family matters
Word counter: 3,690 words
Character: Nona, Mezuma, Mikla
Warnings: violence. blood. body horror.
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Mikla was almost fully healed the morning after the attack, but spent days in recovery from the amount of blood he had lost from the knife wound.
Oserious gathered his nephew and Nona to establish a new agreement between the three of them. Trust was not something they could give to anyone anymore. Anything that they found on this Legion of demons went to Oserious directly. And they had to be careful with how much information they were giving to anyone else involved. No one could be let on that the three of them trusted no one.
Precautions were being taken. Oserious had stopped shipping out weapons, as he had said before, until this Legion was stopped. Mikla only allowed Nona to be his guard whenever he went out to do anything. His trust in anyone else was shattered after Vanee.
Nona didn’t know the extent of this Legion, or their knowledge of anything personal about her, Oserious, or Mikla. But she couldn’t take that risk. Besides the three of them, only a handful of other demons knew just a hint of her relationship with Mezuma. But a name was all someone really needed.
“Ya know, I coulda had Malii walkin’ me home from work all this time.” Mezuma was swinging her and Nona’s joined hands between her with amusement.
“I would rather be the one to make sure you’re safe.”
“I know that. But you’re so busy now with everythin’, I don’t wanna be an inconvenience.”
“You’re never an inconvenience, Mezuma.”
“I know that too.” Mezuma smiled at her. “I’m just sayin’, havin’ Malii walk me home tonight wouldn’t be a problem and it would be one less thing off your plate.”
“I do not trust him.”
“Yeah, well I do. And I think I get a say in this matter, don’t I?”
“I suppose you do.. yes.” Nona stopped them a few buildings away from Club Crimson.
“It is my last night here.” Mezuma smiled sadly at her. “He help get me here, it’s only fair he helps me leave.”
“Alright.” Nona took both her hands in hers and kissed her knuckles. “Under the condition you text me when you’ve left the club and when you get to your apartment.”
“Like I don’t already do that.” she responded with a teasing eye roll.
“How are you feeling?”
“I don’t know.” Mezuma sighed. “Sad, I guess? But I’m happy too. I’m gonna miss all my friends here but I’ve always made time for them outside of work when I worked here, I’m sure I can do that working at the lounge.”
“I’m sure they will find time for you as well.”
“I sure hope so. I know where they work, so I’ll kick their asses if they don’t.” Mezuma laughed before walking ahead of Nona into the Club. Nona followed after a few moments and waited by the bar until Mezuma disappeared through the door to the back stage.
“Somethin’ goin’ on?” Malii appeared at the corner of the bar that Nona was standing by, a very intense look on his face.
“I was making sure Mezuma got to work safely, if you must know.”
“You’ve been doin’ that a lot lately. Past couple nights I seen you waitin’ until she just through that back door okay before you go off. Is there somethin’ goin’ on I should know about?”
“That is on a need to know bases.” Nona replied, giving him an intense stare of her own.
“I think I am on that need to know bases here, Nona.”
“That is a matter of opinion, Malii.” she leaned against the counter top. “What i do is none of your concern.”
“It is my damn concern when I have to confiscate your bosses weapons from young-ling's in my neighborhood.” Malii snarled and pulled out a bundled up towel from underneath the bar and slammed it in front of Nona. “Now tell me what’s goin’ on.”
“I assure you, those are not Oserious’s weapons.”
“Sure do look like him.” Malii flicked open the towel and pulled out the handle of a knife. “That’s his symbol right there.”
“I have seen him create every weapon he makes. I have handled every weapon that he sells. I can tell you with the utmost certainty that these weapons,” she gestured to the knifes wrapped in the towel. “Are not of his making.”
“I don’t appreciate you lyin’ to me, Nona.”
“And I would appreciate if you didn’t accuse me of lying.”
“Look, I may be scared shitless of you and of.... Oserious.. but I always had respect for him. See, before he came along, Unerverse was a pit. It was eat or be eaten. And then he came along and demons were actin’ more.. civil. And these weapons,” he tossed the knife back onto the towel. “He gave them to demons he trusted. To gangs he trusted. And I know this cause he offered these to my gang.”
“How do I know these aren’t yours and you are trying to accuse Oserious and I of wrong doings?”
“Cause my gang didn’t take the deal.” Malii hissed. “We do, what we do without weapons. We ain’t doin’ anythin’ violent. We just wanted to do somethin’ to help our community. It was dark times before Oserious came along, Nona, yous got no idea. We wanted to do somethin’ and protect our own and everyone else that couldn’t protect themselves. But we turned down his partnership. Weapons wasn’t our thing and he respected that. So I’m gonna ask again: what the Hell is goin’ on?”
“I do not trust you enough to tell you.”
“Well the feelin’s mutual, kid.”
“However.” Nona interrupted, giving him a pointed look. “Mezuma trusts you. And I trust her. So I will tell you this much: Oserious has not nor will he ever, sell weapons to young-lings. And as of a week ago.. he has stopped putting weapons out on the market.”
“That can’t be true. These kids told me they got these from some demon three days ago, sayin’ they were Oserious weapons.”
“Who is this demon? Where was he selling these weapons?”
“You tell me what’s goin’ on, I’ll tell you what you wanna know.” Malii stared Nona down. She was actually very impressed with how level his heart beat was.
“Fine.” Nona glanced around the empty Club, making sure there were no lingering demons to overhear them. “I cannot tell you much, Oserious would have my head. But I am entrusting this information to you. Should I find out you’ve used it for wrongful gains, I will find you.”
“You know where I work.” Malii leaned against the counter and dropped his voice. “Talk.”
“There are a group of demons who are trying to replicate Oserious’s weapons.” she picked up one of the knives from the towel. “If you do not believe me, you should fully heal if you were cut by these knives. With an Oserious weapon, healing would be difficult and it would leave a scar.”
“Show me.” Malii demanded warily.
“I am immune to his weapons. I lost my eye to one of his sniper rifles last month.” she pointed to her fully intact left eye.
“Fine.” Malii snatched the knife from her and brought the blade up to his thumb. He flinched only a bit when he pierced the skin with the blade. Seconds later, it healed up and left no mark that he was cut there at all except for a small drop of blood along his skin.
“Believe me now?”
“Let’s say I do believe you.” he dropped the knife back onto the towel. “Why sell em to kids?”
“That is something we are unsure of. Any information, no matter how small, will help us in discovering the solution. That is why I need the name of the demon and where he was selling these knives.”
“Alright, alright.” Malii scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “He was down south, dealin’ to some of the poorer kids. They didn’t tell me his name, just that he was missin’ a couple teeth and one of his horns was snapped off.”
“This information is appreciated, Malii.”
“Yeah, no problem.” Malii shoved the towel filled with knives to Nona and waved them off. “Get these things away from the kids, that’s all I ask.”
“We will do our best.” she gathered up the towel around and knives and tucked the bundle under her arm. “Now I have something to ask of you.”
“What’s that?” Malii asked, sounding very curious.
“It is Mezuma’s final night here and she has insisted that you walk her home. She will ask you herself, but I want to make sure you will take care of her.”
“Course I will.”
“I have your word? You will get her home safely?”
“A demon’s word is all he has, Nona.”
“Good.” Nona looked down at the bundle under her arm before looking back at Malii again. “Thank you.” she turned to leave the Club but Malii stopped her with a hand around her arm.
“Is.. Is Mez in danger..” he asked in a rough voice.
“I’m unsure. But I am doing everything in my power to make sure she is safe.”
“If somethin’ happens to her.. i ain’t forgivin’ ya.”
“You and me both, Malii.”
~~~
It was a long day; it was a tiring day.
Mezuma stayed very late at the Club, having last drinks with her friends and didn’t arrive at her apartment until 2 am. Nona was still out with Mikla by the time Mezuma crawled into her bed to sleep. She was half asleep when she heard her bedroom door open.
“Come cuddle me, Nona..” she whined pathetically.
“Who the Hell is Nona?”
Mezuma sat up in a flash upon hearing a voice that didn’t belong to Nona or sound familiar in anyway. She saw the silhouette of a demon in her doorway as it reached over to flick her bedroom light on. Blinking a couple times, her eyes adjusted to the sudden light and saw a demon she’s never seen before standing in her bedroom, a gun in his right hand.
“You cheatin’ on me?” he asked, sounding hurt.
“Who the fuck are you?” she asked, backing herself up against her headboard. “What the Hell are you talkin’ about?”
“Don’t be like that! I-i know the way you act around me in the Club is different from the way you act around the other demons there!” he stumbled into her room. “Now.. I know we couldn’t have done anythin’ about it before, with you workin’ and all, but now you ain’t workin’ there no more. We.. We can finally be somethin’!”
“You’re fuckin’ crazy! Everythin’ I did there was part of my job! I have a girlfriend, you nut bag!” she reached under her pillow to try and grab her gun under it but he held his own gun up and aimed at her, making her stop and put her hands up.
“No way.. You can’t fake bein’ that nice and sweet to someone. Ya can’t just play with a demon’s emotions, that just ain’t fair. Now I find out you’re a whore just like every one of them ladies in that skank Club.”
“You’re the idiot who thinks those ladies are actually flirtin’ with your greasy ass at a strip club! We literally get paid to make nice with you mooks, that’s our fuckin’ job, dickhead.” Mezuma spat bitterly at him.
“Shut up!” he shouted, pointing the gun more aggressively at her. “All of you are the same. You just use us nice demons and then move on like we don’t mean nothin’ to ya.”
“You’ve got some fuckin’ hang ups, asshole.”
“I said: Shut up!” he went to cock the gun but was suddenly thrown backwards against the wall by Nona who had just arrived to this maniac standing in her girlfriend’s bedroom.
“You okay?” Nona met Mezuma, who was already pouncing at the other woman, at the foot of the bed and cupped her face in her hands.
“Yeah I’m okay.” Mezuma smiled. “Wasn’t scared for a second.”
“Who the fuck is this?!” the demon was standing again, leaning against the wall, and holding his gun out at the two of them.
“I’m the before mentioned girlfriend.” Nona turned around and blocked Mezuma from his view. “Put the gun down before you get hurt.”
“I ain’t gettin’ hurt, I’m the one with the gun!” as if to emphasizes, he shoved the barrel of the gun underneath Nona’s chin, forcing her to look up. “You have ruined any chance I had with Mez!”
“You are delusional.” Nona spoke calmly, despite the situation she was in. “And I guarantee you Mezuma did now know who you were until tonight.”
“SHUT UP!”
The moment he pulled the trigger, the gun fired off under Nona’s chin. The blast made her head snap back violently before she crumbled to the ground in front of the bed.
“NONA!”
“DON’T!” The demon held the gun trained on Mezuma, so she couldn’t go on the ground to her girlfriend’s body. Her body was shaking violently as she fell to the bed. “You shouldn’t have left Crimson, Mezuma.”
Before he could cock the gun, Nona’s arm shot up from the floor to grab painfully at the demon’s other arm hanging at his side. There was a loud and disgusting crunching sound coming from where Nona was tightly grabbing at him and he howled in pain. During this distraction, Mezuma was finally able to grab her own gun from underneath her pillow and fired one shot into the demon’s shoulder.
Dropping his gun, he stumbled back against the wall and held his good hand against the wound on his shoulder. Nona rose up, back to Mezuma, and advanced on him.
“No! NO! Have mercy!!!” she pulled a knife from her boot, slammed his good hand against the wall, and stabbed the knife through it.
Nona stood up hunched over, a terrible gurgling sound coming from her. Refusing to look at Mezuma, she made her way into the bathroom, leaving behind a trail of black blood. Alarmed, Mezuma put her gun on her nightstand and ran to the bathroom just as Nona had curled up into it, back facing the door.
“Nona!” she knelt down by the tub and reached her shaky hands out to try and get Nona to look at her. But Nona physically refused and hid her face in her already caked with blood shirt. “Babe, please! I can help!”
Nona shook her head and reached into her pocket to hand Mezume her phone.
“Okay okay, who am i callin’?” she asked as she turned on the phone screen. “Mikla?”
Nona gave her a thumbs up and curled her arm around her head, still trying to hid herself from Mezuma.
Mezuma stayed kneeling by the bathtub when she dialed Mikla’s number.
“What’s the haps, Nans? Little late to call, I just dropped you off at Mezzie’s place.”
“Nona was shot.”
“Oh tits and ass.” it sounded as if Mikla was still driving and making a very quick and abrupt turn in traffic. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
It felt much longer before Mikla ran through the still wide open apartment door. He found the demon still stabbed into the wall in Mezuma’s bedroom, but ignored him when he saw both ladies in the bathroom.
“I’m guessin’ the bloke against the wall is the one who shot Nans then, yeah?”
“Yes.” Mezuma glared at him from the bathroom. “I don’t know where she was shot. She wont let me look.”
“Probably gruesome by the looks of the trail of blood leadin’ here.” he rolled up his sleeves. “You got a first aid get, Mez?”
“Yeah.” she pushed herself from the floor and went searching in her closet for the first aid kit she had tucked away. After the first injury she helped Nona with, she got herself a more fully stocked kit.
“Beauty.” Mikla said when she returned with the kit. “I just texted my boys to come here and deal with our unwanted guest there.” he said, gesturing to the demon in the other room. “I hate to ask this of ya, but if Nona wont let you see, then she wont let me help her out unless you leave us be, Mez.”
“I... I figured.” Mezuma swallowed roughly and looked over at the curled up form of her girlfriend in the bathtub. “She’s gonna be okay, right?”
“Yeah this ain’t no problem at all, Mez. Don’t you worry none.” he carefully took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “You go in the livin’ room and wait for me to finish up then, Nona’s gonna be fine.”
“Okay.” Mezuma left the bathroom, closing the door behind her, and walked past the demon into her living room.
It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door frame to her apartment that snapped Mezuma out of spacing out and staring nervously at the wall.
“Mikla has asked for my assistance. This is right apartment, yes?” a familiar Russian accent greeted her at the door. “Oh it’s you! Friend of Nona.”
“Why do I know you?”
“Oh I am demon who drove you home that night at the weapons raid, Miss.” he smiled and bowed his head. “Jengi at your service. Now I was told Mikla had bad demon for me to pick up, yes?”
“Yeah, bloke’s over here, Jengi-boy.” Mikla appeared in the doorway to Mezuma’s room and gestured the larger demon to follow him.
“What has bad demon done?” Jengi asked, as he yanked the knife from the demon’s palm, making said demon yowl out in pain.
“This demon has shot our poor friend Nona, Jengi.”
“Oh poor dear. Should be fine tho. Nona is strong. Do we know who bad demon is?” he easily picked up the demon and tossed him over his shoulder.
“He was a customer.” Mezuma said from the doorway. “With weird delusional fantasy’s that we had a forbidden romance.”
“Well then, I will take bad demon away. You wont have to see him again, Miss.” Jengi smiled as he passed by Mezuma and left the apartment with the demon.
“How is she?” Mezuma asked, looking over at the closed bathroom door.
“She’s fine.” he rested his hands on her shoulders in a reassuring gesture. “It was pretty gruesome. Guy clipped Nona under her chin and blew a hole through the bottom of her mouth.”
“Oh fuck.” Mezuma felt nauseous.
“She don’t got a tongue right now, but she’ll be fine. I got her all wrapped up. She should already be healin’.”
“I can’t believe this.” she rubbed her fingers against the sides of her head. “That fuckin’ demon shot her because of me.”
“No that fuckin’ demon shot her because he’s a nut job with a weird complex and somehow got access to one of these shitty copy guns. None of this is your fault, Mez.”
“Why does it feel like it is..”
“Cause Nona’s a self sacrificin’ asshole.” Mikla chuckled. “Trust me, I felt horrendously bad the first time she got hurt coverin’ my ass but she’s strong, Mezuma. She can heal. That’s why she keeps gettin’ hurt for us. She’d rather be the one hurt than see either one of us get hurt.”
“Doesn’t really stop me from feelin’ guilty.”
“Yeah..” Mikla gently wrapped his arms around Mezuma’s shoulder with a sigh and squeezed her tightly. “That don’t really go away.”
“What happened,” she asked, muffled by the other demon’s shirt. “The first time she got hurt protectin’ ya?”
“I was young and stupid.” he explained with another chuckle. “I thought I was the tits. I was bad talkin’ this bloke to his face and he came at me with a sword. Nona caught it before it hit me. Guy sliced off three of her fingers.”
“What?!”
“Yeah, Uncle was pissed at me. But Nona didn’t say nothin’ to me about it. I was apologizin’ to her the whole time.. I felt so bad. She kept tellin’ me it would be fine and lo and behold, her fingers grew back.” he smiled and scrubbed his fingers along the back of Mezuma’s head, purposely messing up her hair. “Nona would kill for you, Mez. It ain’t a big deal to her if she gets hurt protectin’ you. As long as that means you don’t get hurt.”
“I hate seein’ her get hurt.”
“That’s probably why she wouldn’t let ya see her before.”
“What about now?”
“Give it a minute.” Mikla shoved his hand into his pocket to pull out his phone. “Told her to text me when she was.. more presentable.”
“Okay well,” Mezuma looked around her room, at the dented wall and at the bloodied path to the bathroom. “What am I suppose to do now?”
“Well you could start by packin’ a bag maybe?” Mikla suggested with a shrug. “There’s no way you both are stayin’ here tonight. When Nan get good enough to travel, I’m bringin’ ya both to her place. I’ll have some boys help me clean this mess up, don’t you worry.”
“I don’t feel safe in this place anymore.” Mezuma paced around her room, mindlessly grabbing random items of clothing and shoving them into a duffel bag she had tucked away in the corner. “First Kozic broke in here no problem! Now this fuckin’ random ass demon just waltzes his way in?!”
“There’s security measures I could help ya out with, Mez-”
“No, Gods, I’m just gonna find a whole new place. I can afford better now! I’ve got a job that pays me more. Maybe I can find a place near there. Some place way nicer and way fuckin’ safer than this shit place!” she continued shoving random items into her bag but turned her attention to Mikla when his phone went off.
“Nona’s askin’ for ya.” he said, holding up his phone. Mezuma threw the duffel bag onto her bed as she rushed towards the bathroom door. When she threw it open, Nona was still sitting in the bathtub, but she was sitting upright and not curled up anymore. Mezuma went over and gently touched her fingers to the bandages wrapped around Nona’s neck and jaw.
“Does it hurt?” she asked quietly. Nona nodded her head, flinching a bit when she swallowed and started to type out a message for Mezuma on her phone.
Are you hurt?
“No, I’m fine. I’m just.. I’m upset and mad that you got hurt. I wanted to kill that demon myself.”
That was a good shot
“Thanks.” Mezuma laughed under her breath and ran her fingers through Nona’s hair. “Miky’s gonna take us back to your place.. I packed a lot of shit. I have to move out of this place, Nona. I hope.. you don’t mind me stayin’ with you for a couple a days while I sort this shit out?”
Nona nodded her head in response but started typing quickly on her phone before showing it again to the other woman.
You can stay forever
“You want me to live with you?” Mezuma asked with a big grin on her face. “Is that what you’re askin’ me?”
Nona’s response was to nod her head again and Mezuma leaned in to eagerly press a kiss to the other woman’s forehead.
“You would ask me this while you’re bleedin’ from your mouth in my bathtub.” Mezuma said with a laugh. “You ready to go then? I can help you get rested up back home.”
Nona smiled at Mezuma calling her apartment home and she allowed her girlfriend to help her out of the bathtub. Mikla was helping Mezuma with a couple more of her bags when the boys he called to help clean the place arrived. Before they left the apartment, Mikla had them start packing up some of Mezuma’s things to help her for the future move.
~~~
The following morning, Nona woke up to her girlfriend talking excitedly in the next room. Other than a headache, Nona felt fine. And she was sure all she needed was something to eat and drink to get rid of the headache.
The conversation in the next room was starting to wind down, leaving Mezuma still excited but now with a mixture of nervousness. So Nona waited patiently for her girlfriend to come back into the bedroom.
“Oh good you’re awake!” Mezuma jumped up onto the bed and climbed onto the other woman’s lap. “How are you feelin’?”
“Bether.” Nona spoke with a slight lips that she was not prepared for.
“I think your tongue’s still growin’ back.” Mezuma chuckled and started to unwrap the bandages around Nona’s neck.
“I fhink I am mothly healed.” Nona lifted her chin when Mezuma removed the gauze from her neck.
“Looks like it.” Mezuma ran her fingers over the healed skin along the other woman’s neck, not a mark left behind besides some freckles.
“i meant what I thaid lasth night.” Nona cleared her throat nervously. “About you thaying here forever.”
“I know you did.” Mezuma pressed a kiss to her cheek with a smile. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. See.. I was just on the phone with my uncle Hue and well.. he’s on his way to my apartment now to help me move.”
“The thooner the better.” Nona agreed.
“He also wants to meet you.” Mezuma sat back on Nona’s hips and ran a nervous hand through her hair.
“And you’re nervouth about it?”
“Well yeah! I mean, this is the demon that helped raise me after my parents were murked. He’s my dad’s oldest brother. He’s always been super protective of me, especially after my last shitty relationship.”
“Ith he aware of who I am?”
“Yeah.. course he is. That was the first thing I said to him when we started officially datin’. The only thing he cared about was you was treatin’ me right.”
“I did resthcue you.”
“Well now you’re just tryin’ to show off.” Mezuma climbed off of Nona’s lap and rolled off the bed.
“When do we leave?”
“I’m leavin’ soon to meet my uncle at the apartment. You are going to eat somethin’ and stayin’ in bed to rest up.”
“But-”
“No buts.” she put a firm hand on Nona’s chest, stopping her from trying to sit up.
“I want to help.”
“We’ve got it covered! My Uncle’s got a big truck we’re gonna put everythin’ in it and try to get it all done in one trip. Miky was already kind enough to have some of his boys pack up most of my things.” Mezuma walked over to one of her bags and pulled out clothes to change into. “Besides, I know when we come back here, you’re gonna worm your way into helpin’.”
“You caught me.” Nona held her hands up in surrender and watched her girlfriend get dressed.
“If you promise to rest before we come back, I’ll let you help.” Mezuma sat on the edge of the bed next to Nona once she was fully dressed.
“I promisth.”
“Good.” she cupped the back of Nona’s head and pulled her into a kiss. “I’ve got food waitin’ for ya in the kitchen, eat when you’re ready.”
“Yesth, ma’am.”
“Behave.” she stood up again and left the bedroom to go gather her things, “I love you!” was the last thing she called out before she left the apartment.
~~~
“She got shot in the mouth?”
Mezuma was sitting in the passenger side of her Uncle’s truck. They had just finished packing up all of her things into the back of the vehicle and were on their way to Nona’s apartment.
“She’s already mostly healed, Uncle Hue!” she said quickly. “I mean she has this cute little lisp right now, but other than that she’s fine.”
“I knew she was a tough gal but, wow. You sure know how to pick em, kiddo.”
“You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“Why would I be mad at ya?”
“I dunno.” Mezuma picked at the hem of her shorts.
“Look kid,” Hue placed one of his big hands on top of her head and ruffled up her hair. “You a grown ass woman. I can’t be the one to tell ya who to date and who not to date. The only thing I care about is that you’re bein’ takin’ care of and whoever you’re datin’ is treatin’ ya with respect.”
“What about the rest of the family?”
“Let me take care of em.” Hue waved his hand, dismissively, in the air. “Sure she’s a powerful demon, but she ain’t anythin’ like that mook Kozic, is she?”
“Hell no.” Mezuma made a face and shoved at her uncle’s shoulder. “Don’t even compare her to that dickhead.”
“I’m just makin’ sure, Mimi.” he chuckled and shoved her back. “He’s lucky he didn’t hafta deal with me. I wanted to rip the greasy hair off that little weasel’s head.”
“Well you missed your chance. I think Mikla dealt with him.”
“Good riddance. That guy was a class A jackass.” he turned down the street to the apartment and pulled up in front of the building. “This a nice place.”
“It’s safe too.” Mezuma slid out of the front seat of the truck before climbing into the back where all her stuff was.
“Should take us a couple trips.” Hue started taking boxes that Mezuma was unloading from the truck and putting them in front of the building.
“Nona should be down soon. I texted her when we was drivin’ here.”
“Kid gets shot in the mouth last night and she’s gonna help ya move your shit?”
“I had to make her stay home from comin’ with me to my apartment earlier.” Mezuma smiled when Nona walked out the front door to the building. She waited until the other woman got close enough before she jumped off the back of the truck into Nona’s, who immediately caught her. “Hi.”
“Hello.” Nona put her down with a smile.
“Nona, this is my uncle Hue.” she took Nona’s hand and pulled her over to her uncle. “Uncle Hue.. this is Nona.”
“Hello, sir.”
“Sheesh, with the formalities? Just Hue is fine, kiddo.” he grinned and took Nona’s hand in his for a firm handshake. “Great to meet ya. Mimi here has told me a lot about ya.”
“Nothing alarming, I hope.”
“Apparently just the usual, you gottin’ shot in the face, all that shit.” Hue laughed, deep from his belly, and hiked up a couple of boxes onto his shoulder. “What floor these bad boys goin’?”
“13th floor. The door should be open.”
“Killer.” Hue shouldered his way through the front door and disappeared into the elevator.
“I think he likes you.” Mezuma said with a smile.
“He is a very intimidating demon.”
“I thought you didn’t get intimidated?”
“I don’t. But I know an intimidating demon when I see one.” Nona helped Mezuma climb into the back of the truck. “How are you sure he likes me?”
“He’s got ya callin’ him Hue. Kozic never moved past ‘sir’ in the 11 months we was datin’.” Mezuma handed Nona one of the boxes. “’sides, he wouldn’t have agreed to help me move in with ya if he hated ya.”
They moved a few of the boxes from the truck to the sidewalk before Hue returned to help them empty the back of the truck. Then, the three of them started picking up boxes from the sidewalk and taking them into the elevator together. It only took two trips before they were down to the last couple boxes.
“Nona, hows about you help me with these last two boxes and Mezuma gets us some drinks, eh?” he sent his niece a wink and left the apartment with Nona. “This a nice place ya got here, kiddo.”
“Oserious insisted I move here.” The two of them stepped into the elevator together. “He also insisted on paying for it.”
“He’s a good demon.” Hue leaned up casually against the wall after he pressed the button for the bottom floor. “He came to our gang one day lookin’ to make a deal with us.”
“Did he?” Nona asked, unaware of this information.
“Oserious is a smart business man.” Hue explained. “When he started out, he appealed to big money type demons, cause he needed the financial back up for his project. After he made his business, he’d go down to the poorer areas to help out some of the worse off demons. He knew, morally, it was unfair that the rich can afford better protection cause they got the money for it while the poor had to continue suffering. But he appreciated the work that demons like me and my gang were doin’ more than those money bags he works with.”
“Did you take the deal then?”
“Not his initial deal, no. See, we ain’t a particularly violent gang. We’re more of a... neighborhood watch than anythin’. Oserious respected that. But he switched his offer from weapons to money. And well.. we couldn’t say no to that offer.” Hue chuckled and walked out the elevator when the doors opened. “We used those funds to help fix up some of the houses in the neighborhood.”
“That’s... wonderfully generous.”
“A strong community is a happy community.” Hue went to the remaining boxes and handed Nona a couple of them. “We take care of our own and anyone else that otherwise can’t take care of themselves, Nona.”
“That is a good philosophy to live by.” she accepted the boxes from him and followed him back to the elevator when he grabbed the last two.
“It includes you now too, kiddo.”
“Me?” Nona looked over at him in surprise.
“Not that you need it, yous a strong gal.” he winked at her and playfully nudged her shoulder as they stepped into the elevator. “But what you doin’ for my niece means the world to me, you’ve no idea. She ain’t talk about any of her dates the way she talks about you. And the way she talks about you reminds me of me and my Lazula.”
“She talks about me often then?” Nona asked, smiling softly to herself.
“A chatterbox that one. Mimi calls me two to three times a week, to catch up yanno she’s gots lots of cousins and nieces and nephews she likes checkin’ in on em, but she always talks about you and it’s always good. So whatever it is you’re doin’, keep doin’ it, cause you’re makin’ my niece the happiest she’s been in a long while.” he left the elevator with Nona behind him back to her apartment.
“Got yous guys some water.” Mezuma held up two glasses of ice water when they walked into the apartment. “I think I got beer in the fridge if you want that, Uncle Hue.”
“Nah, water’s great, Mimi.” Hue set down the boxes over by the pile of Mezuma’s things before taking the water from his niece and gulping down half of it. “‘sides, I gotta head out now. I’m droppin’ the kids off with Uncle Janies to watch em. It’s date night for me and the Miss.”
“Tell Auntie Lula I said ‘hey’.” Mezuma went in for a hug from her uncle, laughing when he picked her up and squeezed her.
“You two take care, yeah?” he smiled at Nona and brought her in for a hug. “The weather’s gettin’ nicer, the two of yous should come over for some grillin’.”
“That sounds.. delightful.” Nona awkwardly patted his back in reciprocation from the hug.
“Great! I’ll talk to ya tomorrow, Mimi.” Hue went back to Mezuma to kiss her cheek, and disappeared into the hallway towards the elevator.
“Whatcha guys talk about?” Mezuma asked, after she closed the door to the apartment.
“Just confirming what you said.” Nona smiled and wrapped her arms around Mezuma. “He does in fact like me.”
“Good.” Mezuma responded with a smile. “What did he say, exactly?”
“Keep doing what I’m doing.” Nona gingerly cupped her girlfriends face in her hands. “He’s happy you’re happy.”
“I am happy.” she laughed. “I’ll be even happier when I unpack my stuff and glam up this boring apartment.”
“How dare you. My apartment is not boring.”
“It wont be when I’m done.” she laughed again. “Besides, it’s OUR apartment now.”
“Our apartment.” Nona repeated with wonder in her voice. She looked around at all the boxes scattered around the floor of the apartment, already filled with more life than her five years of living here on her own. Then she looked back at the shorter woman in her arms and smiled down at her. “Welcome home.”