6 IV

"Every time I come in here, this booth is either empty or occupied by you. Is this a private table or some shit?" Roger asked the Hellguard, and there was a certain tone to his voice that had Aries curling his fists.

Lizbeth arched a brow. "Yes," she replied simply.

Roger's nose wrinkled. "So, what, you're just a bunch of privileged skanks?"

Aries made to launch himself at the man, but Gemma gripped his arm and he stood down. "We are the Hellguard. And if you don't walk away right now, I will remove your legs from your body and shove them straight up your ass," Lizbeth snarled, all easy smirks and teasing erased without a trace.

Roger didn't react and simply spat on Lizbeth's boots. "Bitch," he muttered, making to turn away. But he didn't get the chance. Aries tore away from Gemma's grip, launching himself at the man. Summoning a curved obsidian blade from midair, Aries shoved it up against Roger's throat as he put the man into a chokehold.

"Talk to any Hellguardian like that again and you won't walk away," Aries whispered into Roger's ear before he stepped away and let the man scurry off. The pub was dead silent for a few moments before chatter erupted between customers again. Aries took his seat again next to Gemma, clenching his jaw. "I wanted to kill that little shithead," he seethed.

Asha shrugged. "Let him live with his idiocy," he commented, sipping her soda idly.

Shawn shot Aries a glare. "You shouldn't have even pulled out your sword. We shouldn't be attacking civilians."

Aries shrugged. "I don't regret it."Shawn scowled. Being the leader of a team of deadly, hot-headed demons was no easy task. It was a miracle he had managed to keep his sanity all these years.

"How about we go back to the castle and try on those fancy new outfits for the Ball?" Lizbeth asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Samuel shrugged. "Why not?"

Gemma nodded, grinning. "Sounds great. I'll get a box." She stood up and walked up to the bar, grabbing a box from Gary before heading back over.

After the group packed up their food rather sloppily and made their way out of the pub, Samuel stretched out their limbs, yawning. "Okay, can you ladies make the wind take us to the castle or something? I don't really know how the whole 'air' thing works," he looked at Lizbeth, Gemma, and Asha.

Asha sighed. "We can manipulate air, that's what it means. It doesn't mean we can fly."

Gemma frowned. "The castle isn't that far away. We could probably summon something strong enough."

Lizbeth shrugged, flicking her wrist. A huge gust of wind blew through the streets and combined with the power from Asha and Gemma, the winds were collectively manipulated to levitate them and their company up to a nearby castle balcony, which turned out to lead to Shawn's room. "Well, that was convenient," Gemma commented as Shawn strode into his room, coming back with a very large box labeled Hellguard Ball Attire.

"Here it is," Shawn announced and the group gathered around him. "Aries, I need a knife." Aries snapped his fingers and a small knife appeared in his hand, which he handed to Shawn. "Here we go," Shawn muttered as he pulled out the first pile of clothes, labeled Asha. "Ash, this one's for you."

The blue-haired demon blinked, taking the heap of clothing from her leader. They held up a black suit, complete with a hood and cape. "This is the shit," Asha muttered, grinning. He also found a pair of thigh-high black boots and black gloves.

Samuel's outfit consisted of a layered black shirt, beige pants, black combat boots, a red sash, and a red cape. He was very disappointed when there was no hood to be found, and Asha decided to gloat about it throughout the entire time the group was on the balcony.

Lizbeth instantly fell in love with her attire. She too was given a hood, which only fueled Samuel's disappointment. Lizbeth was given a red halter-top that spread out behind her in an imitation of a cape. She was also supposed to wear a pair of grey pants underneath knee-high armored boots, as well as a pair of grey gloves.

Aries was surprisingly pleased with what he was given: a blue coat and red cape, breathable grey pants, knee-high armored boots, and a pair of armored gloves. Unlike Samuel, however, he was not disappointed in the fact that he was not given a hood, telling him that he would 'rather let his beautiful face be seen and admired.' Lizbeth, in turn, smacked him.

Gemma was next. She was very happy with the outfit she was given, although she joined Samuel in the 'No Hoods and Sad About It' club. Gemma's attire consisted of a purple-grey jacket, beige pants, a long red cape, and black thigh-high boots and gloves. "Wow," Gemma chuckled. "This is awesome."

Shawn's outfit came last. He was to wear a black jacket with a red cape draped over his shoulder, brown pants, deep brown knee-high boots, and deep brown gloves. "Yeah, you're not kidding, Gem," Shawn muttered, looking over his attire. This would certainly turn some heads.

"Well I don't know about all of you, but I'm putting this on right now," Lizbeth announced and left the balcony, walking through Shawn's room and leaving down the hallway to get to her own room.

Gemma chuckled, turning to Shawn. "Permission to leave, boss?" she asked mockingly, but didn't hear his answer as she left after Lizbeth.

Sam shook his head, laughing. "Those two are like peas in a pod." Their light brown hair glowed golden in the dying sunlight.

Asha nodded. "Well, I think I'm gonna hit the sack. It's late and we have to travel to Celestia tomorrow. Cya," she waved and exited the same way Lizbeth and Gemma had.

That only left Sam, Aries, and Shawn. The latter seemed to be staring off into space, possibly thinking about tomorrow and the chaos that his Guard might cause. Samuel decided to take his leave and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

"You've been unusually quiet today," Shawn commented as Aries fiddled with a small throwing star he had conjured up. "Is something wrong?"

"Mind your own business, Shawn," Aries growled and stalked away from the balcony. Shawn said nothing and simply watched the rising moon.

Aries slammed his door shut, jaw clenched. "I hate everything," he grumbled for the second time that day, flopping face-up onto his bed. Shawn was right; he had been quieter than usual today. Aries ran a hand through his hair, scowling. He hated the Ball. All of those pompous angels wandering around in fancy ball gowns and tailored suits, drinking champagne and eating scones. It made him want to puke. Aries had always hated the angels, ever since they invaded Hella and slaughtered half the population, including Aries's parents. That was fourteen years ago, but Aries still held a grudge. However, he knew that acting up at the Ball, especially when it was hosted in Celestia, would mean severe punishment, from Shawn and the King.

Aries heaved a sigh, closing his eyes and letting sleep come in.

Lizbeth, however, felt quite the opposite. She hummed to herself, changing out of her leather jacket and into a cotton tank top. She loved the Winter Ball; it was the one night a year she was able to let go of all of her worries for her beloved kingdom and pretend everything was fine.

Hella wasn't perfect, but it was her home, and she loved it dearly. So when the King allowed her to protect it by becoming a Hellguardian, she jumped at the offer. But there was only so much she and the rest of the Guard could do. Illness and overpopulation were serious issues in certain areas of Hella, while other parts of the kingdom were underpopulated but very healthy.

The Winter Ball gave Lizbeth a chance to let go of the weight on her shoulders - the weight of saving her kingdom - and just laugh with her friends, and stuff her face with jellies and cake and scones. She did resent Celestia for all they had that Hella did not, but she also knew that it wasn't something she could fix with the snap of her fingers.

So Lizbeth pulled the covers over her head and slowly fell asleep, thinking of hoods and swords and cake.