Cobalt stood in the doorway of the staff room, nervously jostling from one foot to the other. He hadn't been feeling okay since the previous day, and every time he took a moment to think back on what had happened, the sinking feeling in his stomach only grew worse. He knew that Incubi became hostile and irritable when stricken with Valinsania, but for him to say the things he said... And to think that he dared to use such a horrible spell on Karazelle...

He couldn't look her in the eyes all day. She had tried to get his attention a couple of times, but the guilt gnawing at his insides drove Cobalt to pass his gaze over her. Even now, he had forwent eating his lunch in his room in favour of the staff room, a place forbidden for students to go.

The staff room was honestly more akin to a café or a lounge than somewhere for teachers to have their lunch. Collections of armchairs and couches filled the room, clustered around small tables complete with bowls of sugar and salt shakers. A kitchen area lay to the right, boasting a fancy coffee machine as well as a full array of cooking appliances, though they all appeared unused. Soft jazz pulsed from a jukebox over by the windows, and as the Incubus entered, his colleagues looked up from their lunches and stared at him.

He was a teacher himself, and yet he still felt unwelcome here.

As he began to make himself some tea, Cobalt felt the sensation of over a dozen gazes burning into the back of his neck. No doubt the rumours of what happened yesterday had spread to the staff as well, plummeting Cobalt's professional reputation even further than it already was. His predecessor had been fired for inappropriate conduct with a student, and here he was, having just used My Will Be Done on one of his own pupils...

"Ah, there you are, mon cherí! Anybody would think you were avoiding us!" called a jubilant voice from behind the Incubus, causing him to nearly spill the boiled water he was pouring.

The bodacious form of Madam Pudon flounced into view, giggling to herself as she sipped from a glass. She appeared none the worse for wear, considering their previous encounter.

"O- Oh hello," he mumbled in response, stirring his drink quickly.

She laughed flirtatiously.

"Why so cold still, hm? Are you avoiding me?" she gasped overdramatically.

"No, I usually just prefer to eat at home. I- Is that wine?"

"Why yes it is! Would you like some~?"

Before he could answer, the Succubus tipped the rest of her drink into her mouth and pursed her lips, leaning forward as she shut her eyes. While she waited for a kiss that would never come, Cobalt picked his mug up and ducked beneath her awaiting arms, sight set on a secluded armchair nestled at the back of the staff room. Before he could reach it, however, he heard someone cough.

"Mr. Trayer! Don't often see you here!" called Mr. Hersh, waving from a nearby table.

Mr. Zespire was sitting on the couch beside the Glutton, but he was far to busy with his kebab to notice the Incubus.

"Come on, this seat's free!"

Swallowing hard, Cobalt forced on a smile and sat in the armchair opposite his two workmates. Mr. Hersh had quite the spread in front of him; sandwiches, cakes, biscuits and salad, among other things.

"Th- Thank you for having me."

Shoving a slice of cake into his mouth, the Applied Demonics teacher smiled politely and dabbed a napkin at his mouth.

"So, do anything fun on your day off?" he asked, cocking his head.

There was something about Mr. Hersh's smile that told Cobalt that he already knew exactly what the Incubus had been up to. Swallowing hard, he shook his head and stared deep into his tea.

"Nothing much..." he lied, nervously drumming his fingers on the side of the mug.

"Ah."

Beside him, Mr. Zespire rolled his eyes and took another bite of his kebab.

"Let's cut the bullshit; what the fuck happened with you in the gym yesterday? The entire bloody student body is talking about it," he grunted, narrowing his eyes.

"Ethan!" hissed the Glutton.

"No, no, I wanna know what's going on with him!"

Cobalt flinched, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"U- Um, Mr. Zespire, I-"

The Oni jabbed a finger at him.

"First he gets scouted by the fucking Sulfur Bloods, and now he's been seen casting some weird fucking magic that I've never heard of! Something's going on!"

"Ethan, for hellfire's sake, calm yourself! This is Mr. Trayer you're talking about! Does he look like some kind of malicious subversive to you?"

Zespire sighed and deflated a little, nodding to himself as he let his eyes shut.

"... No, you're right. Sorry, squirt. Just been on edge lately."

His companion shrugged.

"It's the start of a new term. Things always get hectic. Sometimes it feels like your students forget literally everything you taught them previously," spoke the Glutton, steering the topic of conversation away from yesterday's incident.

Cobalt just nodded and continued sipping his tea, feeling overly nervous. Truth be told, his mind was abuzz with all kinds of things, least of all the altercation with Karazelle. He was still struggling to find out any more information about the Incubus that Mistress Viola had mentioned to him over their dinner, and since returning from the mirrored cave beneath the cove, he had found himself regularly reciting the words he had found scratched into the wall.

A mysterious Incubus revolutionary. Someone named the Hellhound. Neither of which bore any mention in school records or local history books.

And yet, he began to get the feeling that something had indeed happened, many years ago. When Cobalt walked through the streets of Brimstone, he began to notice things. Dents in the streetlamps. Scratches in the brickwork. Cracks in the cobbles, all looking as though they had been caused by some great impact.

Structural damage that dated some twenty years back, around about the time of the student riots that Viola mentioned. Did the fighting extend past the school grounds, or was this something else entirely? Something involving both that Incubus and the Hellhound?

"Guys?" asked Cobalt aloud, before he could stop himself.

His colleagues both broke of their conversation and turned to him with questioning gazes.

"What do you know about the Hellhound?"

Mr. Hersh scratched his chin.

"Well, I'm no vet, but I know a little about them. My sister actually has a hellhound back home in-"

Cobalt shook his head.

"N- No, I mean the Hellhound," he reinstated.

Their eyes went wide as they glanced at each other, both searching for something to say.

"Erm, well... I was only nine at the time..." George murmured, looking over at his companion for help.

Ethan took a deep breath.

"Same. But my brother knew him. Before he died, I mean."

Cobalt leaned forward in his chair, urging the Oni to go on. With a sigh, he tore into his kebab, swallowed hard, and began to speak.

"Whenever Grant came home on the weekends, first thing he'd talk about is the Hellhound. Some fast-talking westerner in a biker's jacket, who straight-up refused to do what he was told half the time. Supposedly they didn't get off on a great foot, but after smacking each other senseless for a bit, they became best friends. Right up until the Sulfur Bloods killed him, Grant and the Hellhound were damn near inseparable."

The Incubus nearly choked on his tea.

"Th- The Sulfur Bloods... killed your brother?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Mr. Zespire growled beneath his breath, clearly uncomfortable with the question.

"Yeah. Those bastards were a Hell of a lot meaner back then, and my family had racked up a lot of debt with them. They mostly just stuck to hassling us for the money, but eventually our luck ran out, and Grant paid the ultimate price. Their leader killed him, there and then..."

"O- Oh my... I'm so sorry..."

Mr. Hersh placed a comforting hand on Ethan's shoulder, but the Oni just shook his head and forced on a strained smile.

"Yeah, well... everything happens for a reason. Once word got back to the Hellhound, he up and stormed Inferno, without a moment's hesitation. Teamed up with the boss' son and decapitated him right in front of all of his men. Hope the bastard rots in Damnation," he concluded, taking a deep swig from his coffee.

Realisation struck Cobalt as he almost lost his grip on his mug.

So Lorenzo Suyas - The great Parricidio, and Izzbelle's father besides - was in league with the Hellhound? And he had help when he killed his own father? Just who was this guy?

"Erm... I- I know I probably shouldn't keep pushing, but... if your brother knew the Hellhound, did he also know an Incubus, maybe?"

"Uh..."

Ethan glanced around the room, almost as if he was afraid to be seen talking about this.

"Squirt, the Hellhound was an Incubus."

Oh.

Oh.

It all came together.

Lorenzo's old friend, the one Corris mentioned as being an Incubus... That was the Hellhound! The very same guy who incited the student riots back in 1997 and burned down the Council House! Not only did he do all that, but he also had a hand in killing the previous Sulfur Blood clan leader! How the Hell was this guy not mentioned even once in local legend?!

"Look, it's best if you don't mention the Hellhound to anyone, alright? Mistress Viola... gets a little touchy around the subject, and folks generally don't like to remember what happened back in '94..." sighed Ethan, scratching his head.

"You mean the student riots?"

"No... What came after..."

"Wha-?!"

The bell suddenly rang through the intercom, prompting everybody in the staff room to release a prolonged groan. Before Cobalt could finish his line of questioning, Mr. Zespire and Mr. Hersh were already clearing up their things. It was Applied Demonics next period, and judging by the looks on their faces, it was coming up to the practical exams.

"Seeya round, squirt," Ethan called, swinging his rucksack over his shoulder.

"Until next we meet, Cobalt," added George, bowing politely before following the Oni.

Before long, the teachers all filed out of the room, leaving the Incubus alone with his rapidly-cooling tea. Swallowing hard, he stared deep into the dark fluid.

The Hellhound... An Incubus...

This was a lot to take in...

 

-----

Hellhound: Incubus. Student at B.I.D., expelled in 1993-4. Age - 43-44? Likely Incupsychotic
Incited student riots, burned Council House, helped kill Parricidio's father.
What happened after the riots...?
Why is there no mention of him...?
What was in that box, and what did Lorenzo want with it...?

Cobalt stared hard at the piece of paper in his hands. He was chewing hard on the cap of a pen, trying and failing to figure out just who this man was. Between what he learned from Corris, Viola and Ethan, the Hellhound was obviously very powerful, but then why did he just fade into obscurity? It made no sense!

Not to mention whatever happened after the riots that was so terrible that it had seemingly been wiped from everyone's memories completely.

"This doesn't make any sense..." he sighed, burying his face in his hands.

It was almost midnight. He had spent hours agonising over this, and for what? An Incubus from over two decades ago that he didn't know, and likely would never meet. Just why the Hell was he getting so caught up with this?

He knew the answer, of course.

"My Will Be Done... Hellfire, Trayer, you're such a bloody idiot...!" spat Cobalt, throwing the paper down onto the coffee table and spitting the pen cap onto the floor.

Standing up, he paced back and forth from his kitchen to his bathroom, silently fuming at himself. On his third circuit, however, the Incubus was alerted to the sound of his window sliding open. He whipped around and was met with the sight of her.

There, Karazelle Terna sat on his windowsill, the night wind playing with her hair just as it did when they first met. In fact, she was wearing the exact same nightdress, and when that fact dawned upon him, she gave her teacher a little smirk, followed by a stuck-out tongue.

There was a bandage on her neck, concealing the wounds left by Cobalt's teeth.

"Thinking fond memories, sugar?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

Cobalt tore his gaze away and shook his head.

"Y- You can't be here, Miss Terna. I- I have to start putting my foot down. T- Teacher-student fra-"

"Teacher-student fraternisation is forbidden, yes I know. You said the exact same thing when we first met."

She hopped into his room and folded her arms beneath her chest.

"But that didn't stop me. And you certainly didn't seem to mind our little get togethers."

He felt the Succubus creep up behind him. Her tail slowly coiled around his as she ran two fingers along the webbing of his wings.

"So... why are you going cold on me now, sugar? You've been avoiding me."

"I- I just realised that I can no longer condone this kind of- Agh!"

With all the grace and dexterity becoming of her people, Karazelle swept Cobalt's legs out from underneath him with one clean stroke, throwing him down onto his futon. Before he could right himself, she straddled him, pinning the Incubus in place with powerful thighs.

"Come on. Be honest."

He gritted his teeth.

"Karazelle... Please, I can't keep making these kinds of exceptions for you! I'm your teacher!" he protested, trying and failing to shake her off.

She leaned in close, pressing her soft chest against his own.

"Be. Honest," she repeated.

There was an almost annoyed edge to her tone. Did she really take so much offense to what he did...?

"Fine! I can't forgive myself for what happened yesterday!" he cried in a higher pitch that he would have liked.

Karazelle drew back as the irritated look on her face was replaced with one of confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I- I used a downright heinous spell on you, Karazelle! There was absolutely no call for it, and I did it anyway! I- I shouldn't even know it!"

Straightening her back, the Succubus took a deep breath and folded her arms once more. She shut her eyes and thought for a moment, quietly humming beneath her breath.

"Oh sugar... My sweet, adorably selfless sugar..."

She broke out into a sympathetic smile.

"I was out of order yesterday. You were only doing what you had to do to keep me in line," she sighed, pressing herself against him once more.

"But-!"

"Yes, you used a pretty hardcore spell, I know. But what would have happened if you didn't, have you thought about that?"

This time, Cobalt didn't have an answer.

"You're my teacher, yes, but you're my friend before that. And since I've known you, I've gotten even more friends than I've ever had. Friends I can count on. Yesterday, I was going to do something to those very friends. I would have crossed a line that couldn't have been uncrossed. I wasn't in any state to be taking that kind of action, and you stepped in to subdue me," she explained in a soft voice.

Cobalt turned away, but a soft purple hand suddenly grabbed his cheek and directed his gaze back to Karazelle's eyes.

"I'm thankful, sugar. Thankful that you were willing to step in. Had I done anything to poor Jelli... I never would have forgiven myself afterwards..."

With a little smile, she chuckled.

"And besides, I can't deny that it wasn't kinda hot," Karazelle admitted.

"Wh- What?!"

"It was something about the grouchy, tired look that really did it for me, you know? It was a side of you I've never seen."

Licking her lips, that all-too-familiar glint of lurid intent returned to his student's eyes.

"Maybe you oughta start losing your temper with me more, sugar~. I'd say I'm overdue some punishment~!"

He could only sputter and gasp at her words, prompting her to laugh and wrap her arms around him, pressing her warm cheek against the Incubus' cheek.

"But seriously, though; thank you. As many fantasies I've had about my friends, I'd like to keep them just that. Until they're willing, you know? Also, I can't imagine carrying my teacher's baby would look very good on my report."

"Wh- What?!"

"Pretty sure yesterday would have been a dangerous day for me. Hey, just out of curiosity; what would you name your daughter, if you had one? I'd call her Sophie."

"K- Karazelle, I hardly think that's an appropriate line of questioning...!"

She laughed against and nuzzled him.

"It's cute when you get all teacher-y. More roleplay ideas, I wonder...?"

"Karazelle!"

With one final giggle, she rolled off the Incubus and sprung to her feet, grinning all the while.

"Okay, okay, I'll ease up on you! Besides, I better get to bed. Language test tomorrow, right?" she asked, stepping back towards the window.

Readjusting his clothes, Cobalt propped himself up on one arm and took a deep, shaky breath.

"Y- Yes, that's right..."

With a nod, Karazelle made to swing herself out onto the support beam, but suddenly stopped halfway through. She turned to face him with a serious look on her face.

"I could never hate you, sugar. I know you'll never hurt me," she said.

Without waiting for a response, she slid the window shut and danced back across the beam, disappearing into the night before long. Left alone in his room once more, Cobalt found his cheeks burning.

He shook his head and buried his face in his pillow. Once again, he had failed to act appropriately with his student.

And yet... her words struck a chord with him, causing the guilt in his stomach to gradually ebb away.

"Karazelle... I..."