head to think on too hard. All I can think of is Mist and Shine, who act as one living being more often than not and dislike being great distances from each other... wait, I wonder if the same principles apply here... "Cherry, I got a job for you."

"Sweet." Cherry grinned up at him, tilting her head curiously. "What do you want me to do? Panty raid? Beat down some Scanners? Rape Lone until he tells us the truth?" A pause, and then she added hopefully: "Please tell me it's the last one."

The reptile rolled his eyes, then he poked her nose, and Cherry flailed her arms before she overbalanced and slid off the couch, landing awkwardly on her head with a pained grunt. She mumbled as she got up to her feet, and then frowned when Zerrex said mildly: "I want you to lure Lone away from Mahihko and watch his reaction. I want to know if the two are connected in some way, and this might help. If they are connected, then at least we know it isn't some outside supernatural creature causing some interference with us. So take him outside, walk him around the block a bit or something."

After a few moments, the female nodded, rubbing at her face. "Well... I'll trust your judgment on that one, Boss. I don't get it, but... I don't get a lot of the shit you say, since you're sort of nuts." She reached down and ruffled Zerrex's hair, and he glared at her balefully before she winced and held up her hands. "Dude, no need for eye lasers! You look uh. Pretty like that."

"Aww, do you really think so?" Zerrex batted his eyes up at her as he tilted his head to the side, lacing his hands together, and Cherry snorted in entertainment before she rolled her eyes as Zerrex grunted and pointed in the general direction of Mahihko's room, looking grumpy again. He waited for a few moments, then climbed to his feet and paused at the archway leading into the hall.

"Come on, asshole, let's move!" Cherry. What you lack in tact you make up for in force and surprise. The reptile listened as he heard several booming noises, and a gargling whining he thought was probably a certain arctic wolf trapped in a headlock, as Cherry dragged him off somewhere. He continued to wait until he heard the footsteps fade and the front door slam, then he walked down the hall towards Mahihko's room.

The reptile leaned in the open doorway, crossing his arms and watching as his features softened at the sight of the little wolf industriously sewing up his jacket, doing a surprisingly good job at patching the larger rips in the arm. Beside him was a sewing kit stacked with bits of cloth, string, and needles, and at least two more needles stuck out of the wolf's maw, as his dexterous fingers carefully smoothed out the jacket's arm as he mended a smaller tear near the shoulder.

He glanced up at Zerrex and smiled, looking strangely content as he returned his eyes to the jacket with a faint blush, and the reptile smiled back as he watched the wolf. His movements were agile and easy, and he displayed a surprising amount of talent and skill... before the wolf paused for a moment in mid-stroke, then he shook his head once, as if to clear it.

Zerrex's eyes narrowed as Mahihko slowed a bit, his stitching remaining clean and even... and then the wolf suddenly lost all his grace, making a ragged, ugly stitch in the leather as he groaned and leaned forwards, the other needles falling out of his jaws even as he tried hard to continuing sewing. The Drakkaren was by his side in a moment, however, grabbing the wolf's wrist and halting him just before his needle sank into his own leg, and he looked blearily up at Zerrex, as if through a thick fog, his eyes unfocused and his jaw hanging open. "Dad... daddy?"

"Mahihko, stay calm. I'm here." Zerrex said quietly, picking up his jacket and tossing it and the sewing stuff to the ground, and as the spool rolled slowly along the floor, the Drakkaren slipped is arms beneath the little wolf and hefted him up into the air with a grunt, carrying him out of his room as the little lupine automatically nestled with a moan up against Zerrex's broad chest.

The reptile carried Mahihko out into the kitchen, looking down at him with concern as he realized with a chill at the same time his instincts were right... and he had no idea why he hadn't warned Cherry at least, knowing that she might very well drag Lone down the streets no matter how sick he got. But thankfully, before he decided Mahihko's condition was dire enough for him to dash through the streets after her, the masculine female kicked the door open herself and tossed Lone through the entrance with a grunt, the muscular wolf sliding along the floor on his face with a moan of pain as Cherry wiped at a watery gunk on her front with a look of disgust, muttering: "The fucker threw up on me, and... holy shit, is Mahihko sick too?"

"Not as sick, I don't think..." Zerrex looked down at the little wolf, who looked weak and bleary... but Lone, meanwhile, was unconscious and drooling stupidly. The Drakkaren winced, then on instinct, he carefully lowered Mahihko down beside the larger wolf... and slowly, a hand of Lone's and a hand of Mahihko's slid out, and their fingers interlocked as Cherry and Zerrex watched the pallor and strength visibly return to both of them, their breaths evening out and Lone's eyes flickering open, and the lizard murmured softly: "And I think we just found out something very important."

The female made a face, nodding as she rubbed at her head. "I dunno how the hell you come up with this shit, Boss, but I wish sometimes you'd be wrong about this stuff. What do we do with these two losers, since it don't seem like they're waking up?" A pause, and she added meditatively: "At least they look healthier. Or they will, 'til Marina gets back, ignores them, and uses both of them as a doormat."

Zerrex rolled his eyes, then he leaned down and picked up Mahihko as he grunted and motioned with his muzzle at Cherry, and she picked up Lone after a moment with a sigh, mumbling: "Why do I always end up carrying the naked dudes?"

"Because you're too fat for them to carry you." Zerrex said mildly, and Cherry huffed, but followed the Drakkaren after a moment towards Mahihko's room, thankfully not mistreating the larger wolf's body too badly. Once she got the chance, however, she dropped Lone on the floor instead of putting him in the bed beside Mahihko, and the male lizard sighed and gave her a mild look as she simply shrugged with a cheerful grin. "I realize you don't like him that much, and I'm not exactly fond of the old Lone either, but I think this may be more a manifestation of Mahihko's personality and not a return of Lone Wulfe."

"He's a douchebag either way. I mean, what kind of asshole goes wandering around in public naked?" the muscular female asked reasonably, and then she paused and poked at her own muzzle lightly as she added musingly: "Then again, I guess since I was dragging him around in a headlock, he didn't have too much choice... 'sides, not like everyone was staring at him all grossed-out and shit. Dude has a bit of a hot bod."

Her father gazed at her flatly, then he glanced over his shoulder as Mahihko stirred before blearily looking up at him, and he asked weakly after a few long moments: "Daddy... what happened? I feel so... tired..."

"Just rest for now, Mahihko. You and Lone can recuperate until you get your strength back... it looks like you two suffered some ill side effects from being parted for too long." Zerrex said softly, nodding and gazing down at the little wolf with gentle sympathy. He reached down and stroked his face lightly, and the little wolf smiled faintly up at him before the reptile asked quietly: "Before I go... what's been on your mind?"

"Daddy... and bad-daddy..." Mahihko murmured, and Lone twitched and moaned weakly, as if in the grip of a nightmare. Zerrex and Cherry frowned at each other, and then Mahihko shook his head slowly, before he voiced another cryptic message: "It was the fear..."

The reptiles exchanged another look, then Mahihko's eyes slid closed and he whined fitfully as he fell asleep. On the ground, Lone curled up into a little ball... and Zerrex finally motioned for Cherry to follow him out, the two walking slowly and silently out to the kitchen. Cherry kicked a chair out to sit in it with her arms crossed, but Zerrex only stood before the female finally said quietly: "I think we both know what Mahihko's talking about, even if you wanna pretend you don't and you wanna think all about it from every angle." She halted, then said darkly: "Tobias Wulfe, Lone Wulfe's daddy."

The Drakkaren grunted, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as he lowered his head. Tobias Wulfe, corporate magnate and head of not only Wulfe Enterprises, but several other large corporations; mainly pharmaceuticals and weapons contractors. One of these companies, notably, was Centaur: an Irenic-based corporation responsible for developing advanced weaponry used by the Irenic and world militaries.

Once upon a time, Tobias had lived in and based his companies out of Ire: reclusive and careful to never associate himself openly with the corporations he puppeted, he had stayed out of the news and lived mostly in his own compound, his privacy protected by security teams and advanced technology. Zerrex felt fortunate that he'd never had to deal with the bastard himself, and he'd never presented enough of a threat for them to find and eliminate... but in the past, Mahihko had often become very quiet when the topic of his biological father was brought up, and he never said much on the subject.

Zerrex knew it pained Mahihko, though, just as it had pained Lone when that had been his name and shape. The little wolf hated Tobias, and yet at the same time feared him, loved him, and sometimes perhaps even missed him and the power Tobias provided to him, despite the fact the elder Wulfe had never treated Lone like much of a son and had even written him out of the company and his will; not that Tobias seemed content with a mortal lifespan, of course. He was still alive today, more than a hundred and thirty years old, still living in his own bubble and protected from the media and any other prying eyes, even if he'd moved his operation to Lunis to exploit the need for jobs and the highly-advanced technology of the country.

And Lone feared Tobias's wrath... but what about Mahihko? I know that for a while, there was a very distinct sense of nervousness in association with Tobias's name... I think he's always been worried that some day, for some reason, he'd track Mahihko down and drag him back to the company... "So what do you think the fear part meant, Cherry? Because it can't just be some terror of Tobias. It doesn't make sense that this would all come up so suddenly... and I think after Hell, Mahihko's had bigger problems to worry about."

"Y'know, not to sound like an ass or anything, Boss... but like, do you ever really get over that horrible nagging terror of your parents?" Cherry asked plainly, looking embarrassed as she rubbed at the back of her head, and Zerrex looked at her meditatively for a few moments before he sighed and shook his own head slowly, realizing she was probably right... but then again, it wasn't like either of them had much in the way of a normal upbringing. Narrius hadn't been much of a father, and his mother Celestial in death had become something more than unpleasant... and Cherry's own mother, Beatrice Blossom, had been one hell of a monster herself. More proof that the tortured often become torturers themselves... "Yeah, see? Like... I dunno. Maybe it's been building up on the poor little guy. Or maybe something just set him off... I dunno, the whole... you not bein' around here all the time, or fuck knows what else... little dude always did have a hard time adjusting to the fact that you weren't around twenty-four-seven to watch out for him and take care of him, poor little bastard."

Zerrex grunted and nodded, making a bit of a face as he brushed a hand slowly through his hair. "Yeah... I remember how sad he was, but... after seeing what all those years in Hell did to his mind, I couldn't very well leave him there, either."

"Maybe it wasn't all the years in Hell... maybe it was more... all the years without you?" Cherry murmured, and when Zerrex stared, she huffed and crossed her arms, glowering at him. "What, surprised I have a soul? I ain't just tits and a dick and some holes, you know."

"It's more the fact you expressed it without swearing or tossing in some weird innuendo that surprised me." Zerrex retorted dryly, and Cherry rolled her eyes with a snort of amusement before tilting her head as the reptile said in a softer voice: "But I think you might be right, much as I don't want to admit it. I shouldn't be so important... no one should be this important, should have this much meaning in the lives of so many people, especially with everything I've done to the world over all my years of living... and all the pain, suffering, and sadness I've caused this family... not to mention deaths..."

The female jumped up from her chair, then walked over and rested her elbow on Zerrex's shoulder, leaning into him as she smiled and gestured wide with her other hand. "Sure Boss, maybe you're right. Maybe you are just a pile of shit in a can, on top of a big mountain of shit that is the world. But fuck me if you'll ever hear that sort of heretical crap comin' out of my mouth, 'cause Boss, you taught this little bellycrawler how to fly like a fuckin' bird. Boss, without you, Cindy and Marina would never exist, I probably would have turned out just like my momma, Mahihko - and Lone, I guess, can't forget the newest member to our fuckaree of a family - would still both be Lone Wulfe, thousands of people would have been displaced from Baskin's Grove, the world would not exist, and Heaven and Hell as we know it would both be falling apart right now. And don't gimme that shit that Lord and Lucifer had got it all covered, 'cause Lord is way too naïve to not fall into some horrendous trap concocted by your asshole of a father and Lucy's a miserly son of a bitch who is way to nihilistic to actually be an angel. Dude probably wouldn't mind seeing everything returned to nothingness." Cherry grumbled a bit, peering skywards awkwardly as if out of nervousness, and then she returned her eyes to meet Zerrex's, looking a bit more serious. "Boss, I know that with everything you've gone through and all the responsibilities you juggle, you got a shitload of shit going through your brain at any given time. But the real problem is you think too damn much all the damn time... dude, like, you really gotta not just loosen up, but like... relax, and let all this shit flow away from you.

"I mean, I know you get real blue sometimes, and not just here." Cherry poked the Drakkaren's chest lightly, and the reptile snorted in amusement as he twitched away from her, rubbing at the navy scales of his chest. "But way up in here too." Another poke, this time to his head before she ruffled his hair, and the reptile grumbled as he pulled away from her again, but she followed him relentlessly, keeping within a foot of the reptile. "But Boss, this shit ain't shit compared to the shit you used to deal with, and you gotta think about that, too. I mean, I know it seems worse and it's a hell of a burden and a cross you shouldn't have to carry, but like. Unfortunately, that ain't how life works. Dude, though, we all not only lived the war, we saw the frigging movie. We saw how you kicked the Princess's ass, on her own turf and her own damn terms." Cherry grinned widely at this, throwing a few punches at the air, and Zerrex rolled his eyes as he tried to walk away, but she had cornered him in the kitchen.

She threw a few light punches at him, the reptile blocking the jabs with his forearms before she stepped in close and shoved a fist towards his gut in a sudden burst of speed. It made Zerrex wince, but he caught her punch before it could slam into his abs... and then she leaned in close and pecked him chastely on the lips, and Zerrex stared stupidly at her as Cherry continued to grin cheerfully. "Dude, you were like. Upside down at one point. In the fucking air. It was like the most badass action flick I've ever seen. And if you can do that, and I know damn well you spent a hell of a lot of your time you were supposed to be ruling Hell hanging out in the Sister's monastery so I know you know some crazy mental technique shit too... then I think you can fuckin' take on a few unhappy thoughts all up in your brain."

Zerrex grunted, then he reached out and squeezed her shoulders lightly, sighing a bit as Cherry gazed at him quietly. "You know what it's like though... the feelings of loss, the pain... and, of course, the responsibilities I have to keep..."

"And that part I don't understand so well, yeah." Cherry rubbed the back of her head, looking embarrassed for a moment: one large similarity between the two was their hatred of responsibility, but part of the reason Cherry was so hellbent on acting as Zerrex's second in command was the fact she loathed the idea of being first. Sure, it was fine that she was the best shot, that she was almost untouchable, and she'd viciously defend her place... but if anyone ever did manage to top her, she'd act frustrated and throw a tantrum, but Zerrex knew that it wouldn't really bother her. To her, the idea of being completely on top was terrifying... because she had seen Zerrex without his masks, and how sad and lonely he often was, despite the fact so many people looked to him as a leader.

Cherry was determined to be the best goddamn second in command she could be, though, a slave to Zerrex's will, and they often ignored the fact that she was also one of his wives: once upon a time, she had rejected him and divorced him because of how much being an equal to him made her scales crawl, but after being parted from Zerrex and sent to Hell, she had come to realize how badly she needed him in her life, and after the long Demon War, they had once again gotten married... this time at Cherry's meek suggestion. It helped that Hell's views on relationships and marital affairs were far different than mortal concepts... and, of course, that this time they had spoken at length about it and ensured that Cherry would still be able to remain in her subdominant little world. They had a bond between them, though, and every now and then Cherry did get all wifely and motherly, and Zerrex often wondered if he should blame hormones or just Cherry's deranged and twisted psyche. She always has been a little bit nuts, after all... and when Marina was a baby, she was the one who spent most of the time with her... the two really were like big overprotective and happy little baby sister, even if Marina's first words included 'fuck' and 'clit ring' from spending a little too much time in Cherry's porn-riddled room...

After a few long moments, Zerrex finally sighed and shook his head slowly, looking at the female with amusement before he asked: "Okay then, genius, since you're obviously a psychology prodigy, why don't you tell me what the hell we do with Lone and Mahihko, and just how they can split up into two?"

Cherry looked thoughtfully at the floor, crossing her huge arms before she brightened suddenly and said firmly: "If they can split apart, then they can probably reconnect into one person. Think about it... the fact they can't be at such distances, the way Lone turned into Mahihko, Mahihko's weird and wild mood changes we used to deal with all the time and the way Lone acts like a pompous dick but Mahihko is a cute little button... I bet we can moosh them back together if we try hard enough!"

"As long as you don't try to physically squish them back together, I'll think about it." Zerrex said mildly, and Cherry huffed, looking sulky. Then the Drakkaren frowned before he rubbed at his muzzle, adding mildly: "But most amazingly of all, I think you might actually be on to something."

"Law of averages, dude. I gotta get one answer right every now and then, even if all I do is spit out the first thing that comes to mind." Cherry said airily, gesturing dismissively before she rubbed at her head lamely. "But uh. So. How do we make them... you know. Squish?"

The Drakkaren opened his mouth to give a smart-ass reply, but then he realized that A, he didn't have one, and B, he honestly had no clue how to push the wolves back into one persona either. And it wasn't like they could just leave things as they were, either... if Mahihko and Lone had to always be within what seemed like one short block of each other, then life could get very complicated for them all. Worse, Zerrex had a sinking feeling that if either Lone or Mahihko suffered a serious injury or died, it would kill the other half as well... the two might seem completely different at first glance, but their relationship was obviously symbiotic. "They are two halves of the same person... I think... I dunno what to think. Maybe if we... uh... ugh, we should talk to Mist and Shine about this when we go down to Hell in a few days."

"I hope you're lookin' forwards to that as much as I am, Boss, I put a lot of hours in in makin' sure that like, everyone shows up." Cherry said accusingly, pointing at Zerrex, and the Drakkaren rolled his eyes before he winced and ducked as she picked up a plastic jug and threw it at him. "After Marina's little stunt and the party Sin pulled for you, it was pretty damn hard to convince some of your kids to show. Your family is stupidly big."

"You're part of that family, you know. I could always thin the herd by cutting you out of it." Zerrex shot back, then he ducked behind the table as Cherry picked up a knife, glowering at him. Ugh. The downside of being a demon is how much it takes to kill you. Which Cherry just has to take as an invitation to start throwing sharp objects... although admittedly I guess I do the same, but... she starts it! "Okay, okay! What the hell's your problem, you... you bitchtard!"

"Assface!" Cherry suddenly leaned backwards, grinning as she lined up a shot against the ceiling, and she threw the knife hard after a moment. It spun wildly through the air, then the handle bounced off the ceiling and the knife came down to stab into Zerrex's forehead with a gush of blood and a burst of pain, the reptile falling backwards with his eyes crossed stupidly. He flailed a bit on the ground, gurgling, then Cherry lightly polished her claws against her shirt, saying comfortably: "Serves you right, butthead."

"I can't be a butthead and an assface at the same time." Zerrex mumbled finally, then he reached up and grasped the handle of the knife before cursing loudly as he pulled it out of his forehead, staring at it for a few long moments. As a mortal, it would have killed him... but as a demon, it was a mild inconvenience at most. Although it still hurts like freaking hell... frig, between her and Selena... "Hey Cherry, look behind you, it's an angry Marina."

Cherry winced, then she spun around with her hands raised... and Zerrex threw the knife at her. It slammed between her shoulderblades, Cherry yelping and spasming as it sank into her spine, and then Zerrex leapt to his feet with a battle yell, grabbing up the knife holder off the kitchen counter and throwing them wildly at the demoness's back as she scuttled quickly away through the house, yelling. Knives sank and bounced off the walls, Cherry, and the floor, before Cherry vanished around the corner... only to reappear a moment later with a revolver in one hand and three throwing knives in the other, cackling wildly.

She threw the knives first, and Zerrex grinned as he turned to the side, all three knives smacking into his arm... then the Drakkaren winced and held up the wooden knife box in a useless defensive gesture as the female rose the revolver, and Cherry blew it apart with the first shot, the round slamming into Zerrex before she advanced, blasting shot after shot into the Drakkaren's body until he swayed slowly on the spot, then fell over with a groan of tremendous pain, six large entry holes in his body and one ugly exit wound in his back. His entire form pulsed with pain, but yet despite the wounds on his form and his blood-splattered chest, he could feel them already healing as he feigned agony... and Cherry winced as she walked carefully towards him before her eyes widened and she danced backwards... then cursed as she clicked on empty before flinging the gun at Zerrex as he kicked to his feet.

It bounced off his head, and Zerrex grabbed at it with a yelp as he turned away... and immediately smashed his head off the wall, knocking a hole in the plaster. The Drakkaren stumbled dazedly backwards, then he halted for a moment, looking dumbly at the wall as Cherry peered out from where she was half-hiding in a doorway, and he frowned as he motioned to her, saying slowly: "Hey. There's something in here."

Cherry moved carefully at first, looking at him suspiciously... and then she frowned as well as she saw that the reptile wasn't merely playing some trick to get her in close so he could beat the crap out of her. The two looked at the hole in the weak layer of plaster, and they exchanged a look before both tore at the rest of the crumbling plaster until they uncovered a tall but narrow door that had no handle, only a large keyhole. "Hey... is this even on the schematics? I thought you said you used to live in this old house."

"I did... it was my mother's." Zerrex said slowly, and he lowered his head as he tried to remember his childhood, painful as it was. Thankfully, most of the memories here were both important to him and happy, and that was why he had chosen this specific place to move back into even if the rest of the neighborhood had turned into the slums of crumbling Valise... but when he thought about running through this hallway, or peeking into the rooms, he never remembered any door here, only blue wallpaper that had long been stripped away. "It doesn't look like an addition from the next owners, either... but... the house has been here a long time. It's older than I am, after all."

"And that's old." Cherry muttered, and Zerrex shot her a sour look before he winced as she grabbed a knife that was still stuck in his arm and jerked it free, the reptile rubbing at it and shooting her a glare before he stared as she pushed him aside and jammed it into the narrow, warped space between the door and the doorway, carefully twisting it back and forth.

"What the hell are you doing?" Zerrex asked, and Cherry looked at him flatly as if he was retarded, even as the Drakkaren gave her the same look in return.

"Well, it's a door. Doors are meant to be opened." Cherry said reasonably, and a moment later she went back to work, shaving the old wood away easily as she worked carefully at the still-intact lock... and then both of them winced as the door opened. They looked guiltily at each other, then both of them quickly scrambled for Cherry's room and slammed the door as an angry shout boomed its way through the house, followed by loud, stomping footsteps.

A moment later, Cherry's door was kicked open, and Cindy walked in, glaring at them both, the two fully-grown demons 'hiding' on Cherry's bed with a blanket thrown over them. They quailed at her look, dropping the edge of the blanket so it hid them from view... and then both yelped as the female reached down and jerked them both to their feet before putting the two into viselike headlocks, Cherry gagging and flailing as Zerrex uselessly pushed at Cindy's arm, his eyes bulging. "Do you two realize how much damage you've done to the house? Do you two know how hard it is to support all of us and keep us safe from Scanners? No, all you two care about is... Cherry, why the hell are there so many knives stuck in your body?"

The female gave a garbled mumble in response, then Cindy rolled her eyes and dropped them both. Cherry grabbed at her throat, wheezing loudly as Zerrex rolled over with a groan, and Cindy looked angrily from one to the other before she snapped: "Well, come on, tell me! And don't you think about trying to escape, Daddy, or I'll kick your ass so hard that... that... you'll really be hurt!"

Ugh. She really is pissed at us. I guess we may have done a tiny bit of damage to the house... "There's no need for that now, Cindy... I mean, like... okay, we got carried away, I admit it..."

"You two and your stupid games! This isn't Hell, people notice shit like this!" Cindy raged, then she took a long, deep breath, slowly composing herself, then she stepped on Cherry as the female tried to carefully crawl away, the demoness squawking loudly and flailing as she said darkly: "You two are going to clean up this entire goddamn mess, now, apologize to each other, and I expect everything you've broken to be replaced, including that wall you've torn up! For the love of all that is holy, I'm gone for a few hours and all Hell breaks loose."

"You don't know the half of it." Cherry muttered, rubbing at her head, and then she coughed as Cindy narrowed her eyes at her. "Babe, believe me. It's some weird shit. Just uh. Just go take a peek in Mahihko's room, we'll wait right here for you to get back."

Cindy frowned as Zerrex and Cherry both sat up, and then she slowly turned around, looking suspiciously over her shoulder at the two, but Zerrex only reached out and jerked a knife out of Cherry's ass, the female yelping before rubbing at her buttocks and mumbling: "Thanks. That one was really starting to sting. Can you get the others?"

The Drakkaren grunted and nodded, pulling the last two knives out of his own arm before he slipped around to Cherry's back, removing no less than four knives, one carefully after the other. As he pulled the last knife out, he heard Cindy carefully opening the door to Mahihko's room... a long silence as he paused, a hand gently resting on Cherry's shoulder and the other holding the knife... and then Cindy came calmly back into the room, sat down across from them as Zerrex slid on his rear back to Cherry's side, and then she looked from one to the other before asking hesitantly: "Did... is that Lone? Did either of you see Lone in there?"

"The fuck are you talking about?" Cherry frowned, tilting her head, and Zerrex did his best to look quizzical as well. Cindy stared from one to the other, mouthing wordlessly as she pointed stupidly at Mahihko's room, and then Cherry snorted laughter and nodded, slapping her younger sister lightly on the shoulder. "Yeah, Lone's in there. He... I dunno." She turned serious after a moment, and Cindy frowned before she looked at Zerrex, and the other female followed suit, copying Cindy's expression as Zerrex looked at her sourly. "Well, go on, tell the lady."

"I hate you." Zerrex said flatly, then he sighed and rubbed at his head slowly, muttering as he traced his fingers over his forehead, where only a few minutes ago, there had still been a gash... but now that too was healed, and there was only a scarlet stain. "Okay... so... I went to check on Mahihko, because Cherry was talking about how he'd been acting strange lately. When I saw him though... Gods, it was like... he was having a seizure. Then Lone just ripped out of him, literally tore his way out of him... and of course, Cherry beat him up." Zerrex pointed at the female accusingly, and the demoness huffed as Cindy sighed and rolled her eyes, apparently deciding to put up with their childish antics for the moment. "We also found out that Lone and Mahihko can't be separated... well, I mean, like, they can't go very far from each other, otherwise they seem to... lose all their energy, like they're dying. But once we brought them back together, they started instantly to heal, even if both of them are conked out right now."

Cindy nodded slowly, then she asked curiously: "Have you thought about if they're linked in a similar way Mist and Shine are?"

"Ugh, everyone keeps bringin' them up, just 'cause they're fuckin' perfect twins with like... weirdo-ass superpowers and probably 'cause they got great bods and belong to the Boss and shit." Cherry said disgustedly, and then she huffed. "Why don't you guys talk about me and my connection to uh... that bitch Selena."

"Because you two have no connection whatsoever other than that you're scared of her." Zerrex said mildly, and Cherry mumbled something and looked away awkwardly, rubbing at the back of her head. "Exactly. Now shut up, Cindy's here and she's the smart one."

"Well, it's obviously got something to do with Mahihko's abilities... they probably have the ability to pass electrical and subordinate telepathic signals over short distances, which is likely what lets both exist in the same time and place, similar to a combination of the Tesla theory and the theory to which demonic molecular structure is based upon." Cindy said reasonably, and Zerrex and Cherry both looked at her stupidly before she sighed and said slowly: "Mahihko and Lone are like generators that supply each other with energy. Like how the left brain controls the right side of the body, and the right brain controls the left side of the body."

"Movement cortexes!" Zerrex blurted, and then he blushed a bit as both of the females stared at him. "Sorry. I mean. Why can't Lone and Mahihko power themselves?"

Cindy merely smiled at this and shrugged a bit, saying softly: "Maybe because they obviously share as symbiotic connection, and because in reality, they are just one person who has somehow managed to give the most physical manifestation ever of a split-personality disorder. In reality, these manifestations are the extremes of the wolf's being... one is Lone, although I expect a Lone who respects and cares for you... and the other is Mahihko, who likely adores you to the ends of the planet. But the Mahihko we know does not exist with these two out: although it looks like only Lone came out of Mahihko, I suspect what happened is that when they split apart, Mahihko became a different person as well, however slight: thus we can theorize that the real Mahihko exists... somewhere in the air, his energy cycling between these personalities to give them power and life... and I expect that when we fuse those personalities back together, they'll bring back the Mahihko we know."

"The moody, oversensitive, childish yet smart little bastard?" Cherry tilted her head, then she added awkwardly, rubbing at her skull slowly. "Funny thing, though. Zerrex and I were just sort of talking about how um. We had no goddamn clue how we were going to fuse these two back together. Do you have any ideas?"

The female dropped her head thoughtfully, then she stood up and nodded ,motioning for them to follow. They did so curiously, and Cindy walked into the other room, where the two wolves were still snoozing away, despite all the racket Cherry and Zerrex had made with their little game. They watched as she walked over to them, then looked at where Mahihko lay in his bed... before she gently removed the covers, then picked him up and turned him over to lay him lightly on Lone.

Zerrex frowned slightly as Cindy wrapped Lone's arms around Mahihko, and a moment later, Cindy pressed her hands down on Mahihko's back with a grunt, pushing down on him firmly. The wolves whined a bit... and a moment later, Mahihko seemed simply to melt as Lone's body glowed, and a moment later he was all that was left, the last of Mahihko's body vanishing into him as the huge wolf twitched once before continuing to snore away, although he looked completely rejuvenated now.

"This... was unexpected. I thought prolonged and firm bodily contact would let them fuse while their bodies were in an unconscious state... but I didn't think a fourth Lone persona existed, either." Cindy said quietly, as Cherry and Zerrex both stepped forwards to stare at the white wolf. She looked nervous, and Zerrex gazed at her quietly: he couldn't blame her with the things Lone did in the past, and the last thing they needed was a Lone Wulfe who didn't have the restraints of being tied to a Mahihko Narrius... although he did say that thing about Lone Narrius...

"See, I told you. Good old physical squishing did the job after all." Cherry gloated after another moment, and Zerrex made a face at her before she grinned supremely, adding cheerfully: "I guess I am the smartest one in this family after all."

"Hey, Cindy came up with the idea and implemented it." Zerrex said defensively, and Cherry stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at him. The Drakkaren rolled his eyes, and Cindy sighed, shaking her head slowly and mumbling something. Then, just to piss Cindy off more, she added helpfully: "By the way, we ran into some Scanners this morning at the hardware store, after Zerrex killed a Possessed. And then Zerrex became the Patron of some chick after he fought her brother and killed a bunch of demons. True story."

"What?" Cindy rounded on Zerrex, and the Drakkaren sighed before he looked up as Marina appeared in the doorway with a smile and several large paper bags hanging from her hands, and she asked dumbly: "Where have you been?"

"Shopping for Daddy. He's had a very long day and you should stop being so mean to him." Marina said absently, as she set the bags down before walking over to Lone, and she looked down at him thoughtfully before throwing a foot into him, and the wolf snapped awake with a yelp of pain as he jumped into the air and grabbed his injured side with a wince. "Wake up you big baby, you're fine and fully recharged, especially now that the other wolf is gone. Yes, I know all about everything..." A pause, and then Marina looked at Lone, and her eyes glowed faintly as her gaze locked with his steely irises.

Suddenly, they were standing alone, and the room was dark and empty. Lone looked back and forth in fear, not understanding what was happening before the walls and floor of the room peeled themselves apart and flew every which way into the darkness, Lone screaming as he found himself standing on midair. He looked wildly back and forth, and then he turned around to stare in horror at a gigantic Marina, wrapped in chains and grim as cold Death, and he fell to his knees in terror before she reached out and picked him up, lifting him to head level as her chains dangled, and when Lone looked down, he could see the planet in the far distance near Marina's feet, ensnared hopelessly in her chains. Then he looked up into her blue eyes, and she asked softly in a voice that rumbled through the vast emptiness: "What do you plan to do here?"

"I... I don't know!" Lone howled in her grip, looking back and forth in fear as a whine rose in his throat, grasping at her huge and powerful fingers... and then he stared up at her, speaking before he knew what he was saying: "I want to live here with everyone... I want to prove I'm not a bad person..."

Marina looked at him for a few moments, her eyes measuring him... and then Lone staggered as he was back in the real world, and he sat heavily down on the bed, staring in fear at the youngest daughter of Zerrex as she smiled and turned to her father, who looked troubled. Something had just happened, and he didn't know what... and then Marina said brightly: "Come on, Daddy, let's go try on your new clothes! I got you enough so that you should be okay on that front for a long while to come, just in case bad things happen... and don't you worry about the mess, I'll clean all of it up for you."

"No, Cherry and I can deal with it, Marina... we caused it, after all." the Drakkaren replied, looking embarrassedly at Cindy, but she only shrugged a bit with a faint smile. She knew that it wasn't his fault Marina wanted to do everything for him... and it wasn't like she could say that he was trying to force her to clean up his mess. Poor Daddy... his pride and fear of humiliation and rudeness sometimes get the better of him. "If you can bring that stuff up to my room, that'd be more than enough... Cherry and I are going to start cleaning up everything right now, isn't that right Cherry?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right, we are, yes." The female looked across at Zerrex, nodding vigorously, and Marina looked discouraged for a moment before she nodded and gathered up the bags, giving her father's cheek a kiss on the way out and glaring at Cherry. She stuck her tongue out in return, then yelped when Marina narrowed her eyes and Cherry's lower jaw snapped upwards. The demoness grabbed at her mouth, then let it drop open, sticking out her long tongue and rubbing at it with a huff as she mumbled something unintelligible.

Cindy sighed as she looked around at the members of her family, then she gazed at Lone, asking quietly: "So how much do you remember? And... do you understand what happened and why Mahihko isn't here right now?"

Lone stayed silent for a few long moments as he sat, hanging his head with his hands in his lap... and then he looked up at her and whispered: "I'm so sorry, Cindy, for everything I did to you in the past. I really am, I'm so goddamn sorry, and I know I've never really apologized or made it up to you for... for that incident..."

He broke off, but clearly Lone remembered when he had been Lone Wulfe... and when he had raped Cindy, in order to get back at Zerrex. A crime he had been terribly punished for... but which somehow, the quiet and loving female had found the strength to forgive the arctic wolf for. It was one of the reasons Zerrex thought Cindy radiated love and innocence... she had made it so clear on that day that she felt Lone should be punished... but that Zerrex shouldn't kill him. That in the end, she had to forgive him... and for a few moments, silence filled the air before Lone finally cleared his throat and murmured: "And... and yeah. I do know that somehow, Mahihko and I came back together... just as something inside me says that we can split apart, too, that I can even... shift into Mahihko. It's like... it's like I inherited all his memories, too, from when we were split apart... I remember me bein' dragged around outside by Cherry, but I also remember like... me... sitting here as Mahihko... sewing up Zerrex's jacket."

He halted, then looked down quietly... and Zerrex cleared his throat as he looked pointedly at Cherry, and the two left. Cindy and Lone were left together alone, and Lone looked up at her quietly with his eyes overbright, and Cindy gazed back silently before she finally said softly: "I forgave you a long time ago, Lone, for what you did... if I hadn't, I would have turned into someone like... someone like Cherry, seeking revenge and lashing at people out of anger. But Lone, I was lucky... I had my father at my side, even if I didn't know that at the time... and seeing him... seeing Mary... with everyone around me, loving and protecting me... I could only think of the expression on your face, and the fear and sadness in your eyes.

"You took something precious from me... but you also became my friend, and I saw how many precious things were taken from you. You were selfish, egotistical, and a petty tyrant... and yet... you were never evil, and not even really bad. You were just... so very sad and lost." Cindy lowered her head as a tear ran down Lone's cheek, then she gazed up at him and murmured softly: "I felt sorry for you. And I knew that holding anger and hate in my heart would turn me into someone far worse than you... so I broke the cycle. I forgave you... and decided to give you another chance. I have given you many chances, but for as many times you've lost them, Lone... you always earned another, because of the nice things I saw you were capable of doing as well.

"I only hope you are the good Lone... the Lone who loved my father as both his father and an idol to look up to and imitate, the Lone who helped us, who died to try and protect us... the Lone who never gave in to his own dark voices, despite his neediness and his want for attention." Cindy halted, looking away. "I hope you're that Lone. Not the Lone... who killed Mary, threw a temper tantrum in public in Hez'Ranna, and who sold us out to the Goth Legion wannabes and helped Tank build his army, however unwitting you were. Not the Lone who tried to romance and steal Cherry from Daddy... and who raped me."

"I'm not... I swear I'm not, Cindy..." Lone fell off the bed, landing on all fours and shoving his head against the ground as he began to cry, shaking his head wildly. "No, no, no, I'm not that Lone, not anymore! My name isn't Lone Wulfe, it's Lone Narrius... and I want to be part of this family, to earn all your trust, to... to... fuck... I don't deserve it, I don't deserve anything, but I want to be with all of you... even now, I know I'm just a child at heart, and I never meant to hurt you, Cindy, never ever ever..."

And Cindy knew it was true... even when he'd raped her, he did it to get back at Zerrex... and he'd likely thought the entire time that she'd enjoyed it. The biggest problem Lone Wulfe had used to have was his inability to process people's feelings... and how he'd used to think that the world revolved around him, and his pleasure, was the pleasures of others, too. He'd thought sex was a pleasurable act... ergo every female he'd raped, despite their protesting, had enjoyed it, been upset for a while at the fact Lone was able to force them to have sex with him, but then had likely later thought back to it with fond memories and hadn't been scarred for life by the act. It really was saddening... but as Lone cried and prostrated himself before her, Cindy knew this Lone was different.

This Lone felt the emotions of others keenly... this Lone wanted to be part of something instead of the leader of something... this Lone was quieter and far more intelligent than the old Lone. Cindy kneeled quietly in front of him and stroked his head, and Lone calmed down bit-by-bit, his crying going down to snuffling before he sat up, his nakedness only adding to the sense of vulnerability that floated around him. They looked at each other, then Lone hung his head abashedly as he murmured quietly: "Please. Let me help you guys out. Let me make everything up to you and earn all the trust of you guys again. I... Mahihko and me both... I feel that we both want to work even harder, now that... now that our father is back with us. We need him, we need him bad... and I... feel so glad to be back in the presence of all of you, even if... I'm just part of a dumb wolf's twisted up personality."

Cindy nodded and smiled faintly, then she reached out and quietly touched Lone's shoulder. And outside, where Zerrex and Cherry were sweeping up the plaster, they looked at each other in the hallway before the female asked in a low voice: "I dunno, Boss. Books seems to like him, and he does check out pretty much every which way... but like. It's just so damn... awkward. And again, what the fuck caused this shit to happen? This shit don't just happen coincidentally or randomly, I know it."

Zerrex grunted in agreement to this, making a face as he looked back and forth as he swept up the last of the plaster, then he glared at Cherry as she reached slowly for her pocket. "Don't think about it. If we use magic to clean this up, Cindy'll scold us." He paused, Cherry sulking, then he picked up the dustpan full of broken chunks of plaster and headed for the kitchen, adding: "In any case, I guess I trust him... at least enough to loosen up a little bit. But I agree with you, too... this kinda thing doesn't just happen. Now we need to figure out what the hell set it off."

"I can do it, Daddy." Marina said serenely, and Zerrex blinked and almost dropped the dustpan he was holding, both of them staring at the immaculate kitchen and Marina, who was seated calmly at one of the pristine tables. The two looked stupidly around, then she said lovingly, as she gazed up at her father with tender eyes: "I thought I'd save you two a little bit of trouble. And you should be careful, Father... a mind-meld is a very dangerous thing. She could have hurt you in ways that are... difficult to imagine."

"I trusted her. Sometimes... trust is a good thing." Zerrex replied, as he emptied his dustpan into the trash can. Cherry grunted, whether in agreement or argument the reptile couldn't tell, as she emptied her own. The reptile gave a glance in her direction, then his eyes settled back on Marina as he asked quietly: "What do you know? Have you been looking into his mind?"

Marina shook her head, then she paused and smiled up at the Drakkaren. "I could, if you wanted... but I know your feelings on that. I try to stay out of people's minds... I'm sorry for when I came in and what I said... but I felt the disturbances while I was out shopping, and I couldn't help but... see if I could get a clear image of what was going on while I was picking up your clothes, Daddy. Mahihko and Lone have a very peculiar mental link between them..." She glanced down, then added in a softer voice: "Caused by some kind of... strange fluctuation. I felt a similar one in Mahihko before... so I think that this didn't start today, but a long time ago."

The reptile looked at Marina thoughtfully, then he nodded slowly as Cherry took a seat at the table, putting the broom and pan away as he murmured: "You might have a good point there... things like this do build up over time, and none of us saw anything weird that would explain this thing just happening out of the blue today." He paused, then rubbed at his head, making a face. "Then again, none of us know just exactly what the hell happened, either."

"Let's shove it aside for now and talk about sex. Fuck, Marina, you wanna have a threesome here on the table? Me, you, and Zer, two big cocks and your tight little ass, bam!" Cherry grinned as she slapped a hand down on the table, but she only earned a dry look from Zerrex and a disgusted one from Marina. The hermaphroditic female rolled her eyes at this, then she huffed and said sourly: "But now, if Zerrex went and suggested something like that, you'd be all over it, no matter how disgusting or perverted it was. You're a bitch."

"No, you're the bitch here, not to mention a slut. Besides, you aren't my father." Marina retorted pompously, crossing her eyes and looking vindictive. Cherry glared at her for a few moments, then she sighed and muttered, resting her head in her hands and looking away as the youngest daughter of Zerrex turned her eyes back to her father with a smile. "Besides, Daddy knows that I'd do anything for him that he asked... and unlike you, I'd never complain about it or turn my back on his gifts."

This made Cherry grit her teeth and growl, even as she stared resolutely at the wall across the room... and Zerrex made a bit of a face before he finally asked tiredly: "Can we please just get along for a change? It's been a long day for all of us."

"Of course, Father..." Marina said softly, even as she shot Cherry an ugly look. Cherry made a face at Marina in return, and then both of them cleared their throats and looked calmly over at the male as he looked sourly from one to the other. There was a long silence, and for a little while, the loudest noises were the sounds of scuffling in the other room... and then Marina finally said quietly: "It's your decision, Daddy. We'll follow you wherever you decide, whichever you decide to deal with first... these issues with Mahihko and Lone, or these rumors about demons being transmogrified into crystals. For all we know, though, they could be connected somehow."

"Bebop is right." Cherry nodded firmly, looking over at Marina with the faintest hint of a smile before she returned her gaze to Zerrex, eyes level and serious as she tented her fingers and rested her muzzle on them. "Boss, no matter where you go, we'll follow. If you said to give up, hell, I'm pretty sure we'd all give up without much of a fight... but we all know that you ain't one to stop fightin' when there's a fight to be had, no matter how much of a pussy peace-lover you act like all the time." She made a disdainful motion at him, and the lizard sighed and rolled his eyes, looking dour. "I know, I know, you don't have to bitch at me. Shit, though... fuck, you really do have to make the call on this one, Boss, 'cause I got no clue myself what we should tackle first. I mean, these crystals are obviously serious stuff... but the Lone-Mahihko split? What if the dude acts like... fucking... bacteria and splits up again into four? Or what if we find out that Lone and Mahihko will split apart permanently, or like... this is all just part of some crazy horrible nightmarish plan to fuck with our heads, or like, he was a test subject and now they wanna split you up into different pieces of Zerrex. Dude, I do not want to deal with Ravenlight out in the real world, that's your job in your own damn head."

"Thanks for the support, Cherry." Zerrex responded irritably, and then he made a face before crossing his arms and resting back in the kitchen chair, making it creak noisily. He paused, then he glanced towards Mahihko's - Lone's? Or do we need to get bunk beds now? - room, and he said slowly: "But first I want to know just what the hell is behind that hidden door we found. Marina, do you think you can open it for us without damaging the walls or door itself?"

Marina nodded, saying slowly: "Unless lock on the door is broken... if the gears inside are too old to work properly anymore, then I'll have to snap it."

"Don't see why you even care... Books would just make us clean up whatever mess we make, I don't think she really gives a rat's ass about some old weird door hidden behind the plaster." Cherry said dryly, then she rubbed at her head slowly before jumping out of the chair and walking towards the hallway. "Anyway, like... are we going to open this goddamn thing or not? 'Cause I don't wanna wait any longer, Boss, 'salready been too damn long and I'm getting all fidgety not knowin' what the fuck's behind that door."

"You're always either fidgety or putting your hands down your pants." Zerrex muttered, but he climbed to his feet and walked out into the hallway nonetheless, followed by Marina. He rubbed at his head slowly as they stood across from the door again, trying to imagine at least how much space there was, but not able to come up with a whole lot... "This might just be a closet or something. Probably is."

"I guess we'll find out." Marina murmured, then she looked at the keyhole as she pressed her fingers just above it. There was a clicking and a grinding, and then Marina winced and murmured: "No, no... wait. This is a complex lock... and the design is such that there's multiple 'solutions' to the puzzle, but only one is correct. They used to make locks like this in Hez'Ranna, thousands of years ago, and many of the temples in the jungles still use the same mechanisms they were built with."

That sent a chill through Zerrex, and Cherry looked at him for a few moments before she grunted something. She left for a few moments, then came back with her chain whip on her belt and a backpack, and Zerrex didn't call her any names when she passed him a handgun. But why would Narrius keep a room here?