Max was on his way to meet Poppi and Cherri when someone suddenly grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against a brick wall hard enough to crack it.
Bright pink smoke filled the alleyway.
"Well, well," Valentino hissed, his glowing eyes narrowed behind tinted glasses. "Whatever the fuck you did to Angel, change her back."
Max looked down at the moth Overlord's hand gripping his coat.
"What are you talking about?"
Valentino's expression twisted with irritation.
"Every person who tries to touch her new pussy gets their balls crushed and thrown across the damn room," he snarled. "My actors are terrified of her now."
Max blinked once.
"Huh. Didn't know the contract did that."
Valentino's grip tightened.
"You think this is funny?"
Max's eyes slowly glowed crimson.
"Personally?" he said calmly. "I think it's hilarious."
Black fire suddenly ignited across Valentino's arm.
The Overlord hissed and let go immediately, smoke rising from his fur as he stumbled back.
"You fucker!"
Valentino instantly pulled out two ornate pistols and unloaded both into Max's chest.
The bullets hit.
Then flattened harmlessly against his skin before dropping to the ground.
The alley went silent.
Max slowly looked down at the bullets near his feet before staring back up at Valentino.
"Sorry," Max said, cracking his knuckles. "But now I'm pissed."
Dark red energy flickered around him as shadows spread across the alley floor.
"And I've wanted to beat your ass for a while now."
Before either of them could move, a bomb landed between them.
"Oh shit—"
BOOM.
The explosion filled the alley with smoke, sparks, and confetti-colored fire.
A second later, Max felt himself yanked backward through the shadows.
When the smoke cleared, Valentino was alone.
Meanwhile, several rooftops away, Poppi finally let go of Max's arm.
"Sorry, hun," she said, slightly out of breath. "But you can't kill him yet. As much as I want you to."
Max dusted ash off his coat.
"Really testing my patience here."
Poppi winced slightly.
"Yeah… about that. I actually needed to talk to you."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds serious."
"It is." She sighed before sitting on the edge of the rooftop. "It's about canon."
Max immediately groaned.
"Nope. Absolutely not. I don't want spoilers. I just want to enjoy my life."
Poppi rolled her eyes.
"I'm not giving spoilers. I'm giving advice. There's a difference."
Max reluctantly summoned a small table and two chairs from shadow magic before sitting down.
"Fine," he muttered. "I'm guessing this has something to do with Valentino."
"Partly." Poppi crossed one leg over the other. "Listen carefully. You need to stop drawing so much attention to yourself."
Max tilted his head.
"Elaborate."
"You can't look like the strongest sinner in Hell," Poppi said seriously. "Not yet. The Vees, the Overlords, Heaven… everybody watches power. The second you look untouchable, everything changes."
Max was quiet for a moment.
"…Okay."
Poppi blinked.
"That's it?"
"I trust you," Max answered immediately. "And I really don't want spoilers. I hate spoilers."
That actually caught her off guard.
"Wow," she admitted. "I thought I'd have to argue with you."
Max leaned back in his chair.
"I just want to protect everyone. That's all."
Poppi's expression softened slightly before she pointed at him.
"Then start acting like Angel's boyfriend."
Max nearly choked on the tea he had just summoned.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm serious!" Poppi laughed. "You're too careful around her. Angel likes confidence. Be a little aggressive. Grab her waist, pin her against a wal fir a kiss, smack her ass, flirt back—something."
Max coughed violently into his drink.
"Angel literally said the same thing…"
"Hah! I knew it!"
Poppi grinned proudly before leaning forward.
"Look, Angel's changing. The contract already started affecting her."
Max frowned slightly.
"How?"
"Well, for starters, drugs don't hit her nearly as hard anymore. She cleans herself up almost immediately after shoots now, and she's been rushing through work just to get back to the hotel."
Max's expression darkened slightly at the mention of Valentino.
"She's trying," Poppi continued more quietly. "Probably harder than anybody realizes."
That honestly hit harder than Max expected.
"She acts flirty and dramatic all the time," Poppi said, "but she's scared, Max. You make her feel safe."
Max looked away for a moment, thinking.
"I just don't want to take advantage of her."
"And that's why she likes you," Poppi said instantly. "But there's a difference between being respectful and acting emotionally constipated."
Max stared at her.
"…Emotionally constipated?"
"You heard me."
He groaned and covered his face.
"God, I hate when you make sense."
Poppi laughed before standing up.
"Trust me. Be caring, but stop acting like touching your girlfriend is illegal."
Max stood as well before stepping closer and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks," he said honestly. "I needed the talk."
Poppi froze for half a second, her face turning slightly red.
"N-no problem," she muttered quickly. "Anyway, I gotta go meet Cherri."
She started walking backward toward the edge of the rooftop.
"And Max?"
"Yeah?"
"Get home safe."
With that, she tossed a smoke bomb at her feet and vanished into the night, leaving Max alone on the rooftop with his thoughts.
"…Emotionally constipated," Max muttered to himself.
Then he sighed.
"…She's probably right."