#Osbert Yoxall

[arkhelios-gameplay]

“Did you fuck my mother?” Roman's voice was laced with accusation, his eyes searching Osbert's face for the truth.

Osbert stumbled over his words, his cheeks burning crimson. “I... I assure you, it wasn't like that. It was a momentary lapse, a connection we shared, but nothing more.”

Roman's fists clenched at his sides, anger coursing through his veins. “How dare you?” he seethed, his voice barely contained. “You come here, feigning condolences, but all the while hiding this secret liaison with my mother.”

Osbert looked away from him, lowering his voice. “Roman, people are staring-”

“I don’t care.”

“I never meant to cause any harm. It was a mistake, a regrettable moment of weakness-”

“A mistake?” Roman’s voice rose, echoing through the previously silent room. “What about my father? I didn’t see you at his funeral, begging for forgiveness.”

“He didn’t know,” Osbert mumbled.

“You-” Roman raised his hand, then lowered it. I’m not Lucy, he reminded himself. I’m not going to derail a funeral.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

“Mom! Mom! Can you make the ball again? Please? Mom!”

When Roman opened his eyes, he was certain that he was dead. The last thing he remembered was a bright light and a flash of wings. He’d been chasing after Abe, who his mother had captured and everything went black. If he strained, he could almost half remember piercing blue eyes. He could barely make out words that had felt like they’d been whispered directly in his mind.

I’m going to make things right.

Directly in front of him, his mother sat in the Rivales’ backyard, patiently listening to the incessant cries of his younger self.

“Not now, Roman. Mommy’s tired.”

It was so strange to see the woman who had betrayed his trust so many times sitting so casually with him. If he didn’t know any better, Roman could swear that he saw a brief flash of affection for him hiding behind all of the irritation in his mother’s face. Roman didn’t remember this visit to the Rivales house and would have doubted it happened if he wasn’t seeing it directly for himself. His grandmother didn’t allow him to visit the Rivales house often because of her distain for Giovanni and Emilia, and when Kaeileen betrayed him in high school, Roman had written the Rivales off as well. Sure, he could remember coming over to play with Kaeileen sometimes when they were kids, but they had mostly played at the Bellamy house where Malika could keep a careful eye on the Rivales spawn. 

It was hard to remember any time when Kamalani had taken her son for a special outing, but clearly she had been far more connected to the Rivales family than she’d let on and even visited occasionally.

“Make the ball again, Romana, or I’ll be forced to try my hand at it for you.”

Roman recognized the voice of Giovanni Rivales instantly. Giovanni hated Abraham Helios and was friendly with Salem Bellamy purely to spite him- or that’s what Roman had always believed. Now that he knew there was a connection between his mother and the Rivales family, Roman didn’t know what to believe.

“Very well,” Kamalani sighed irritably. “But this is the last time. If you continue to indulge him, Roman will grow up to be spoiled. I won’t have him turn out to be just like his father.”

“There are worse fates than that, Romana,” Giovanni chided. “Besides, kids thrive when you indulge them every now and again. Just look at our dear Kaeileen. Jolanda is a very indulgent mother and Kaeileen seems to be developing in a healthy manner for her age.”

Kamalani looked just in time to catch a toddler Kaeileen shoving piles of dirt into her mouth, unconcerned about the potential choking hazards of doing so.

“Yes, she’s doing wonderfully for her age,” Kamalani remarked dryly, watching as Giovanni quickly stepped in to redirect Kaeileen’s attention from chewing dirt.

With a dramatic sigh, Kamalani flicked her wrist to produce a small, glowing ball of light and the toddlers squealed in delight. Giovanni smiled and tried flicking his own wrist to copy her action, but he was only able to produce a few sparks of energy that quickly dissipated in the desert heat.

“Show off. My mother did always say that you had a talent for magic,” Giovanni laughed. He only laughed harder when he saw a look of repulsion cross the demon’s face. “Yes, yes, I know that you two were like oil and water, I haven’t forgotten in my old age. As much as the two of you fought, we’re still family. That has to count for something.”

Within the blink of an eye, Giovanni and Kamalani vanished, replaced by a much younger version of Osbert and Roman’s perpetually ageless mother.

“Roman’s a bright kid. You must be very proud.”

“He’s doing okay considering that he’s his father’s son,” Kamalani replied, still keeping a watchful eye on her toddler. “Personally, I’m surprised that he can walk or talk at all since his father’s not particularly good at either. He must take after me.”

Osbert tried not to look surprised at the dismissive words coming from an otherwise charming and beautiful woman.

“Trouble in paradise?” he asked. “I don’t usually see you and your husband together around town. Are you considering a divorce?”

“Fishing around to see if I’m interested in changing husbands?”

Osbert’s face flushed with embarrassment, while Kamalani seemed to enjoy his discomfort. 

“N-no, I was just wondering, but that’s none of my business really and-”

“It’s an arranged marriage and a loveless one, at least for my part,” Kamalani finally interrupted once she’d finished watching Osbert scramble to apologize. “I’m not looking for another husband, but I’m open to other offers.”

Osbert’s face turned deep red and he tried to stammer out a reply that wouldn’t offend an attractive woman looking to maybe start something up with him. Jolanda was certainly never going to settle down with him and for a brief period of time, she hadn’t even been sure that Kaeileen was his daughter. Normally, he’d be horrified to start an affair with a married woman, but maybe it wasn’t so bad if it was an arranged marriage. Maybe Omar felt the same way, but their parents had insisted on the match anyway.

“Maybe one night a week, we could let the kids play together,” Osbert suggested, trying to sound casual and dispassionate about the idea. “The kids get along really well and Kaeileen could always use some exposure to different types of people. Basically any person who can hold down a job or that Jolanda disapproves of. I don’t want my daughter to grow up stealing credit cards and running scams when she’s older.”

“Well, we’ll disagree on that,” Kamalani teased, enjoying watching the man squirm. “I’d be proud if Roman could pull all of that off, especially considering his father. A man’s got to earn his own way through life, no matter how. Stealing is a skill, especially if you don’t get caught. If people are dumb enough to fall for a scam, then they deserve to be scammed.”

“Hmmm.” Osbert made an uncomfortable noise, trying to think of how to respond, only to be cut off by laughter.

“You are fun,” Kamalani laughed. “You believe everything a woman tells you, don’t you? I can see us getting a long very well in the future.”

Osbert let out a relieved sigh, realizing that Kamalani was only teasing him with her outlandish ideas. This woman was a roller coaster of emotions; he could see why she found someone like Omar dull. 

“So I’ll bring Kaeileen over to your place sometime this week?” he said hopefully. “Omar works during the day, right? I might be able to drop by some day this week...if that works for you.”

“Sure, why not?”

“Roman! Share with your friend or you’ll be dealing with me! Last warning!”

Roman watched his younger self fight Kaeileen for a bottle that had clearly been for Kaeileen and felt embarrassment wash over him. All the things that he disciplined Theo for, Roman was guilty of himself. The twins seemed to be mild mannered for the most part, so maybe it was just the Bellamy men who were easily riled up. Then again, Kaeileen had always been aggressive right back to him, and stealing a bottle was hardly the same thing as everything she’d done to him in high school.

“Kamalani! What a surprise to see you and Roman around here. Do you have a minute to talk so the kids can play?”

Osbert awkwardly leaned down and tried to flirt with the demon who was clearly only there to see him. She had zero interest in supervising Roman, and no one else was around for her to have been waiting for.

“Oh, I do have to run,” she lied, placing her hand expectantly on the couch in front of him. “Maybe the kids can play for a few minutes. Unless you want to go to the park with us?”

“Absolutely, that sounds like a date.”

Without warning, Kamalani pulled the man closer to her until their lips were touching.

“No one’s home,” she said playfully. “I just wanted to see you struggle against my womanly charms.”

“Your demonic charms, maybe,” Osbert replied, lifting her in his arms and depositing them both on the softer sofa in the living room. “You’ve got me in a demon trap of your own design. I’m bound to you whether I like it or not.”

Roman felt like gagging watching his mother flirt with a man she clearly cared about more than her own family. Why hadn’t she just told his father that she wanted a divorce years ago? Was this why he and Kaeileen had become friends in the first place? How long had this affair gone on for? Keiki was still young and Roman’s parents had remained married for years after this. Was the thrill of sneaking around worth it to his mother or was admitting to an affair too damaging to her relationship with the Bellamy family?

“Kama? Something’s wrong with Roman.”

Osbert’s concerned voice echoed through Roman’s mind as the scene shifted again. Before him was a vision of himself as a toddler, Osbert and Kaeileen carefully keeping their distance from him. Roman could hardly believe what he was seeing. He was in a dark form more scaled back than his current one, but a dark form just the same. Roman had been convinced that he’d never expressed any demonic traits before he was a teen, but here was proof right in front of him.

“Oh that’s normal for his age,” came the disinterested reply. Kamalani didn’t even move to see if her son was okay. “Don’t tell his father. I’ve been crushing some remedies into his food to suppress that, but he’s strong enough that they don’t always work. He’s strong, just like his mother.”

“Uh huh.”

Osbert didn’t sound convinced entirely about what he was seeing, and Roman couldn’t blame him. It had taken Abe a long time to accept that his husband and kids were demon hybrids, clearly Osbert had taken that same emotional journey as well.

The scene faded once more to be replaced with an idyllic family scene. Osbert and Kamalani sat together in the desert sand watching Roman chase Kaeileen around.

“They really do get along,” Osbert marveled, watching the children play beside them. “They get along so well, almost like brother and sister.”

Osbert’s words hung in the air for a moment. Kamalani had no doubt of what he was saying.

“Are you...proposing something that might make that a reality?” she asked slowly. “I promised Malika a fixed time frame, but I know her weaknesses. She and I could amend the deal. That is if Jolanda isn’t interested in pursuing something more with you.”

Osbert shook his head, quick to discourage that line of thinking.

“She’s after a much bigger mark than me,” he revealed. “She knows that we’re just co-parernting- or I guess in her case, letting me be the parent while I’m supporting her network of scams. I’d like us to reconsider our relationship though. I want to be with you and I get the impression that you might want that too. Run away with me if you aren’t happy. I’ll gladly raise Roman like he’s my own. It doesn’t matter as long as we’re together. We can start our own family.”

Kamalani paused, clearly giving the matter some thought. Roman had never considered that his mother could have feelings or that her abandonment of him could have been as temporary as he’d hoped. If she and Osbert wanted to take Roman with them, then all that he’d learned about his mother wanting him to meet him in Pleasantview or Strangetown could have been legitimate. She really could have tried to pull Roman from the Bellamys so that he could live with her. In an evening filled with cruelty and malice, Roman had to believe that there was a side to his mother that wanted to have him by her side when she embarked on a new romantic journey. Osbert wasn’t against it and he got along with Kaeileen, so it was only his mother who might have objected and she just admitted to being able to talk Malika out of certain custody agreements. Abe would give him a pitying look and a reassuring kiss on the cheek, but Roman had to believe that this was plausible. If only she’d-

“Roman Bellamy! You get over here right this instant and explain yourself! Do you hear me, mister?”

Against his will, Roman felt himself being pulled once more, his vision going blurry from the intensity of the energy around him.

[saralynnx]

Osbert Yoxall (Kaeileen’s father) and Kamalani Bellamy (Omar’s ex) are also seen canoodling at the park. >_>

Luckily Omar wasn’t there too, or he’d be devastated. :(

Or maybe his woohoo with Oriana Fontana changed his tune? We won’t know until we get to his round later on!

[nightsidewrestling]

D.U.D.E Bios: Byron Winter

The Politician Husband of Geia Byron Lucifarian (2020)

The husband of Geia, Byron. He's a politician and about as stereotypically sketchy and sneaky as you would expect from an American politician.

"Money moves mountains."

Name

Full Legal Name: Byron Wilbur Winter

First Name: Byron

Meaning: From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning 'Place of the cow sheds' in Old English.

Pronunciation: BIE-ren

Origin: English

Middle Name: Wilbur

Meaning: From an English surname that was originally derived from the nickname 'Wildbor' meaning 'Wild boar' in Middle English.

Pronunciation: WIL-ber

Origin: English

Surname: Winter

Meaning: From Old English 'Winter' or Old High German 'Wintar' meaning 'Winter'.

Pronunciation: WIN-tar

Origin: English, German, Swedish

Alias: None

Reason: None

Nicknames: Ron, Will

Titles: Mr

Characteristics

Age: 53

Gender: Male. He/Him Pronouns

Race: Human

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: White

Birth Date: May 23 1967

Symbols: None

Sexuality: Straight

Religion: Catholic

Native Language: English

Spoken Languages: English, Spanish, Russian

Relationship Status: Married

Astrological Sign: Gemini

Theme Song (Ringtone on Geia's Phone): 'Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)' - Pet Shop Boys

Voice Actor: Chevy Chase

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Spokane, Washington, USA

Current Location: Spokane, Washington, USA

Hometown: Spokane, Washington, USA

Appearance

Height: 6'0" / 182 cm

Weight: 180 lbs / 81 kg

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Ginger (Slowly Going White)

Hair Dye: None

Body Hair: Hairy

Facial Hair: Clean Shaven

Tattoos: (As of Jan 2020) None

Piercings: None

Scars: None

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Social Drinker

Illnesses/Disorders: None

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Allies: N/A

Enemies: N/A

Friends: Xenophon Lum, Rudolf Volkov

Colleagues: N/A

Rivals: None

Closest Confidant: Nathan Winter

Mentor: Rudyard Winter

Significant Other: Pelageya Winter (33, 2nd Wife, Née Volkov)

Previous Partners: Caprice Winter (R.I.P, 1st Wife, Née Thorne)

Parents: Rudyard Winter (73, Father), Doris Winter (74, Mother, Née Triggs)

Parents-In-Law: Rudolf Volkov (53, Father-In-Law), Diana Volkov (54, Mother-In-Law, Née Shvets)

Siblings: Agatha Quincy (50, Sister, Née Winter), Russel Winter (47, Brother), Dana Norton (44, Sister, Née Winter), Osbert Winter (41, Brother), Rochelle Knight (38, Sister, Née Winter), Isaac Winter (35, Brother), Spring Hopper (32, Sister, Née Winter), Graham Winter (29, Brother), Alice Winter (26, Sister), Truman Winter (23, Brother), Helen Winter (20, Sister)

Siblings-In-Law: Arthur Quincy (51, Agatha's Husband), Sorrel Winter (48, Russel's Wife, Née Everly), Stephen Norton (45, Dana's Husband), Edith Winter (42, Osbert's Wife, Née Butler), Lysander Knight (39, Rochelle's Husband), Lois Winter (36, Isaac's Wife, Née Yoxall), Anthony Hopper (33, Spring's Husband)

Ardalion Volkov (30, Pelageya's Brother), Sabina Volkov (31, Ardalion's Wife, Née Melnik), Matrona Volkov (27, Pelageya's Sister), Yaroslav Volkov (24, Pelageya's Brother), Klavdia Volkov (21, Pelageya's Sister), Wassily Volkov (18, Pelageya's Brother), Oxana Volkov (15, Pelageya's Sister)

Nieces & Nephews: Feliks Volkov (10, Nephew), Nadine Vipond (30, Niece, Née Quincy), Joseph Vipond (31, Nadine’s Husband), Ambrose Quincy (27, Nephew), Shirley Quincy (24, Niece), Bronte Quincy (21, Nephew), Emerald Quincy (18, Niece), Robert Quincy (15, Nephew), Tanya Quincy (12, Niece), Oscar Quincy (9, Nephew), Clara Quincy (6, Niece), Harold Quincy (3, Nephew), Emily Winter (27, Niece), Louis Winter (24, Nephew), Laura Winter (21, Niece), Ernest Winter (18, Nephew), Sinclair Winter (15, Niece), Alfred Winter (12, Nephew), Allison Winter (9, Niece), Charles Winter (6, Nephew), Octavia Winter (3, Niece), Ian Norton (24, Nephew), Shirlee Norton (21, Niece), Neil Norton (18, Nephew), Terry Norton (15, Niece), Henry Norton (12, Nephew), Amy Norton (9, Niece), Homer Norton (6, Nephew), Ardath Norton (3, Niece), Marcus Winter (21, Nephew), Louisa Winter (18, Niece), Ivan Winter (15, Nephew), Lydia Winter (12, Niece), Upton Winter (9, Nephew), Toni Winter (6, Niece), Aldous Winter (3, Nephew), Margaret Knight (18, Niece), Albert Knight (15, Nephew), Ethel Knight (12, Niece), Raymond Knight (9, Nephew), Ione Knight (6, Niece), Paul Knight (3, Nephew), Pearl Winter (15, Niece), Peter Winter (12, Nephew), Ayn Winter (9, Niece), Philip Winter (6, Nephew), Meredith Winter (3, Niece), Jacob Hopper (12, Nephew), Irish Hopper (9, Niece), Jonathan Hopper (6, Nephew), Mary Hopper (3, Niece)

Children: Nathan Winter (33, Son), Zinnia Turner (30, Daughter, Née Winter), Laurence Winter (27, Son), Xanthia Winter (24, Daughter), Joseph Winter (21, Son), Venetia Winter (18, Daughter), Isaiah Winter (15, Son), Uliana Winter (12, Daughter), Emil Winter (9, Son)

Children-In-Law: Genesis Winter (34, Nathan's Wife, Née Rivers), Patrick Turner (31, Zinnia's Husband)

Grandkids: Quincy Winter (13, Grandson), Hadley Winter (10, Granddaughter), Bethany Turner (10, Granddaughter)

Great Grandkids: None

Wrestling

Billed From: N/A

Trainer: N/A

Managers: N/A

Wrestlers Managed: N/A

Debut: N/A

Debut Match: N/A

Retired: N/A

Retirement Match: N/A

Wrestling Style: N/A

Stables: N/A

Teams: N/A

Regular Moves: N/A

Finishers: N/A

Refers To Fans As: N/A

Extras

Trivia: Nothing of Note

[potential-fate]

Lucy and Bill go off to hangout near the swings, and while they're chatting, she notices her friend's mom Tabitha Durant, get into the photobooth with some older dude. She doesn't know him, but Bill say's he knows him. He's one of the junior student's estranged father.

Lucy watches for a while as the drama unfolds, thinking it's quite entertaining.

-----

Lucy: Jorah's mom must be stupid.

bill laughed.

Bill: Don't you think that's a little mean?

Lucy: She's literally here with her mother-in-law. You know they weren't just taking photos like us.

Bill: Aww, come'on Lucy. Be nice.

[arkhelios-gameplay]

Tanya snored loudly, making Tabitha grin. He had quite enjoyed himself as well, despite his initial reservations. Wasn't that all that mattered, that everyone were pleased?

[arkhelios-gameplay]

Tabitha tiptoed around Osbert's bedroom, looking for the clothes the two men had excitedly torn off her. It had been fun in the heat of the moment, but now afterward the shame was kicking in. You're too old for this, the little voice in her head said. This lifestyle is for college students and you're doing it in your 60s.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

“I think I felt the baby kick. That’s normal for this trimester, right? I shouldn’t be worried?”

Kaeileen massaged her swollen abdomen, trying to soothe her baby. It had been an eventful few months, but at least her family hadn’t abandoned her. Finding out that she was pregnant had been a shock, and truthfully, she had no idea of how to be a mother, but she was determined to try her best. Surely she could be better than her own mother, though that bar wasn’t exactly high. Jolanda hadn’t had any advice to give her daughter, aside from finding a rich one night stand and trying to convince him that he was the father.

Kaeileen knew who the father of her baby was, and that was the problem. Her grandmother had been so hopeful that by some miracle, Lucy could be the mother of the baby, but Kaeileen had slept with the wrong Chun sibling. Her ill advised fling with Nathan had been so spontaneous that they didn’t worry about protection, which had turned out to be a mistake. Now the matter of the Rivales heir was complicated. Was Kaeileen the better choice for heir because she was carrying a Helios-Chun baby, or was Pia’s education and stable marriage more attractive? Emilia didn’t often comment on who she would be selecting very often. At this point, most of the family just assumed that she would name an heir in her will since the matter had already dragged on for too long. Kaeileen knew that if she was pregnant by Lucy, the heir status would be hers in an instant, but Lucy’s little brother? Emilia had to take time to think this development through, or so she said.

Elaine had been less than thrilled to learn of her newest grandchild, which she made very clear to Kaeileen on a regular basis. Nathan hadn’t said much on the subject. He seemed to take the news well enough, but he was impossible to read. There was a darkness in him, that much Kaeileen knew, but overall, Kaeileen had never seen him act in the ways Roman accused him of. He would probably make a good dad...or at least she hoped he would. Most days he ignored her calls, but that would change the instant he held their child. Surely he would mature once he had a child in his arms. Roman had, so why not Nathan?

“You’re imagining things, dear. You’re not that far along,” Emilia chided. She anxiously paced by the front window, peering out at the darkened sky. “Did you hear something? I could have sworn I heard someone screaming.”

“Maybe something’s happening at the park. That’s the only thing close enough to hear from here, aside from the factories.”

Kaeileen peered out the nearest window, looking for answers. Sure enough, a faint glow was coming from the direction of the park, though she couldn’t make out what was happening.

“She’s back then,” Emilia murmured to herself, unaware that Kaeileen could hear her.

“Who’s back? If you think Lucy’s outside, begging me to take her back, you’re going to be disappointed. I know how much you like her, but I slept with her brother, plus she was cheating on me. She’s not coming back, Grandma.”

Emilia scoffed at this, but didn’t elaborate any further. Instead, she took out her phone and hurriedly swiped on the screen, clearly looking for something. After half a minute of frantic searching, Emilia found what she had been looking for, pressed a few buttons and said two words Kaeileen could never imagine her grandmother saying.

“Hello, Ginevra?”

“Something’s happening at the park, you can see it from here. Should I call the police?”

Elaine peered out the window, staring at the ominous clouds circling the rather infamous park. Any activity there usually meant something terrible was occurring and Elaine wanted no part of it. That was a matter for the police to deal with, god knows she paid enough taxes to pay for them.

“And if it’s Roman?” Lucy replied, trying to dry off from her relaxing bath. Between work and becoming the Helios heir once more to having to see her ex fiancee walking around carrying her niece or nephew, Lucy had been trying to relax whenever she could. This new development threatened that relaxation, as unlike her mother, Lucy knew that Melvin’s police force didn’t have a chance against a demon. Maybe Theo was just having another incident; the last thing they needed was to involve the police in that.

“It’s probably not Roman,” Elaine said hopefully. “Maybe one of Nathan’s friends from school is over visiting. Maybe it’s just a powerful storm front.”

“Trust me, Nathan doesn’t have any friends,” Lucy sighed. “It’s almost a guarantee that Roman’s involved with this somehow. We should probably go investigate. I’ll go get dressed.”

“Ozzy!”

Osbert Yoxall stared in disbelief at the woman who was running towards him. After all this time, after everything that had happened, Kamalani was rushing back into his arms. He hadn’t thought that would ever have been possible within his lifespan. Lucy had drilled it into his head over and over how serious Kamalani’s sentence had been.

“Kama! It’s actually you! I don’t believe it!”

Osbert took the woman he loved into his arms, squeezing her tightly so that she could never leave him again.

“It took a long time, but I made it,” she said, making happy trails of kisses down his throat. “The sovereign can’t contain me; not when it keeps me from you. And Keiki! You’ve found her? Is she not everything we ever dreamed of?”

“She’s amazing, just like her mother,” Osbert replied. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard that a little piece of you survived, that I could still see you in everything she does. Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? I would have helped.”

Kamalani shook her head quickly, still clinging to her love.

“My father would have interfered,” she answered. “If he had known, she would have been in danger. He’s killed people I loved in the past, just to keep me in line. I’d die if anything happened to you or her. It had to be a secret.”

“So we can be together now?” Osbert asked hopefully. “I mean, he’s sealed away and Roman knows about us, so we can all be a family now. We can start over and make a life together.”

Kamalani smiled, but didn’t rush to answer him. Things were complicated as always, and Osbert was an optimist.

“I have to hide from the sovereign, just until she cools down,” she insisted. “We have to leave Arkhelios tonight. I used to hope that Roman’s path lay outside of Arkhelios, but I was wrong. His path is here. Too many eyes are watching his son, eyes that might also be looking for me. He’ll understand.”

“But Keiki just got settled. She has friends and school here. I’m looking into buying a home.”

Kamalani sighed in frustration, trying to find a kind way of telling the man she loved that he was an idiot.

“She’ll make new friends,” Kamalani promised. “She can’t do that if she’s dead though, which is a possibility now that the sovereign of all demons is looking for me. We need to go. If you want to be with me, we have to go.”

“Okay,” Osbert relented, still looking uneasy at the thought of living on the run. “I’ll go home and get her, and I’ll leave a note for Kaeileen and Tennyson. They need to know what’s going on, other wise they’ll worry or think I abandoned them.”

“Don’t trust her! She’ll only hurt you and you’ll end up isolated and alone when she gets bored of you!”

To Osbert’s shock, Abe and a small group of children crossed the street, looking incredibly angry. Among them was Osbert’s own young daughter, happily co-existing with Theo, the boy she despised, and Theo’s little sisters. Two other kids Osbert recognized from the playground, where their snobbish parents usually ignored his attempts to make small talk.

“Keiki? Honey, are you okay? Where’s the babysitter? Why are you out in the middle of the night with your...friends?”

Friends was the only polite word Osbert could think of, especially when the father of Keiki’s bitter rival had apparently taken a crowd of children for a walk late at night.

“I want to help,” Keiki replied, looking nervously at the figure beside her father. “Theo said he needed my help. That something bad was happening. Like what happened to me.”

In all the shock of being reunited with Kamalani, Osbert had momentarily forgotten about the emergency trip to the hospital that he, Keiki and Roman had been forced to make earlier. While he was grateful to be reunited with the woman he loved, he had been less than thrilled to see the marks she’d left on their daughter. They were nothing compared to the wounds Osbert had watched hospital staff try to close on Roman, but his child had suffered all the same.

“I was meaning to ask about that, Kama,” Osbert said quietly. “I mean, I understand that it’s how you came back to me, but the amount of blood that Roman lost, and the scars he has...how could you do that to your own son? And then to cut your young child who doesn’t even remember you? Keiki’s been having nightmares ever since.”

“That’s because she-”

Abe was cut off mid sentence by excruciating pain. To Osbert’s horror, his sweet Kama lifted her son in law off the ground, clearly draining some kind of energy from him.

“Kama! He’s pregnant! What are you doing?”

“Stop hurting my Dad!”

Theo’s voice boomed as loudly as he could make it. He wasn’t great at defensive magic, but with his friends from school, Adam and Medora, along with his family, he was going to protect the ones he loved. Adam and Medora weren’t demons and fought with the magic they’d learned, while Theo, Adrienne and Keiki all summoned demonic energy. While they didn’t stand much of a chance individually against Kamalani, they hoped that together they could overwhelm the older demon.

“Kama, what are you doing? That’s our daughter shouting at you! She’s scared!”

Despite the terror in Osbert’s voice and the fear she could see in her daughter’s face, Kamalani ignored their protests. None of them understood the stakes of what she was facing. Like with Roman, Kamalani knew that one day Keiki and Osbert would understand her position, and forgive the difficult choices she’d had to make to survive. Even now, Roman had pleaded with her to love and care for him despite everything, and Roman was far more stubborn than Osbert. She would be forgiven, which meant that she could do whatever she wanted to protect herself.

“Mom! Leave Abe alone, he never did anything to you!”

Speaking of Roman, Kamalani glanced to her left to see her son hobbling towards her from the direction of the park. Roman collapsed on the ground before he made it anywhere near his husband, but his mother respected his dedication all the same. Maybe there was a little of the spark she’d once seen in him left. Still, she’d warned her son all the same and now both he and his high profile son were here, drawing attention to her.

“I warned you, Roman. Why can you never obey my wishes? You’re bringing this on yourself.”

Energy poured from Abe in staggering amounts, straight to Kamalani’s waiting hands. Even Theo was astounded by his grandmother’s power. He’d never seen a spell like this in any of his textbooks.

“Abe! I’m coming!”

Roman tried to peel himself off the ground to reach his husband, but failed. His mind raced to think of a solution, but he’d never seen an attack like this in his demonic defense lessons. Maybe his mother wasn’t lying about how demon she claimed to be. That or she knew some very obscure spells. Either way, the only thing that mattered now was getting to Abe. He wouldn’t lose another husband to his mother’s schemes and if he could also protect their unborn child, he’d die trying to keep them safe.

“Kama! What the hell are you doing?”

Osbert watched in horror as the woman he loved turned her gaze on her son and smiled cruelly. In all the time that he’d known Kamalani, she’d been a funny, sweet woman who legitimately seemed to care about him. Escaping a loveless marriage to a man she didn’t respect was one thing though. It was something else entirely for her to hurt her children and unborn grandchildren. Sure, she really enjoyed saying some dark things every now and then, but Osbert hadn’t been fully convinced that his Kamalani was the one who attacked their daughter and Roman. This was a side of her that he’d never seen before and he was appalled by it.

The demon before him snapped her fingers and Roman and Abe became enveloped by a light, drifting aimlessly in the air. Osbert could see the energy drain from them, pooling within the supernatural shimmer.

“Daddy!”

Osbert felt like he’d been shot through the chest hearing the desperate cry of a child watching his parents presumably being murdered right in front of him. Theo sounded heartbroken, which devastated Osbert. How was the woman he’d fallen in love with capable of this horror? Being afraid of the sovereign wasn’t an excuse to be cruel to someone else. Nothing justified this cruelty.

“Kama, stop!”

[arkhelios-gameplay]

“Hey, aren’t you trash panda Chun?” Osbert asked in a teasing voice.

Lucy closed her eyes and drummed her fingers on the table. “I prefer the name Lucy,” she replied. “I assume you go by ‘Osbert’ and not ‘failed football player Yoxall’?”

Osbert’s smile died.

[arkhelios-gameplay]

She had not been with anyone since Giovanni, and she was seeking to rectify it.

[arkhelios-gameplay]

“Roman!” a voice called out. Roman turned around and realized one of the mourners was Osbert Yoxall.

“Osbert?” he questioned.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Osbert said, reaching out to shake Roman’s hand.

Roman pretended not to notice the handshake. “I didn’t know you knew my mom,” Roman said.

“Oh... Only briefly,” Osbert said, avoiding Roman’s eye contact.

Roman arched an eyebrow, skepticism etched upon his features. “You’re attending the funeral of someone you just knew fleetingly?”

“Indeed,” Osbert stammered, his eyes darting around the room. “I... I felt compelled to pay my respects. Your mother, she... she made quite an impression.”

“An impression?”

Osbert's discomfort grew palpable, his gaze shifting uneasily. “Well, you see... your mother and I, we had a connection of sorts. It was brief, but... significant”"

Roman's curiosity piqued. “A connection?”

Osbert hesitated, his voice barely above a whisper. “I... I was acquainted with her through a mutual acquaintance. Now, excuse me... I shouldn’t have bothered you in your grief...”

[arkhelios-gameplay]

[arkhelios-gameplay]

Emilia glanced at Osbert and thought back to the ramblings of the trash panda outside. Foot fetishist? Doubt it. But even if he were, well, perhaps I need something new in my life. Osbert was very clearly checking her out as well.

“Your son is engaged to my daughter,” Emilia said, figuring it was a decent icebreaker.

“Your daughter?” Osbert said, seeming surprised. “You must’ve been a teenager when you had her.”

Emilia grinned. “I see where Tennyson gets his charm from.”

[arkhelios-gameplay]

“Hey sailor,” Lucy said upon spotting Osbert Yoxall, local Arkhelios hottie. Well, he had been many years ago at least. But Lucy didn’t discriminate her partners based off age.

Osbert turned around looking bewildered. Lucy sat down next to him awkwardly.

[arkhelios-gameplay]

The answer hurt more than Lucy wanted to admit. Desperate to regain her pride, she got out from the chair. “You are a sick man!” she yelled, loud enough to turn some heads in the bar. “I’m not going to let you look at my feet, no matter how much you beg for it!”

[arkhelios-gameplay]

Lucy tried to think back to what she had seen in movies. “So what do you say we go somewhere more private?” she suggested.

Osbert tensed. “Why?” he asked, looking as if she had suggested to him that they go to her torture chamber.

“This is a little too public for me,” Lucy said.

“‘Too public’?”

“You know,” Lucy said, trying to sound seductive. “Too public for woohoo.”