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“Man, I was expecting a lot more from Shindig, but overall it was just a disappointing experience,” Kada complained as she drove.

“Yeah, for the hub city of entertainment, it was honestly pretty boring,” Xard agreed with her.

“It’s because we’re Fiends,” Phon tried to justify it. “We do crazy stuff on a daily basis. So, what other people consider as a wild experience, is just pedestrian for us.”

“When not even heisting a casino is fun, you know it’s a failure.” Xard was gravely depressed by how easy it was. “Man, the movies make it look so much cooler.”

“Yeah, and what was with the whole ‘no Fiends allowed on the casino floor’ zjik,” Kada grumbled. “I wanted to legitimately try some gambling. My curse wouldn’t even help me cheat, I don’t think. It’s so… racist…? Are we a race?”

“The irony was that when they were kicking us out of the casino, they had no idea we had already robbed them blind,” Phon chuckled. “They were worried over a few chips being cheated. I’d love to see the look on their faces when they check their vault in a few weeks.”

“It would be cool to go back, though,” Kada hoped they’d get the chance again. “The casino was a bust, but that amusement park looked amazing. Too bad we didn’t have more time.”

“Yeah, I would’ve liked to have seen some of the shows,” Xard lamented their early departure as well. “I bet some of those acrobats could outdo even us. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some Fiends hiding out there, moonlighting as a magician or something.”

“Tell you guys what,” Drim suddenly jumped in on the conversation. “If the plan succeeds, I’ll send you both on an all-expenses-paid trip anywhere in the world you want.” This seemed to quiet them both down and hopefully motivate them at the same time. However, Drim just wanted to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Anyways, we’re close to the southern mountains aren’t we?”

“Yeah, we’re pretty close,” Kada answered. “I wonder when we’ll pass the crater that used to be Ahvra’s lab. Though, it’d be pretty hard to notice it from down here, us not being in the sky and all.”

“Actually, I just got a text from her,” Drim mentioned. “Apparently, her parents invited us to visit with them when we pass through.”

◆◆◆

The Fiends unloaded from The Tourist after pulling into the driveway of a quaint suburban home. They definitely appeared out-of-place in this quiet neighborhood. There were even a few noisy neighbors leering at them from their homes, and one from behind a fence, to remind them just how non-conducive they were to a normal life.

“Why do I feel so guilty just for standing here?” Kada asked the rest as she looked around, clearly unsettled.

“Well, it’s either guilt for disturbing the peace of this place with your very existence, or anxiety that we are about to have dinner with the parents of a girl we ‘kidnapped’,” Xard broke it down.

“Seriously, why are we here?!” Phon was ducking behind Drim. “That girl is evil, and those who raised her to be like that must be just as evil… or more! Let’s bail!”

“Calm down, will you?” Drim frowned. He pulled Phon out from his back and marched her right up to the door and then rang the doorbell. “Behave, or I’ll do something to you that you’re always fantasizing about doing to others.” It was a legitimate threat which wouldn’t go ignored since Phon was the only person in the world where Drim didn’t hold back.

A moment later, the door opened, and they were greeted by a middle-aged man. He had tidy auburn hair, glasses, a thick mustache with a bit of beard stubble, and was wearing a polo shirt tucked into his pants. This man could not be portraying a more stereotypical ‘dad’ if he tried. He invited them into his home warmly with open arms.

Once they were inside, and had settled down, he introduced himself. “Nice to finally meet you all, I’m Lunis Zalksin. I’ve heard so much about you all from my daughter, well, err, not your actual names. Ever since she started at that lab she only ever speaks about people in the codenames she gives them.” The Fiends properly introduced themselves in turn. Phon had to be nudged to do so, since she seemed to be struggling with the idea that Lunis appeared to be such a painfully normal person.

“I am sorry about those codenames,” Lunis continued. “Once she gets them in her head, it’s impossible to get her to use anything else. Mine has actually changed a few times now. The worst one was after we had a big fight. She called me ‘Dead to Me’ for a few weeks, though she didn’t actually speak to me any less. Now I’m called ‘Old Papa’ which I’m quite happy with all things considered.”

“My husband has yet to be called anything but ‘Sparkling Radiance’, but apparently that’s too long, so she just calls him Sparkles for short. Speaking of, he should be home shortly. He’ll begin dinner right away and it won’t take him long. I don’t know how he does it. He works at the nearby lumber mill doing manual labor all day, then he still has the energy to come home and cook. I just sit in an office all day but I’m exhausted by the time I get home. I’d love to help him out, but very early on he and Ahvra banned me from cooking.”

Idle chatter went on for the next few minutes until the front door burst open. A man exuding an overbearing level of panache strolled into the living room. “Darling, I’m home!” he exclaimed. “Oh, I see our guests are already here. My, and what fabulous guests they are. They’re so colorful, I love it. I was thinking of dying my own hair sometime, and seeing yours is inspiring. Be honest, do you think I could pull it off?”

The man didn’t wait even a moment before getting intimate with the Fiends and treating them like lifelong friends. He wore bluejeans and a tight white tank top which just barely covered his overly bulging muscles.There was also a fancy ascot draped around his neck, which seemed completely clean despite being subjected to manual labor all day. He was quite the opposite to Lunis in both appearance and personality. Once again, Ahvra’s code name was spot-on.

After several minutes of jabbering he realized he had never introduced himself. “Sorry about that honeys, my name is Zodi. Well it’s short for Zodidiah, but that’s not cute at all is it? So please, call me Zodi.”

“Zodi Zalksin then…?” Phon winced.

“Oh heavens no,” Zodi perished the thought. “I flatout refused to take his name when we got married. There is an obscene amount of alliteration going around. People need to learn to be more unique and not go with the trends.”

Phon’s eyes lit up. “Oh Cosmos, someone else who understands it!” It seemed her fear of this family didn’t last long.

“Well, I’ll get dinner started. It won’t take me but a jiffy,” Zodi scampered off to the kitchen only to quickly return, now wearing a frilly apron. “Sugarbun, how rude can you be? You haven’t offered our guests anything to drink.”

“Ah yes, I apologize for being such a rude host,” Lunis admitted. “I’ll be right back with refreshments.” It really wasn’t long before their meal was prepared, and they all gathered around the dining table to eat. Obviously, what they talked about most was Ahvra, leading Drim to be the forefront conversationalist, having spent the most time with her. Phon was doing her best to stay quiet, since she’d likely say something she’d regret, or rather, something Drim would get upset with her for saying.

The fathers had a lot of questions about Ahvra’s curse and the finer details of being a Fiend. Apparently, Zodi liked how small Ahvra stayed, since he felt like he’d get to be a doting father until the end of time. They also got to see how Ahvra would age, and apparently she even turned into a baby again sometimes to amuse them. Somehow, the conversation led to their adoption of Ahvra. They explained that Ahvra’s parents were casualties of the Drazah war. This lead to a bit of heavy awkwardness, but the two fathers were able to skillfully brush right past it.

“You know, after Magni died, Ahvra became rather distant,” Lunis mentioned. “She dropped out of school, spent all of her time in the lab, and barely spoke to us. She’d still come to visit, but all the life was gone from her. I know you’re probably thinking this was due to her curse, but honestly Ahvra has always had trouble expressing her emotions, so getting used to that was easy but this was different.”

“That was, until she met you Phon.” Phon’s eyes bulged at the mention of her name and seemed to be utterly confused. “After discovering what she was, she was finally able to come to terms with everything. She got a new direction in life and new dreams. You can’t imagine just how much she talked about you, and all of her research after that. You brought our daughter back from the brink, and we can never thank you enough. And we continue to thank you for looking after her now. We know she’s not the easiest to get along with, but please, keep supporting her.”

After Lunis’ heartfelt speech, the meal wrapped up and they returned to the living room. Once they settled, Kada seemed to have something on her mind and asked them, “You guys do know some of the stuff Ahvra has been doing right? How she treated those people? I mean, I can’t exactly say they were good people, and that some of them didn’t deserve it, but… What I’m just saying is Ahvra isn’t the perfect daughter you make her out to be, but you still seem so supportive. Doesn’t she disappoint you in some way? Isn’t there a life you’d rather she have?”

“I’m not sure what brought this on exactly, but I can honestly say no,” Lunis answered. “Ahvra is the most precious thing in the world to us, and we just want her to be happy. As long as she is achieving her dream, we’ll support her to the end.” Zodi nodded along and hummed in complete agreement. Something seemed to bother Kada about that answer, and she went silent as she clutched a nearby throw pillow.

“I have a question as well,” Xard announced. “You two seem like a very happy couple, but isn’t it hard? I’m gay myself, but I’ve always felt outcast for it. Well, not with these guys, but my entire life growing up. I always felt different from everyone, and tried to hide the truth for as long as I could, not wanting to become an outsider. When I came out to my parents, my worst fears were realized, and I still feel like the path ahead of me is too difficult. How do you guys deal with it?”

“Oh honey, that’s such a simple question,” Zodi chuckled. “You just have to be happy, however you want with whoever you want. If anyone looks down on your happiness, it’s just because they’re not happy themselves. Forget those people who would put you down. I went through the same thing with my parents, but here I am, gay and proud. It took some time, but they eventually came around. I wouldn’t be surprised if yours did too someday. Just live your life how you want it, and never be ashamed of who you are.” Zodi stood up and held out his arms. “Now c’mere.”

Surprisingly, Xard immediately took him up on the offer. He leapt from his seat and embraced Zodi. When Zodi’s arms wrapped around him for a hug, Xard instantly began crying. Soon after, Kada leapt up from her chair, grumbled, “That’s not fair!” and ran in to be hugged too. After she latched on to Zodi, Lunis stood up and hugged her as well. Kada and Xard both balled their eyes out as Lunis and Zodi caressed their heads.

“So, this is what it’s like to have loving parents…” Kada sniffled.

“I never knew it could feel so warm, so supportive…” Xard agreed.

As they started to calm down, Kada turned her head to Drim and Phon who were staring at the group hug awkwardly with bewildered expressions. “Don’t you guys wanna get in on this too? You had the worst parents after all.”

“Uhh, no thanks, we’re good,” Drim rejected the offer.

“Yeah, surprisingly, our parents weren’t that bad,” Phon admitted. It was now everyone else’s turn to be bewildered.

“Our parents were terrible human beings, sure, but they were actually decent at being parents,” Drim agreed. “They were kind to us and cared about us. All they wanted was for us to be happy. They weren’t always around, but when they weren’t, they made sure we were well cared for. Phon experienced it more than I did since I stayed away from them, but they’d always try and make time to play with us when they were around. Overall, I can’t say I have any complaints for how they were as parents. If it wasn’t for them being tyrannical dictators, I imagine we would have come to be a close and loving family.”

“Oh damn…” Eleen suddenly spoke up. “I had no idea you felt that way… Mommy’s gonna cry!”

“Not with my body, you’re not,” Drim snapped. “Oh and stay quiet will you. Sorry about her. I imagine she’s not someone you want to hear from, given your family’s background.”

“No… uhh… it’s fine,” Lunis released himself from the group hug and sat back down. “It’s kind of surreal actually, to hear her in person like that; someone who influenced our lives so much. Actually, I’m kind of humbled and honored. I’m sure that’s not what you expected, so I’ll explain. When I mentioned earlier that Ahvra’s parents were casualties of the Drazah war… well it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t quite the truth either. You see, while I am Ahvra’s legally adopted father, I am actually her brother.”

“Our parents, like yours, were truly despicable human beings. Our mother was a drug dealer, and our father was a scam artist. They treated me poorly growing up, basically raising me on scraps even though they did quite well for themselves. The day I turned 18, I left, vowing to never return. The Drazah armies invaded about a year later, and a few weeks after they did, I received a phone call.”

“I was to report to one of the newly formed military outposts. Needless to say, I was terrified, thinking I was going to either be drafted or charged with some crime I had no knowledge of. However, all that was waiting for me was a friendly officer, holding a small baby girl in her arms. In just a few weeks, those soldiers managed to do what our justice system never could in years. They caught our parents and imprisoned them.”

“My parents never contacted me to tell me about Ahvra, though I never gave them a way to do so. If they had, I’m not sure what I would have done; maybe broken in and stolen her so she wouldn’t be left to the same awful life that I had. Because of those soldiers, I got custody of her. It was hard at first, since I was only working a part-time job, but then I met Zodi soon after, and somewhere down the line we became a family with a good life. This is why it’s a little startling for me to have just met the woman responsible for it all.”

“You’re welcome to tell Ahvra any of this, but I doubt she would be interested. We asked her before if she wanted to meet her real parents, but she declined. As far as I’m aware, they’re still in prison, or if they’ve been released, then they’ve made no effort to get back in touch. It’s for the best in my opinion.”

“See Drim, there was some good in the world I was making,” Eleen boasted.

“One small happenstantial fluke doesn’t erase all the bad,” Drim dismissed her.

The group continued to talk well into the night, but it was getting late, and the Fiends would need to go find accommodations. “We’re terribly sorry,” Zodi apologized. “Originally, we wanted to offer for you all to stay here, but we just don’t have enough space to fit all of you comfortably.”

“Oh, before you go, I want to give you something,” Lunis remembered. He returned a minute later with a movie in hand. “I’m not sure if you know, but Ahvra is a bit of a film buff. Once a month we’d block out a whole day to watch movies with her. This was her favorite film as a child, but we lost the original copy in a move years ago. It took us a long time to track it down, and we were going to watch it with her the next time she visited. You all ‘kidnapped’ her before that.”

“Sure, I’ll make sure it gets to her,” Drim took the movie and stowed it in his bag.

“Farewell everyone, don’t be strangers now,” Zodi waved them off. “And remember, you may not have known a great family growing up, but you damned sure have people who care about you now!”

Fiends For Hire Text Conversation 8

Date: Quadruneber 11th 2077

『Xard: Ahvra, your dads are some of the greatest human beings I’ve ever encountered. I’m truly grateful to have met them.』

『Kada: Can they be my dads too? Please?! I’ll pay you!』

『Drim: I have to admit they were rather insightful individuals with an interesting world outlook.』

『Phon: Why can’t you be more like them?』

『Ahvra: What in the ever-loving mawhg happened there?!』

 

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