Chapter 27

Consequences

Alucard fluttered around the hotel, searching. Master was nowhere to be found, and he was starting to feel distressed. Sometimes this would happen, where she'll stay out and come home late, but it was rare. Tonight felt strange. When he went up to her window to tap on the glass, the room looked different, smelling of adrenaline and fear. Something happened to Master!

Circling several times, he even went so far as to scan the surrounding area. Nothing. Master was gone, and something was wrong. Very wrong. He checked every window, perched on the roof, and eventually fluttered down to the entrance to wait. Where is Master? Is Master safe? Master…

After a long while, he nearly fell off his perch when a portal appeared in the lobby. Cawing in surprise he reset himself, watching through the window with ruffled feathers. After a moment of waiting, she stepped out of the other side. Master! Then the portal vanished, and he had a clear view of her.

Even through the window he smelled an unseasonal frost. Master was angry, hurt, afraid. He turned to look around, but saw no one. No one was hunting, no one was following. Master was home, and safe, and walking away from the entrance.

Excited to see her return, he flew around the building and landed on her windowsill, waiting. When she appeared again, he tapped on the glass. She opened the window for him, and he landed on her shoulder. She hissed; pain! Master was hurt! Calming and caressing him, she told him she was OK, and Alucard nuzzled and nipped in return. He understood, but did not believe. Master was hurt, Master was tired and she needed to be kept safe.

For a while he watched her sleep, abandoning his raw egg treat entirely. Food didn't matter. Sleep didn't matter. Someone hurt Master, but who? Eventually he left her alone to rest, flying around the building to return to his previous perch at the entrance. He would watch, chasing away intruders; no one would touch Master.

Someone came; tall, red, dark, but familiar. Glowing eyes and teeth. A friend of Master! Safe.

This friend didn't like him, so he remained distant. Watching. Something was off; smelled wrong. Adrenaline, anger… similar to Master's room, but stronger. Did this friend hurt Master? No, this was a good friend, always kind to Master, but…

He watched him through the window. When he disappeared into the back, Alucard took to the air once more. Find friend; listen. One flyover; nothing. Second flyover; crows. Two, no, three crows, perched on a sill. Wrong window; not Master's, not friend's. He cawed loudly, attacking with beak and talons. Chase away; leave Master's home alone!

He perched where they had been, ruffling his feathers in warning. Still, something brought them here, so he turned to look in. More adrenaline, more fear, but a new smell. The rodent demon moved inside, reeking of anxiety and despair. Another smell; danger. But the rodent is weak, too weak to hurt Master. Rodent wasn't hurt, either. But the danger he sensed only grew, and so he stayed put. Something was about to happen, and he would watch. He would make sure that there was no threat to Master.

In his dark room, Curio paced back and forth. Vox had told him that Harve's debt was dependent on how the deal went with Eliza, and despite the TV Demon's assurances, the deal fell through. In a glorious fashion, apparently, which means that his friend's debt was only marginally covered. He couldn't help but feel panicked; if somehow anyone found out he tried to sell out the Radio Demon or the therapist, he could be thrown out of the hotel. And if Alastor himself found out…

Curio heard a clicking sound and froze. Music played; smooth Jazz, specifically, and he slowly turned towards the radio. Like the rest of the hotel guests, he didn't dare try to get rid of it. Everyone knew who put them there, and no one wanted to make him angry, but for it to suddenly click on was unusual.

Sweating nervously, he slowly approached the old-timey device and clicked it back off, releasing the breath he had been holding when the music stopped. Old thing was probably faulty or something, so he shrugged and turned around. He didn't even take a step away before it clicked on again, only this time there was no music. He jumped and stumbled, crawling backwards to get away from the radio as menacing whispers began to emanate from it.

Black smoke pumped out of the speakers, and after a few terrifying moments a tall shadow-man stood in the middle of his room with a glowing, jagged smile on his dark face.

Oh shit!

"W-what are you d-d-doing here?!" he squeaked. The shade merely stood over him for a moment to enjoy the pitiful whimpers of its prey before filling out, practically bursting into blood-red and black and bearing a golden, crescent grin.

"I think you know exactly what I'm doing here, my wretched rodent friend!" The Radio Demon stared down at the cowering sinner with a glint in his eyes that made Curio's fur stand on end.

"N-nodda clue," he lied.

"I'm afraid attempts to mislead will only make this worse for you! Isn't honesty important for your redemption? After all, it's only polite to admit when you sell someone out to their enemies. For shame." Alastor tsked, wiggling a finger while continuing to leer down at the rat demon, whose heart almost jumped out of his chest.

"P-please," he whispered, his fear spiking with every step closer the Radio Demon took. "Please, I-"

"Do speak up," Alastor reprimanded playfully. "Your mumbling is insufferable!"

"I didn't have any other options," he cried. "Please, my friend Harve has a massive debt with-"

"I don't care for your excuses," the overlord dismissed. "But you see, it's very troublesome to have a spy informing my rival of my every move, especially when it almost resulted in the loss of a dear friend of mine."

When the taller man stood over him, he felt like he was about to die. Glowing eyes pinned him in place, but the teeth made him desperate to run. "I'm sorry… Please, I'm so sorry-"

"You're very lucky to be here, you know. This hotel is quite the safe-haven for low-lives such as yourself. Why, even someone as bold and powerful as I, a man with a reputation that makes even Hell's princess anxious, would be unwilling to cross the royal family. Even the woman you tried to hand over to that televised trash-heap would be angry if one of her precious clients came to harm here." Alastor watched as the rodent let out a sigh of relief, and his smile widened dangerously. "But could you imagine what would happen if our dear princess or, better yet, her overprotective partner found out that you almost ruined this hotel?"

His face fell. "W-what do you..?"

"You see," he began, circling the small demon with half-lidded, dangerous eyes, "by selling me out, you pushed forward a deal that would have resulted in the destruction of this hotel's good name. Everyone would have left, sponsors would have pulled out, and the princess would be left high and dry, unable to maintain your safe little haven. Could you imagine if dear Vagatha ever found out that you tried to destroy the princess' dream? She might even… Oh my!" He stopped his circling for a moment to cover his mouth with a clawed hand in false shock. "She might actually agree with my verdict to have you evicted from the hotel!"

Curio's breath became heavily labored as panic set in, and Alastor kept him distracted from his shadow traveling across the floor. In the corner of his eye he watched as the voodoo servant struck up a silent conversation with the rodent's shadow, the two smiling wickedly.

"No!" Curio shouted, shifting to his knees. "Please, no!" If he got kicked out, he'd become the Radio Demon's chew toy, he just knew it. He did not want to know how it felt to be torn apart by teeth and claws.

"Well, if you're serious about staying…" Alastor put a single finger up to his mouth, thoughtfully, "I suppose we could work something out."

Despite the offer of hope, the rodent's ears fell. "W-what do you want?"

The widened smile made him gulp. "Oh, nothing major, I suppose." Alastor watched as the shadows shook hands behind the rat's back and smirked. "For as long as you remain at this hotel, you must refrain from sharing information with Vox. You will also not offer any information about the hotel and its happenings with anyone other than myself… and Charlie, I suppose. And just as I shall keep the secret of your dealings, you will share this deal with no one under any circumstances."

"And you can't hurt me!" Curio added, pointing accusingly at the man.

At first, he was afraid that Alastor would lash out at him for interrupting when his eyes glowed threateningly, but then the man gave a theatrical sigh. "Oh, very well, for as long as you remain, I shall not lay a finger upon you. However," he leaned significantly close to the weaker demon's face, making him fall back onto his rump, "the moment you check out of this domicile, I will make you beg for death. Am I clear?"

He held out his left hand, which glowed a malicious green. The sound of the radio signal was deafening, and a strange wind blew him back slightly. Despite the foreboding feeling in his gut, he held his breath and shook the offered hand, looking away as the Radio Demon's form flashed into the horrifying demon he was for a moment. When he let go of his hand, he cautiously opened his eyes. Alastor stood before him, his usual tall, imposing self, but otherwise everything remained the same.

It was over.

At least, he thought it was, until he realized that the overlord was making no move to leave. "Um… did you need something-"

Shadows swirled around his fur, and he bristled. "Ah, yes, there is one more thing." Tendrils gripped his shoulders as a malicious looking shade took hold of him from behind with a malevolent glare. "You see, despite not being able to trade my information, I'm not foolish enough to think you can't find other ways to give Vox what he wants, especially if it helps your pink friend."

He freaked when the shadow tackled him to the ground. "B-but, you said-"

"-That I would not lay a finger on you? Most certainly!" Alastor chuckled as Curio struggled on the ground. "But there are many ways to keep an eye on you, my fuzzy little imbecile." When the rodent looked up at his captor, he saw that the shadow was none other than his own. "It seems your shadow does not share in your foolishness; he knows a truly auspicious deal when he sees one, and he will be the one to punish you if you step out of line! After all, how can I truly trust you to not repeat your mistake? Your failure to understand who you've crossed has already led to the making of a very idiotic decision; surely it's not far-fetched to assume the same could happen again?"

"Let me go," he begged, fighting to breathe as he felt an impossible amount of force push him into the carpet. "Please, don't hurt me. I understand now, I promise!"

"Do you?" the overlord inquired, curiously. Threateningly. "I don't think that I believe you. In my experience, people tend to underestimate how dire their circumstances really are without a little… example."

When he snapped his fingers, the shadow's assault began, and panic drove Curio into a frenzy. "No… No! NO!" He continued to scream until his treacherous shadow began to enter his mouth and nose. He felt like he was suffocating as tendrils travelled down his throat and under his skin, making him itch and squirm before being wracked with intense, indescribable pain, his veins frozen while his nerves burned. Feelings of violation and terror swept through him as he flailed helplessly, unable to scream as shadows began to bleed from his eyes and ears. He felt a sickening, wriggling sensation in his stomach as tendrils burrowed into places he'd never felt before, and his limbs started to twitch and move of their own accord.

All the while, Alastor stood over him, watching the rodent's shadow possess and torment him with a gleeful smile for several minutes. In truth, he hadn't been completely certain that Curio was the spy when he appeared. Curio was the top of his list of suspects merely because of his obnoxious tendency to snoop, particularly on Alastor's affairs, but a little intimidation made the detestable little creature cave quickly, giving himself away. Had he the sense to continue the lie, Alastor would not have had a leg to stand on in his accusations, but fear mixed with a guilty conscience did all the work for him, and he was delighted that this had been such a quick, simple hunt. Finally he snapped his fingers once more, and the torture ended. Curio laid across the floor, tears streaming down his face as he remained motionless, not even possessing the energy to throw up despite the rising nausea. Somehow the removal of the shadow felt just as bad as it's violating assault, and he whimpered pitifully.

"I would have you grovel to Eliza, too," he added thoughtfully, "but I think it'd be best if she remained as clueless as the rest as to who almost got her raped tonight." The memory of Valentino's threat made him want to punish the little rodent further, but he decided to refrain for now. Instead, he turned on his heel with an energetic flair. "Pleasant dreams, my foolish little sinner!" Looking away, he prepared to leave when he noticed a pair of familiar red eyes watching him from the window. The creature took off, but not before puffing up at the Radio Demon in warning. After a moment, Alastor vanished into the darkness with a snarl, leaving a traumatized Curio alone on the cold floor, crying weakly.

Alucard, that damnable little pest, had seen everything!

Perhaps it was the many days of terrible sleep, or just how incredibly exhausting the day before turned out to be… probably both, but Eliza slept in far longer than she had in years. By the time she had the energy to lift her head and check the clock, it was eleven in the morning. Thankfully her appointment with Matiu wasn't until early afternoon, but she was surprised no one came to bother her. Charlie and Vaggie, for one; they had wanted to talk to her yesterday, but she demanded to be left alone. Charlie might be able to wait patiently, but Vaggie should be pestering her for information by now.

Ugh, she did not want to go downstairs; those two were doubtlessly waiting. Oh well, not much to do for it except try to get it over with. Yawning and stretching, she felt surprisingly sore in many places. Strange; she didn't remember getting hit. Valentino gripped her shoulders and wrists pretty tight, but her entire back hurt and seemed to creak when she twisted it. Now that she thought of it, it could also be because she transformed into that draconic frame. Having never done so before, she had no concept of how taxing such an alteration could be. Oh well, to be determined at a later date. For now, she needed some tea; her head was way too foggy to deal with questions.

Alucard greeted her when she entered the main space, and she gave him a pat on the head. The raw egg remained untouched on her counter, and she washed it down the sink after making sure Alucard was alright. He never turned down his favorite treat. Still, she didn't fix him another one for now, seeing as he didn't seem to be all that interested in eating.

When she opened her cupboards and found that she was out of tea-bags, she just sat down in a chair and rubbed her temples in frustration. Of course! And the only way to get more is to go down to the kitchen and basically steal a box for her room. Would be nice if she could just go out and buy some, but even that would still require her to walk through the lobby, where she would very likely run into someone who had several questions for her. Or, worse yet…

Still, if she saw Alastor, she should probably at the very least thank him. After all, he was under no obligation to find her and help her out; he did that solely because he wanted to. There was simply no way he knew that she wouldn't take the deal though, so how he got there so quickly when he didn't know where she was remained an enigma for now. Surely he can't just portal to wherever he wants, right? She couldn't imagine he could just appear somewhere without knowing exactly where he's going.

Maybe she'd ask him about it, if they ever got past this whole fiasco.

Deciding to accept her fate, she left the room and locked the door behind her right before noticing something that wasn't there the night before. In the center of the door, about her chest level, was a brass letter-holder. With a letter inside.

Well, that's new.

Unsure how someone installed that without making noise, she reached into it and pulled the letter out. When she flipped it to read the front, she blinked. She knew that handwriting; she's seen it several times over the last few months. Alastor! Alucard sniffed at the strange little thing and fluffed up slightly, glaring down at the offending object with distrust but otherwise not taking action.

Unable to help herself, she glanced cautiously from side to side. Had he really gone through the trouble of putting a letter holder on her door just to leave this for her? Actually, nevermind, that sounded like something he would do; any letter he wanted to give would be important enough for a proper holder.

At first, she thought to go back inside and read it, but then her stomach growled and she sighed. Putting it in her pocket, she felt surprise when she found that the radio was still in there. Opening the bottom, she sighed in relief to see that it was turned off, though admittedly she didn't remember doing so. Still, being as she was utterly exhausted when she went to bed, she could forgive a tiny lapse in memory. The lighter was returned to her pocket with a sigh; she would have to return it to Angel with her thanks. Still, she wondered how he knew about Alastor's power; as far as she knew, the two of them weren't particularly close, and Angel seemed more wary of being used than genuinely concerned for Alastor, so maybe he learned about it from somewhere else. He spends a lot of time with Husk; maybe he was helping the bartender out? Which likely meant that the lighter belonged to the cat instead. Deciding to ask if she didn't get bombarded with questions beforehand, she turned to walk down the hall, but had to catch herself as Fizz threw open a door and hurried out of it, almost knocking her over in the process.

"Oh, hey boss-babe!" he greeted cheerfully, throwing out his arms (dropping all of his cleaning supplies in the process) and giving her a squeeze. Alucard squawked in surprise and fluttered to the letter-holder, hissing indignantly.

"Hello, Fizz," she replied, struggling to breathe. "How is work going?"

Thankfully he released her, allowing her to gasp in some air. "Boring and disturbingly wholesome, as always," he beamed. Then he closed the gap once more, but instead of squeezing the life out of her he put himself chest-to-chest with her, holding her close. "You look tired; I can help with that! Need a massage? I do full-body treatment, satisfaction guaranteed!"

Eliza chuckled against her rise in irritation; she was not in the mood for his flirtatious jokes today. "No, thank you Fizz."

"You sure, boss? You look like you need some serious TLC, and it's not like you let me test my features on anyone else…"

"Ah, is that what this is about?" Eliza teased. "You're still upset about the no-sex rule?"

"Come on, boss; I'm literally built for pleasure. Granted I'm supposed to focus on you, since you turned me on, but since I can't do that, at least let me-"

"I'll think about it."

His eyes glowed brighter than usual. "You mean it?!"

"If I do, though, you won't be allowed to mess with any of the hotel guests or staff," she warned. "Charlie wants this to be a place of redemption, and you know full well your 'services' would be a hindrance to that."

"Fair enough!" he agreed. Then he gave her a mischievous glance. "Still, I'd like you to let me take care of you… I promise to be a great first time for you."

Blushing at being called out as a virgin, she sighed. "No, Fizz. That's… Don't bring that up again, alright? Especially if you want me to let you have sex in any form."

"Ouch, so cold! Fine, as you command. But if you change your mind, I've got an entire routine planned out for you. Just say the word and I'm yours." He blew her a kiss, picking up his cleaning supplies, unlocking her door (something she didn't realize he could do; to be remembered) and disappearing into her room with a wink. Before he closed the door, however, he stepped out to catch her before she got too far. "Hey, what do you want me to do with the broken radio? It's gotta towel on it."

Eliza froze as she realized that she had forgotten all about that. Turning to look at him for a moment, she finally told him, "Wrap the parts in the towel and put it on the table. I'll… figure out what to do with it later."

"Sure thing, boss!" As soon as he closed the door, Eliza turned around once more, but hesitated to walk away. Sensing her uncertainty, Alucard flapped back up onto her shoulder and nipped at her temple gently. Despite giggling at his attention, she remained lost in thought. She wasn't sure why she decided to keep the broken thing; it was far more practical to throw it away. If they became friends again, she could always ask for a new one. But, for some reason, throwing it away just felt wrong somehow. Perhaps, subconsciously, she wanted to keep it as a reminder of what happened? Something to help her bolster her nerve, reminding her that if Alastor wanted to make up for what he almost did, he would have to work for it. Admittedly, however, coming to her rescue was an excellent start.

When she finally made it downstairs, she felt a rush of relief to see that the lobby was almost empty. Sure enough, the only other person there was Husk, who was cleaning glasses behind the bar.

"Good morning, Husk," she greeted, walking over to him with a smile.

He raised an eyebrow at her, noting the bird cleaning its wing on her shoulder warily. "Barely," he grunted. When she stood there for a moment, he cleared his throat. "Um, did you need somethin', or..?"

"Yes, actually." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the false lighter. "I'm not sure, but I believe this might be yours. I got it from Angel, but…"

"Nah, you're right," he informed her, reaching out to take it. "It's my recon radio, so to speak. So Angel's not full of shit? He actually got you to take it?"

"He made a bet with me, and I accepted. I also lost."

"Not fuckin' surprised," he sighed. "That spider has balls, I'll give him that."

"I think it's more about how observant he is," Eliza mentioned. "He notices more than a lot of people give him credit for, especially when it comes to something or someone he's interested in."

Husk grumbled a little, but suddenly stopped polishing a shot-glass as a thought came to him. "Oh, that perceptive sonuvabitch!" Turning away from Eliza, he picked up a nearby stack of cards, mumbling. "He always watches my damn card tricks and shuffles! He knew I was about to fuckin' cheat with that Ace of Hearts! Card-counting little-"

Unsure what the cat was talking about, Eliza decided that whatever he was thinking of was no longer her business, and she made her way to the dining room, pausing in dismay when she heard voices on the other side. At least she only really heard Charlie and Vaggie, so that gave her hope.

Hope that was quickly dashed when she opened the door and saw him sitting quietly at the table with them, his back turned towards her. Alucard made a low noise in her ear, his feathers ruffling as he sensed the rise in tension. She didn't want to acknowledge the strong urge to turn around and pretend she never entered the room, instead choosing to clear her throat to get their attention. Charlie was the first to look up.

"Eliza!" she beamed, standing up and rushing over to her, arms outstretched. The rise in Alastor's shoulders didn't escape her notice, and neither did Vaggie's warning glare. Despite being embraced rather forcefully by Hell's princess, she saw his head turn slightly, though not enough for her to see his face. Charlie then stood in front of her, effectively blocking her view. "Good morning, sleepy-head! I was getting worried about you!"

"I didn't mean to sleep in so late," she apologized. "Yesterday was… exhausting."

"Yea, we heard," Vaggie stated.

Before Eliza had made up her mind whether or not to approach the table, she heard a strange clicking noise, which was followed up by Alastor abruptly standing and turning on his heel, facing her direction but not meeting her gaze when she stared nervously at him.

"I shall leave you ladies to it!" he announced, taking steady steps towards the exit. Eliza, who was still being held in place by Charlie, struggled not to move as he made his way past. This was the time; she could thank him in passing for his help, for coming to her rescue when the deal went south.

The words died in her throat as she felt his eyes linger on her for a moment. Being this close to him made her shiver, and she couldn't move as memories of being pinned to the wall flooded her mind. She hadn't expected such a strong reaction, and only hoped that her usual passive smile remained convincing in spite of it.

Alucard, however, was not so easily cowed. He held his head high as he stared Alastor down as the demon passed by, flipping around on his master's shoulder to maintain eye-contact. He didn't know what was going on to make her afraid of her friend, but as long as she was, he would not be permitted near her.

When he walked out the door, Vaggie got up and walked over to her, pushing Charlie lightly to the side to put a hand on the therapist's shoulder, careful to avoid Alucard's talons. "Look, if he tries anything, you let me or Charlie know. We'll deal with him, alright?"

Cursing silently to herself, she realized that her face must have given her nerves away. It had been so long since being around someone made her so nervous that she let it show without meaning to, and she hated failing to hide her fear. This was going to be a lot harder than she expected if she was going to choke around him. "I will, thank you very much."

Inviting her to sit, Charlie returned to her chair along with Vaggie, and Eliza sat in the chair Alastor abandoned. It was left out, something he never did; had he intended to do that?

"So," Eliza began, "what did you hear about yesterday, exactly?" When she sat, Alucard perched on the back of her chair to watch over everything that was happening.

"A little bit," Charlie answered. "We talked about what happened yesterday morning a bit more, then he told us that, um… That you went out to see Vox."

"What she means to say," Vaggie cut in, "is that he mentioned that Vox tried to get you to sell out the hotel by offering you a really good job."

"Yea," Charlie agreed, awkwardly. "He… told us they were offering a lot."

"It was a very tempting offer," she admitted, guiltily.

Vaggie nodded knowingly. "I bet. You've been working for free here for months, and we just kind of… forgot about that. I mean yea, so are Husk and Niffty, but Alastor roped them into helping, whereas you signed up because you wanted to. I know you're a professional, and most wouldn't even be willing to consider working for free for longer than a week or two, let alone half a year."

"And Alastor had already mentioned it," Charlie added, "but it was right after the incident and we couldn't really talk to you about anything yet…"

Eliza looked utterly shocked. "He mentioned it before I went out?"

"Probably trying to make up for fucking assaulting you," Vaggie spat. "Still, he did bring it up without prompting, so it's… something, I guess."

"He seems to feel guilty about it," Charlie prompted, looking at Vaggie in a way that suggested that the two women have spoken at length about this.

Vaggie just stared at her lover. "And I still say he's just trying to save his ass!"

"At least he's trying," the princess defended, softly. "That's something! More than we expected at first, anyways, right?"

The moth just face-palmed at the optimism before her. Turning to Eliza apologetically, she sighed. "Sorry, this is probably not a conversation you want to listen to right now. Anyways, we just want to hear your side of the story to help decide what to do with him. I still think he's hiding something about this whole thing."

And so the questions began, and she filled them in as best as she could. Charlie would nearly volunteer information once or twice about what Alastor said, but Vaggie shushed her, wanting to keep Eliza's story straight to see if she could catch Alastor in a lie. The therapist talked about how he had just discovered she was friends with his rival, and how he started to become more hostile. When she reached the point in the story where Alastor started acting strange, Vaggie and Charlie exchanged a look. Still, she mentioned nothing about a strange smell, so Vaggie remained suspicious of that particular detail.

When her story about the assault was over, Charlie glanced at Vaggie before deciding to bring it up. "Alastor mentioned something, actually. You know how you said he seemed to just… switch? He said there was a smell, like some kind of pheromone or something. Do you know anything about that?"

If Eliza had any pigmentation in her face, it would have drained away completely. Shit, she had been right! Something she did triggered his sudden bloodlust. Still, shouldn't he have more control than that? He's a deal-maker, a man whose every action is well-planned and carefully executed. Such a lapse in self-control would be incredibly problematic for him, but he still helped her and brought her back to the hotel. Why?

"No, I don't," she confessed, looking down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, but unfortunately it's entirely possible. He once told me I can make rooms cold, too, but I've never felt the change. Last night was the first time I noticed, and that was because frost was spreading."

"Frost?" Vaggie asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Vox and Valentino were both there, and when I refused they tried to kidnap me."

Vaggie nearly dropped her pen, and Charlie covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my goodness! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she answered. "They didn't really get a chance to do anything. I got away, and then Alastor showed up and took care of the rest."

"Yea, he mentioned that…" Vaggie mentioned in a suspicious tone, "but how did he find you?"

"Well…"

"Husker, my friend!" Alastor called as soon as the door shut behind him. "Keeping things neat and orderly, I see!"

"Don't feel like having Vaggie bitch at me for a sloppy desk again," he grumbled. When the Radio Demon came up to the bar, Husk cocked an over-sized eyebrow. "You need somethin'?"

"A simple answer or three will do," Alastor pressed, leaning in and making Husk's fur bristle. He hated it when Alastor tried to be imposing; dumb prick still seemed to expect it to work on him. "How did you know Eliza was going to meet Vox last night, why did you not inform me immediately, and how did you sneak your radio onto her person?"

Despite being very accustomed to his temper, even Husk had to admit that the man seemed to be particularly angry about this as he seemed to grow in height. "The fuck do you care how it happened? You got your goddamned answers; fuck off already!"

"Not an answer," he hissed, leaning over the counter. "How did you-"

"Hey, back off, Smiles." Angry red dials turned to glare at the pink-and-white spider approaching the duo, who was stretching his arms over his head with a yawn.

"It ain't noon yet," Husk grunted. "The fuck you doin' up?"

"Nugs wanted food," he shrugged. "Apparently it couldn't fuckin' wait, so mommy had to get up early." He turned his gaze to the overlord, putting his bottom set of hands on his hips, which swished from side to side as he walked. "And as for all them questions, I'm the guy with the answers."

Alastor tilted his head in a predatory fashion, standing straight once more. "You?"

"Yea, me," Angel sassed. "Look, I didn't know she was goin' out last night until she said so. See, I didn't want ya pokin' around my shit to get info on TV Dick, so I asked Husky for a lil' help. He gave me the radio and Eliza agreed to take it with her after I won a little gamble."

"Is that so? And, pray tell, what gamble did she lose to you, hm?"

"She didn't 'lose' shit," Angel told him. "The bet was that if there was a radio in her office, then you could go fuck yourself. If not, then she'd let ya peep on 'er date. I told her you could listen through radios, an' she got all pissed about you tryin' ta spy on her, so I figured she'd be more open if it turned out ya weren't breakin' boundaries an' shit."

Alastor felt a strange coiling sensation in his chest. "Was that really all it was?"

The spider smirked down at him. "See, if there was eva a time that you'd be tryin' ta sneak around on 'er, it's after learnin' she's seein' Vox. So when she didn't find a radio, she decided ta give ya a chance. Good think ya didn't fuck up, eh Smiles?"

"You're telling me that she knew about the radio the entire time?"

Angel raised an annoyed brow. "Yea, that's what I just fuckin' said. Ya deaf or somethin'?"

Alastor let the sass slide as he processed what this meant. Not once during her time out with Vox had she tried to be subtle about what she was there for, nor did she ever hint that someone was listening in. No, she let him listen unfiltered, acting as though he wasn't even there. She had no way of knowing what he would do, nor that he could hunt her down. For all she knew, he would have devoured her for even considering leaving; it's not as if he hadn't already come close to doing so. But she didn't lie or try to deceive; she gave Vox an honest chance to win her over, and turned him down flat when he came up short of her expectations while Alastor played the spectator.

Alastor considered Angel for a moment in silence while the spider spoke with Husk. No matter his motivations, he helped him obtain important information. As a deal-maker, he could not let things remain as they were, lest Angel remember later down the line that Alastor owes him something for this. "As you have helped me deal with my rival's meddling, allow me to return the favor."

The spider looked very confused as he looked up from his conversation. "What do ya mean?"

"I mean that I wish to make you aware that your boss, Valentino, was also involved in last night's affairs."

Angel's face fell, and Husk paused in his cleaning to give Alastor a warning look. "You better not be fuckin' with us."

"I wouldn't dream of it; at least not this time," he teased. "But it is true; he was at the meeting, attempting to help Vox win Eliza away from the hotel."

"But… why?" Angel asked. "I mean yea, she's got the body for porn, but…"

Alastor's eyes became bright-red, venomous pools at the thought of the sex overlord using Eliza in such a manner, but snapped out of it quickly. "They wished her to use my actions against this place by offering her a most lucrative proposition. Valentino is searching for a way to separate you from this establishment entirely, and they hoped she would help them destroy this hotel's already delicate reputation, thus removing you from the princess and allowing you to return to your life of indulgence and depravity."

Angel's eyes were downcast, his four hands balled into tight fists. Husk decided to speak first. "I take it she told him where he could shove his 'proposition'?"

"In a polite yet colorful manner," Alastor laughed. "The two palookas were quite livid before I intervened. It was a glorious performance, indeed! Ha ha ha!"

Angel started to breathe a little easier, laughing along with a strained smile. This was far from over, he knew it. Big V hated to lose, and despite being very aware that he might try something, the moth came so close to destroying Charlie's dream, and all because he wanted his best porn-star back and doped up.

Maybe Eliza was right; he should tell Charlie about Valentino, and soon.

Shuffling sounds made the Angel look back for a moment. It was just Curio, but the little rat was acting weird. Never taking his eyes off the Radio Demon, he tried to sneak past without being noticed. Then a ruckus was heard in the dining room that made them all turn in surprise. Shouting carried through the door as something scratched and banged against it, and suddenly it burst open.

"Alucard, what are you doing?!" Eliza called out at the frenzied bird. "Calm down!"

The bird fluttered in the air for a moment before finding its target. Squawking angrily, it dove at Curio in a fury, talons out and eyes glowing red.

The rat screamed and ran out the door, frantically slapping the air to drive off the feathered menace. When he disappeared the bird circled back, landing on his master's shoulder once more. For a few moments, as Eliza attempted to calm him, he refused to take his eyes off the door to make sure the threat was not returning.

Charlie and Vaggie bombarded the woman with questions that she had no answers to, and all the while the trio by the bar stood with wide-eyes and shocked expressions. Husk and Angel shared a glance that said 'I don't think I want to know,' while Alastor couldn't take his eyes off the enraged crow. It would seem that he has grossly underestimated the creature's intelligence, a thought that was punctuated by the creature turning to stare him down. He saw distrust and anger, but no assault came. Just a warning, as though he was unsure whether or not Alastor was a friend.

Summoning a small white bag stained red on the bottom, he set it on the counter, causing Husk to raise an eyebrow. "The fuck is this?"

"A treat," the overlord grinned. "For the bird."

"Da fuck?!" Angel shouted, leaning away. "Why?! It just attacked someone for no-oh, right, you like that shit."

"Hardly," Alastor chuckled. "I would never reward less than appropriate behavior."

Vaggie whirled around. "And what part of viciously assaulting someone is appropriate?!"

Alastor gave her a condescending smirk, but otherwise refused to answer. Instead, his inner radio produced a clicking sound, and Eliza recognized it as the same sound as before. Then he put his hands behind his back and walked towards the rooms, humming along with his inner radio while sharing one more questionable look with Alucard before making his way to the stairs.

Vaggie shook her head, mumbling to herself in furious Spanish while Charlie worked to calm her down. Eliza, however, looked at the bag the overlord left behind. Alucard attacks Curio, and Alastor leaves him a treat?

I would never reward less than appropriate behavior.

Curio did something that would make Alastor approve of attacking him, and whatever that something was, it was enough to throw Alucard into a frenzy, and Alucard wouldn't care unless it involved Eliza. That could only mean one thing: Curio was somehow involved with what happened last night.