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There's too much to clean. She shifts uncomfortably standing outside the restaurant. It's dirty. She feels dirty. Letting the princess do her hair and make up was a bad idea. She looks nice but it feels weird. She has no idea what she uses. Vaggie said she might have something called OCD or OCPD but she's not sure if Nifty has either let alone which one yet. They talk about it in their meetings. She wishes Husker would show up already. She can see all the things that need cleaning. Did he decide not to come? Why wouldn't he come? She probably looks like an idiot staring down at her tea. She almost wants to cry but she won't ruin her make-up. She sighs. Maybe she'd gone overboard on Sunday? No. She did what had to. Fuck, what Alastor said. Protecting the ones more vulnerable than them. She scoffed. Vagatha is an adult, if she's in hell she had to fuck up somewhere. Like everyone. But that's not true, Nifty never messed up; she did what she had too. Like Sunday. She's getting ready to leave when she notices someone across the table from her. He came! See, it worked. The butterflies start in her stomach. She smiles brightly! "Hi! I thought you weren't coming, you're late! You should get better at being on time! Why didn't you say anything when you got here?!' He looks startled.
"First, I'm too fucking sober for you to be telling me what to do. Also I called your name a couple of times. You didn't respond." Husker grumbles, seeming annoyed. She ignores that.
"You're sober? Why? I don't think I've ever seen you with alcohol?" She tilts her head.
"Fucking Charlie and her lapdog. I should be sober for my first date, it could be the beginning of something special. The start of a better afterlife. What a crock of shit. I find it hard to believe she's not being slipped happy pills or something every morning." That sounds like Miss Charlotte. As much as it annoys her that she spent time with Husker, she finds it endearing and encouraging that the princess believes they'll be a good pair. And not just for entertainment, like Alastor.
"Sounds like her. What does it have to do with Miss Vaggie though? I don't think she buys into all of that. Also it is a little mean to refer to her that way. I think she'd be upset… angry even if she heard you call her that."
"Good, let her be angry. All she ever does is what Charlie tells her. Spent the last two days smacking alcohol out of my hands pretending like it was an accident. Searched my room too." Ah. After a few minutes of silence, "You look nice tonight."
"Thank you! Miss Angel took me shopping for a new dress yesterday." He nods. She taps her fingers on the table not knowing where to go next. He looks different too. He's in a suit. A little weird, cat in a suit. She briefly thinks on what it means to be attracted to him but she can not imagine how odd she probably looks having one eye and all. She's a lot shorter than she was in life too. She had been model tall in life, now she was shorter than some of the kids she was a nanny of. "Your suit is nice too."
"It's not. A cat in a suit is just odd but Alastor made me dress up. Serial killer and cannibal, over lord of hell but Lucifer forbid you don't treat a young woman to his standards." She laughs at that. She's always been grateful for Alastor's protection and understanding of how she got here. They share a special bond. Almost like he's her brother in a way. A waiter comes to take their orders. It's odd ordering for herself; she's never done so on a date before. After the waiter leaves she informs Husker that in the future he should order for her. It's what she was used to in life. They sit in silence for a while. It's awkward and she thinks she's failing but Alastor assured her that first dates are always awkward and strange. 'Why I refuse to date, I'd watch you lot fumble through it.' She hears his voice in her head. After a while of quietly picking through their food, Husker speaks again, "How'd you get wrapped up with someone like Alastor?" She considers telling him her whole story but that can come down the line. She shrugs.
"We have some things in common. From our lives. I'm also aware that whatever you think of him, you know that he's not as bad as they say. Sometimes talking to him feels like having a brother to look out for you. I was by myself after my father died during the war. He was stationed in Japan. The Japanese held him hostage but he convinced one of them to let him write to me as long as they could read it. We both learned Japanese. I was in a home with other children whose only parent was overseas. I was 16 when the bombs dropped and knew he'd never come home. I lived another tenish years taking care of myself." She didn't mean to tell him that much or about her father at all. She didn't think there was a need to talk about the life she'd lived.
"I fought in the war too, but on the other side. I came home and married a girl I was dating. We had a daughter and a son. When I left for the next war they were ten and nine. I got injured and came back six years later. Learned my son was never mine and my daughter wanted nothing to do with a baby killer. I left and lived in Nevada away from them. Every year I'd send them a letter hoping they'd change their minds. Never got one back." They both fall into silence again, a different kind of silence though. The understanding kind. He wouldn't have told her that but maybe his grief would comfort hers tonight.
"Do you think everyone in hell has a tragic story?"
"Expect the princess. No one that happy has ever experienced trauma." She laughs. The check comes and they get up and leave the restaurant together. They wander around the city together, not ready to go back to the hotel. While it was awkward it was good. When they return, they separate. Nifty hopes that at least half of what she feels has spread to Husker. She walks in her room to find Alastor sitting in the chair while reading. He leaves after ensuring the date went well. Maybe Charlie's right. Maybe this is the start of a better afterlife. She's not sure about redemption but she is sure she can be happy and loved.