Aria heard her alarm go off in her ears, the sound of gentle bells turning off once she mumbled out loud for them to turn off as she groaned. It was way too early as she rolled over, her arms wrapping around her husband's chest, which was especially soft and warm that morning, making her feel nice and safe. Why did she set her alarm so early, she wondered? Her mind didn't want to remember as her whole body ached, telling her to just go back to sleep!
"Hmm...I love you, honey," Aria whispered to her husband lovingly, trying to ignore an obnoxious headache right behind her eyes as she snuggled closer, while the smell of a sweet cologne and something that smelled strongly of sour alcohol hit her nose, making her wrinkle it in confusion.
"Ah yeah, you do," a vaguely familiar, male voice mumbled groggily in a slurred New York accent, making Aria's eyes snap open in shock as she saw she was holding onto a rather fluffy, white torso with a familiar heart shape on it, making Aria's face suddenly flush scarlet as two sets of arms suddenly wrapped around her! "Ugh...now I might've been paid to fuck ya, but let me at least sleep off this hangover. It's way too early to be getting anything up, anyway...except maybe morning wood."
Aria screamed at the top of her lungs as she flung four arms off of her, ran to the other side of the room, and turned on the lights! Lying there in her bed, half naked, and obviously suffering from a hangover and little sleep was Angel Dust! His white hair was disheveled with the pink dots in his hair looking askew, looking quite comfortable just lying there as he leaned on two arms, while one held his head in pain, while the other lay where Aria had been.
"Why...you...what in...why!? ALASTOR'S SHADOW!" Aria stammered out helplessly, her voice rising at the end of her sentence, betraying her emotional distress as Alastor's shadow manifested, his diabolical grin looking surprised as she pointed at Angel Dust! "What is HE doing here!?"
"Hey! Keep it down, toots! Why are ya screaming? You're the one who paid me to...wait a minute," Angel Dust said defensively, but it petered out as his eyes gained more focus as he looked around himself, looking puzzled as his eyes rested on her. "This room kinda looks familiar. In fact, ya kinda look familiar. Don't I know ya from somewhere?"
"I'm Aria! Ariathe June, to you, and I'm that 'dark princess' you talked to in passing in the lobby last night!" Aria answered angrily, her body almost shaking with the adrenaline that was coursing through her right then as she pointed at Angel Dust, and then at Alastor's shadow accusingly! "YOU aren't supposed to be here, and YOU were supposed to keep HIM out!"
"Ugh...now I get it," Angel Dust groaned tiredly and in pain as he sat up, a clawed, white hand still holding his head as he moved the covers off himself with his other hand, making Aria shriek in protest as she haphazardly turned around, her whole body blushing furiously as she realized he had no pants on! "I must've accidentally gone into that room right next door to mine, again. I sneak into the hotel, sometimes, when I've had too much liquor or drugs just so I don't get a lecture from that bitch, Vaggie! Kinda surprised ya didn't lock the window, though, if ya didn't want uninvited guests, princess!"
"I didn't know my window could be opened from the outside, let alone that I had to lock it!" Aria said defensively, her face blushing furiously as she made sure not to turn around until Alastor's shadow had turned around, first, his body language annoyed and his distorted smile stiff and uncomfortable as Aria realized she'd been right that Angel Dust was a male as he finally put on some pants. "And while we're at it, why in the world did you think to keep your boots on, but not your pants!?"
"What? You didn't enjoy the view?" Angel Dust asked seductively as he struck an erotic pose, making Aria's blush deepen, her flustered, angry feelings boiling over as she suddenly activated her angelic powers, waved a hand at Angel Dust, making him lift off the bed as she opened her hotel room door with a wave of her other hand, and flung him out of it! "Whoa!"
"And stay out!" Aria shouted through her open door as she pelted his bow tie, his coat, and his gloves at him before slamming the door in his face!
"Heh! That wasn't what you were saying in your sleep last night, princess!" Angel Dust said with a laugh as a muffled scream of frustration and anger filtered through Aria's closed door as he dusted himself off and grabbed his clothes as he found the key to his hotel room in his coat pocket. "Well, at least Fat Nuggets will be glad to see me!"
Aria heard Angel Dust open his door, greet something called "Fat Nuggets", and then she heard him close and lock his door behind him. Aria let out a groan, her body feeling really high strung as she leaned against her hotel room door for support. Aria quickly went to the window, locked it, and closed the curtains roughly for emphasis, her face still flushed from the overwhelming embarrassment!
As Aria looked at her messy bed, her mind reeling at what had just happened to her, she walked towards it, and started to make it by hand to try and calm her nerves. Alastor's shadow, meanwhile, appeared across from her on the other side of the bed. His creepy smile at least had the decency to look a little embarrassed.
"You know, I can see why God warned me not to rely on the powers of Hell last night!" Aria growled in frustration, her hands making the bed with practiced ease as the familiar rhythm slowly started to calm her down, but the adrenaline rush from her encounter made her antsy! "I guess we should both be glad that a murderous psychopath didn't just come through the window last night! I'm beginning to see that I really need to stop taking for granted the normal, safety precautions I'm used to on Earth! Stupid demons making hotel windows that can be opened easily from the outside!"
Aria watched as Alastor's shadow held a smile of agitation, his body language swift and expressive as his form changed to Aria sleeping in her bed, while the silhouette of Alastor's shadow watched over her. The distraction of Husker going into the room next door to feed what looked like a little pig to Aria played out as Alastor's shadow then displayed a dark silhouette of Angel Dust sneaking in while Alastor's shadow was distracted. When the shadow drama ended with Alastor's shadow clearly trying to argue his innocence with how he guessed things had played out last night, Aria wasn't sure the shadow was apologetic, since his distorted, stretched out, toothy grin looked almost exactly the same.
"If you're trying to get me to feel badly about your situation, it isn't working!" Aria said angrily with a huff and a shake of her head as she finished making the bed and headed over to the bathroom, her feet pounding against the maroon carpeting in protest! "You're not off the hook for messing up last night, and I warned you what would happen if you botched it! We'll see what Alastor has to say about it when he comes to take me on this little tour of Hell! You're going to need to tell Alastor which room I'm in, though, so you better go now, while I get ready. Sigh...at least my fatigue is gone, thanks to my unexpectedly effective wake-up call!"
Alastor's shadow was clearly not happy with her answer as a strained smile manifested on his face, but he took the hint as he disappeared under her hotel room door, while she quickly tried to decide what to wear. Listening to some hymns to calm herself down, she went through a few different outfits before she settled on a dark purple, very long tunic dress with the ragged edges of her skirt brushing up to the middle of her calves, long sleeves forming over her arms with jagged edges at the wrists, while the collar sported the familiar star shape she was now used to. She wore tight-fitting, thick, black pants that smoothly hugged her legs all the way to her ankles as black socks and simple, black dress shoes made for walking appeared on her feet. The choker and hair clip remained the same as Aria debated with herself for a while before she chose to add a very slim, black belt with a tiny rose at the center of her tunic, placing it near her waist, completing the outfit.
"Wait, what's this?" Aria asked herself as she checked the pockets of her tunic as she found a familiar, red handkerchief inside it, bringing both pleasant and unpleasant memories to her mind. "I almost forgot about it. I better wash it and leave it out to dry so I can give it back to him, later."
"Okay...what time is it?" Aria asked herself aloud, feeling a little calmer as she washed the red handkerchief and hung it up to dry, while she brushed out her auburn hair with red tips before deciding to leave it down for the day.
That's when "shave and a haircut" knocked on her door, making her think of her childhood when she used to knock that way. It could only be one person as Aria suddenly got very nervous. Aria tried to remember her counsel from the Lord and her scripture study from the night before as she took a deep breath, said a quick prayer in her heart for protection and guidance, turned off the hymns playing from her choker, and walked out of the bathroom with a nervous smile as she answered the door.
As she opened it, the sound of a brisk, energetic, old-fashioned song filled the air as the sound of Alastor humming along with the tune was rather charming to Aria as he looked at her. Alastor wore the same suit jacket, inner jacket, slacks, shoes, and bow tie from yesterday, making Aria wonder if he had multiple suits of the same design or if he just really liked this one in particular. Aria knew better than to ask, however, knowing he'd probably find it rather rude. He looked just as dapper as ever, making Aria sigh as thoughts of her husband came to mind, making her suddenly wish she could throw Angel Dust out another door, again, as her cheeks blushed with how she'd mistaken him for her husband that morning!
"Why, good morning, Miss Aria!" Alastor greeted her energetically, his smile stretching from ear to ear as he held his staff in his right hand, while his left hand waved elegantly at her as he put it behind him, making his perfect posture stand out. "I'm glad to see you're awake and ready to go in a timely manner! Thank you, by the way, for sending word to me by my shadow! How did you two fair last night?"
"You should ask your shadow," Aria said rather curtly as she frowned at Alastor's shadow on the floor as she momentarily saw a pair of glowing eyes and a glowing, sly smile appear in it as she let out a huff as she walked out of her hotel room, closed her door, and started walking down the hallway with Alastor.
"Oh?" Alastor asked, a curious smile forming on his face as he adjusted his monocle as he peered at his shadow, who manifested next to Alastor, his wicked smile broadening profusely as Aria realized Alastor's shadow was unusually carefree in his demeanor. "He didn't mention anything when he came to get me. Did something go awry last night?"
"He was rather distracted, to say the least," Aria explained with as much patience as she could muster, her blood boiling just thinking about it as her cheeks burned at the thought of how embarrassing it had been. "Let's just say that I myself had to kick out an uninvited guest out of my hotel room this morning, no thanks to him!"
"Oh really? How very odd that he didn't mention it!" Alastor said, his smile amused, yet his eyes narrowed at her as the brisk, old-timey music grew quieter in the background as he put an arm around her shoulders as he leaned in close with a sly smile on his face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were telling a tall tale just to be rid of my shadow!"
"What!?" Aria exclaimed, her face flushing from the accusation as she extracted herself from Alastor as she put her hands on her hips as she stopped in the middle of the hallway and then gestured an open hand to Alastor's shadow! "You think that I'd lie just to be rid of him!? Do you have any idea how incredibly dangerous and irresponsible it was that he overlooked a demon sneaking into my room in the middle of the night!? You know how incredibly helpless I was!"
"Well, if that really is the case, then where is the demon that so rudely snuck into your private chambers, hmm?" Alastor asked expectantly, the amusement in his voice giving Aria the feeling he didn't believe her as he smiled a bit too smugly as he gestured to her in a quizzical way.
"...I really don't want to talk about it," Aria answered reluctantly, the burning sensation on her cheeks making her feel foolish as she spied the wicked smile of triumph on Alastor's shadow's face, making her glare at him as she suddenly realized something! "Why you! You didn't tell him because you wanted to hear me tell it all and watch as I nearly die of embarrassment! You diabolical, two-faced-"
"Ahem! I believe I asked you a question, Miss Aria, not my shadow!" Alastor interjected in the middle of her tirade, his amused smile fuller and wider as the sound of whistle blew like it was for a timeout as he suddenly linked an arm through hers and started to walk down the hallway, again, giving Aria no choice but to follow suit as she glared daggers at his shadow! "As amusing as this conversation is, we have a lot of ground to cover and only so much time to do it in! So, please, do try and pick up the pace, for I still haven't had my morning cup of coffee! You don't want to see what happens if we don't make it in time to my favorite cafe soon, my dear! Trust me...it isn't particularly pleasant."
Aria felt Alastor's grip tighten on her arm as the upbeat, old-timey song in the background suddenly ended, making Aria realize it may be wise not to antagonize The Radio Demon further as she swallowed her pride and got to the point.
"Sigh...it was Angel Dust," Aria confessed, unable to look at Alastor or his shadow as her body and face grew hot at the close contact coupled with the embarrassing moment she was about to painfully divulge. "I...I found him in my bed this morning after my alarm went off! There was no warning, I had no idea how he snuck in until he told me himself, and to top it all off, your shadow did absolutely nothing to stop it! Before you jump in, you shadowy upstart, I'm going to tell him about you getting distracted by Husker! Apparently, probably around the exact same time Angel Dust snuck into my hotel room through my window, Husker was feeding a pet of Angel Dust's, which your shadow was keeping an eye on. Your shadow's the one who told me about Husker and he insists he's innocent of any wrongdoing, but I still woke up to a demon in my bed, and I would've happily lived my entire afterlife not having to see that!"
"Angel Dust?" Alastor asked, raising an eyebrow at her as the sound of a radio tuning surrounding him, while his smile looked rather reserved as Alastor's shadow's smile was so wide with glee, Aria's skin broke out in goosebumps at the distortion of his creepy face. "I would've expected him to sneak into his own room, my dear, not yours! Is there still more you aren't telling me, given his room is right next door to your own?"
"He was suffering from a hangover this morning when he tried to sneak into the hotel and miscalculated which window was his," Aria explained quickly, her face growing hotter as Alastor's toothy smile grew rather suspicious, making Aria wince with dread as they made their way through the lobby. "I swear that's all there was! To be fair, no harm came to me despite the unpleasant encounter, and it could've been a lot worse, so can we please talk about something else?"
"Hmm! You insist, my dear, that nothing else happened to you, but your face is rather red and has grown redder, still, the more you explain yourself!" Alastor pointed out with a devilishly full smile, but then he shrugged as he twirled her out of his arms as he let go of her and continued to walk towards the front door of the hotel, looking back at her with a playful grin on his face as Aria tried to quickly recover from the change of pace. "I'll admit, I suspect that you're withholding something from me, but I'll let you off the hook if you'll please indulge my insistence that you keep my shadow with you awhile longer! If what you said is true, then my shadow needs to be more vigilant! If not, you did come through the night without me having to find your corpse this morning, so really, there's no need to reprimand my shadow, now, is there?"
"I guess not," Aria answered grumpily, eyeing Alastor's shadow with resentment as she watched it gloat at her from the shadows, clearly unapologetic at his antics as he disappeared back into a normal shadow. "I'll say this much, though. I honestly prefer being with you, Alastor, than your shadowy counterpart!"
"How very flattering, given the attitude you started out with yesterday!" Alastor pointed out with a grin as he opened the front door for her, while his shadow pulled at her hair, making her turn around at him in anger as he laughed silently at her! "However, your animosity towards my shadow is unbecoming of an angel, my dear! Learn from your own mistakes, first, before turning your ire on others. After all, my shadow didn't leave the window open last night, now, did he?"
"For the last time, I didn't know it could be opened from the outside!" Aria cried out defensively as she rubbed at her head where Alastor's shadow had pulled on her hair, making her wonder how she'd ever get along with such a shadowy troublemaker!