After Shendu intentionally has the Dark Hand locked up in Hollowland's penitentiary where the second Demon Portal is and Jackie infiltrates them as an inmate, Valerie ends up getting herself in the prison as well. A retelling of "Rumble in the Big House".
- Adaptational Badass: A minor example; when Xiao Fung told Shendu that he's sick of trying to navigate the underground tunnels in the canon episode, Shendu tried to hide inside Valmont to avoid his brother's wrath. He doesn't do that in this story because he has to make sure Xiao Fung won't eat Valerie.
- Affectionate Nickname: Lee, the old friend of Valerie's father, calls her "Sunshine", while she in turn calls him "Uncle Lee".
- Call-Back: Valmont brings up that Shendu had him dig into Valerie's background in the beginning of the fic, which led to him also learning about the crooks in Hollowlands whom her father arrested.
- Chekhov's Skill: Jackie teaches Valerie to do a counter attack right after a sweeping block. She utilizes this lesson in the next chapter.
- Cliffhanger: Xiao Fung reunites with his siblings in the Netherworld to tell them that Valerie is Shendu's Other.
- Cry into Chest: When Valerie runs by chance into her father's killer in the prison and realizes that he doesn't remember her, she's outraged by grief. After Shendu scares the man away, she breaks down against his chest, forgetting for a moment from who she's seeking comfort.
- From Dress to Dressing: After Valerie cuts her palm in the tunnels, she tears a strip out of her blouse and uses it as a bandage.
- Heroic Vow: Shendu surprises Valerie by vowing that no matter how long it'll take, he'll win her affection without harming her or forcing her into something she doesn't want to.
- Honorary Uncle: One of the guards in Hollowland's penitentiary is an old friend of Valerie's father, and she calls him "Uncle Lee".
- Idiot Ball: Valerie calls Hollowland's penitentiary to ask about Jackie despite not knowing his false name, and when she's told that one of the newest prisoners has landed himself in solitary confinement, she assumes without solid proof that it's Jackie and rushes to meet him. She ends up berating herself after she finds herself in a locked cell with Shendu.
- Internal Reveal: Xiao Fung discovers Valerie's Other-connection with Shendu and proceeds to share it with the rest of his siblings.
- Love Letter: Shendu has started sending these to Valerie in response to her "challenge" of making her fall in love with him.Valerie: So you picked letters for romance?
Shendu: The romanticism in letter writing is becoming a lost art in the modern age, I thought it quite the pretty little message. - Non-Answer: Valerie and Shendu have this exchange in his cell:Valerie: Do you even know what love is Shendu? Do you even know how to feel a positive emotion for anyone other than yourself?
Shendu: I know a great many things. The pleasures of the body are not a mystery unto demons.
Valerie: Th-that's not what I meant… - Oh, Crap!: Valerie has this when she discovers that the inmate she came to visit in a locked cell is Shendu instead of Jackie.
- Perverted Sniffing: While vowing to win Valerie's love, Shendu takes an obvious inhale of her scent.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Valerie does this while arguing with Shendu about the latter's decision to complete her "challenge" and make her fall in love with him.Valerie: When are you going to get it through your thick skull?! That. Won't. Happen!
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: When Valerie's palm bleeds in the tunnels, Shendu acts like he's trying to restrain himself. Guessing that her blood's scent has triggered a predatory instinct in him, she bandages her wound, and Shendu settles down. Xiao Fung's thoughts reveal that Shendu was actually reacting to the chi in Valerie's blood calling out for his own.
- Sins of Our Fathers: Discussed. In order to mock Shendu, Valmont reveals that many criminals Valerie's father arrested are their fellow inmates and guesses that since they likely know he's dead, they'd hurt Valerie in his stead if they ever encountered her. Shendu later brings this up to Valerie in order to convince her to remain in the solitary confinement wing with him.
- That Liar Lies: When Valerie lies to Shendu that she threw away all his letters, he sees through it and harshly calls her a liar even as he looks at her smugly.
- To Serve Man: When Xiao Fung gets tired of trying to find a way out of the maze of underground tunnels, he considers eating Valerie for snatch before Shendu forbids it.
- Trauma Button: Running into the young man who killed her father results in Valerie screaming her grief and horror at the top of her lungs.
- Villain Has a Point: Shendu tells Valerie that she'd better not to venture in the main cell block because her chances of leaving the prison unharmed are better with him rather than inmates who have not only murderers and rapists among them, but some of them would likely hurt her to get back at her father. She begrudgingly admits to herself that he's right.
