Vox descended down the tower via his main elevator, still annoyed from the events that occurred last night. He looked out to the buildings rapidly approaching him from below, his annoyed frown reflecting off the glass. That fucking snake, Vox thought, fooled me once, by breaking into my place without me knowing it, and now twice by escaping me.
The night Vox went to inspect the wreckage of Pentious's airship he found no sign of him. Nor any signs of his henchmen. There was no brain yolk splattered on the ground or snake bits, just jagged metal that was the ship's frame, and small fires engulfing the cloth that used to drape them. He wouldn't find out until later, after going through all the cameras in the area, that the car he saw fleeing the scene wasn't there by coincidence. After following its route through multiple cameras he saw it eventually stop in front of a large warehouse on the outside of the city. It was gray on all sides with a round white roof, sporting large hangar doors on its front. Definitely a place Pentious would lie low, Vox assessed, with his obsession for inventing. And this was confirmed when a lone camera, stationed across the street from this building, saw the front doors of the car open to two Egg-bois climbing out the front, then opening the back door and carrying Pentious out and into the warehouse.
Vox knew where the battered snake was hiding, and he was descending now with the full intention of showing him what happens when demons try to escape his grasp. The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened back into the garage. "Lights," Vox snapped, walking briskly into the room as lights flicked on one after another. He looked left and right at each of his cars, trying to find one he felt would be best to take to confront Pentious. After walking past half his cars he looked to the right again and stopped, finding the perfect vehicle to take out. It was a slick black supercar, low to the ground with a curved body; a design built for speed. He snapped his fingers and it came alive. Halogen lights shot out the front and basked Vox in its glow. The car revved its engine, a loud roar that broke the silence of the spacious garage. Vox stepped to the side and it rolled out of its space to the middle of the floor; the driver's door popped open allowing Vox to get in, which he did hastily.
The door closed behind him and Vox got into the seat; the seatbelt came from the top corner over Vox's body to strap him in. Vox once again flexed his right hand into chain links to allow internal wires to thread through, then placed his transformed hand into a panel to the right of the wheel to link into the car itself. Letting out a satisfied hum as he successfully connected, he piloted the car through the middle of the garage between the two rows of collected vehicles. A panel from the ceiling at the end of the room dropped down in front of Vox to form a ramp to the road above. Vox hit the ramp at considerable speed, nearly scraping the undercarriage in the process. He flew up into the air for a second before hitting the road on the surface.
As soon as he touched down however, Vox's eyes widened and he forced the car to come to a complete stop. Tires screeched as they fought the built-up forward momentum, creating black tire streaks along the road. After a couple seconds the car stopped. Vox put the car in park then unhooked his hand from the panel, returning it to its normal form before placing both hands on the wheel. Oh shit, was all Vox could think looking at the person in the road.
"Ah Voxy, you were ready. That's good, I was almost worried you forgot about our date," Valentino said with a menacing smile, his hands clasped together. He stood in the middle of the road, only a few inches away from where Vox stopped the car. He wore a navy blue coat with a white fur trim on the top and bottom, a contrast to his usual red outfit, along with white pants held by a black belt with a gold V-shaped buckle, and long black boots. And his signature heart sunglasses sat on his face, red lenses and golden rims. Vox noted he had forgone his hat this time, but it wasn't the most present thing on his mind.
Date? He thought. When we spoke last night you said you would "see me tomorrow". Like a normal person I thought it would be later in the day, not first thing in the fuckin' morning. Vox's hands gripped the wheel tight. Valentino can't know I'm chasing after that idiot, nor the fact he broke into my tower. I'll just play it cool for now, as I always do. Vox's hands relaxed on the wheel. Besides, he thought, I know where he's hiding, and he doesn't know that I know. I'll deal with him later. Even if I wanted to deal with Pent now I can't, I learned the hard way that you can't turn away Valentino.
Vox put on his best welcoming smile, the seat belt retracted back over his shoulder, and he stepped out of the car. Valentino kept his spot in front of the car, turning his body towards Vox and crossing his arms over one another. They both stared at each other for a second, neither one breaking their mask of pleasantness; then Vox closed his door and broke the silence.
"Of course not babe, I'll admit I didn't expect to see you so early, but I had the day set aside for you I promise," Vox extended his arms out to embrace Valentino.
Valentino ignored the gesture, rebutting with, "Uh-huh, is that why you were speeding out from your oversized dildo mansion? No other plans, Voxy?" His voice dripped venom saying the pet name he gave to Vox.
Vox paused slightly, his arms lowering back to his sides, but recovered quickly, fearing any lapse in his cool demeanor would give away the lie; he immediately responded, "Val, I promise I had all prior plans pushed back today. I was driving fast so I could grab a couple things for us before you came, that's all."
Vox moved closer to Valentino, until he was right in front of him. He moved his arms up, gliding his hands along Valentino's sides before pulling him in close. Looking up at him, Vox said, "I just wanted to make this special baby, to make up for all the dumb shit I do to piss you off."
Vox said words he knew Valentino would want to hear. And he could see they were received well, watching Valentino's sinister look soften just slightly.
Valentino uncrossed his arms and wrapped them around Vox. Chuckling, he replied, "Y'know Voxy, most of what you just said was bullshit, but I'll let you off for now because I want you to have a chance to unfuck yourself." Valentino's upper right hand felt along the bottom of Vox's screen as he said this.
Turning away from Vox to face the car, he nodded to it and asked, "So is this what you plan to take me in?"
Vox looked at his car wondering what Valentino meant by that. He looked back at Valentino and asked, "Does it matter? I thought we were going to stay at my place and have some fun." He flashed a smile.
Valentino rolled his eyes and let go of his embrace, stepping away from Vox and causing his smile to drop. "And you were doing so well," he sighed. "I'm a man Vox and I expect to be treated like one, so we're going out. How much 'fun' we have is dependent on where you're taking me." Valentino walked around to the passenger side of the car, opened the door, and bent down to get in. He stopped, however, then stood back up and looked at Vox, who was still standing in front of the car.
"Still no driver huh? Think you would've gotten the hint after how many times I tell you I don't like that weird hand shit. You could at least learn to drive normally for fucks sake," Valentino closed the door with frustration.
Vox frowned slightly, saying, "I do know how to drive, what I do just feels better. Besides," his frown turned to a grin, "you don't seem to mind when I do it to you."
Valentino rolled his eyes again, not believing Vox's former statement. Then looked at him with a frown, "That's exactly why I don't like you doing it to your electronic crap."
Vox waved his hand away, dismissing Valentino's retort, "Whatever. Besides I told you I only took this car out to run some errands. I would've taken the Autodriver had I known you were coming."
Valentino walked back over to Vox and grabbed the side of his screen firmly with his lower right hand. Bending down he looked directly at Vox and said, "Sounds like you should work on your ability to plan ahead." He stood back up and let go of Vox with a small nudge, causing Vox to wince. Looking away from him and the car, Valentino peered down the road and said, "Fortunately for both of us, I don't have such an issue."
Vox turned his head to look at where Valentino was looking. Down the road, coming towards them, was Valentino's limo. It was red in color with a white heart on the hood encompassed by a larger white outline of a heart, and a golden moth hood ornament sat at the front. Gold spikes, like teeth, came out the front bumper, and large headlights sat at either end glaring at the two men standing in the road. The car looked like a wild animal charging directly at them; and to complete the look a custom license plate that read "Val" sat in the center of the bumper. Vox wondered how the limo knew to come here. He looked at Valentino with a raised brow, then got his answer when his eyes spotted a phone in Valentino's upper left hand. He had texted his driver to pick them up when Vox wasn't looking; most likely did it under his coat arm, thought Vox.
Vox snapped his fingers and the car he was driving slowly rolled back down the ramp and into the garage. A beep sounded from underground to signal the car had parked before the road was reformed by the ramp. He chuckled and said, "I should've figured you wouldn't have walked here."
Valentino placed a hand on Vox's shoulder, replying, "Why the hell would I walk around the ring all dressed up? Don't be an idiot Vox." He patted his shoulder a couple times then walked forward to meet the car, now coming to a stop in front of them. Vox noted that Valentino had completely stopped calling him "Voxy", and tried to think of something to get back on his good side. Vox had no interest in replacing his screen so soon after the last break-up.
The limousine was at a complete stop now, and the driver's side window rolled down a moment before Valentino walked up to that side of the car. Valentino bent down to talk to the driver inside, placing his arms halfway through the window and resting on them.
"So, how was the traffic Bruce? Any issues on the way?" Valentino asked with a smile.
The bat known as Bruce sat in the seat, wearing his red suit and tie. This time he also sported a red bellman hat. He turned to Valentino, slightly nervous, and replied, "N-no traffic sir, I just parked around the c-corner like you asked."
Valentino huffed out a sigh and said, "That was a joke Bruce. Satan help me, you and Vox are testing my patience today." He pointed to Bruce and continued, saying, "And what did I say about the stutter? Fuck you've been shakier than usual lately and it's getting on my nerves. You think it makes me look good when my driver talks to people like 'Y-y-yes sir'". Valentino raised his hands and put on a nasally tone to mock Bruce.
Bruce stared at Valentino, too nervous to say anything in case it'll set him off. Vox stood back to watch the interaction. Valentino dropped his hands and looked at Bruce for acknowledgement; finding none he elaborated, saying, "Drop the stutter Bruce, or I'll find another driver. But not before I hand you off to Vox over there," he turned and nodded towards Vox, "and he can have his fun with you. Am I clear?"
Bruce's eyes widened a little, then he nodded his head forcefully a few times. Opening his mouth he held back his stutter enough to say, "Yes sir, sorry, it won't happen again."
Valentino reached with his right hand and placed it on Bruce's shoulder, squeezing it and asking rhetorically, "Now how hard was that?"
Retracting his hand, Valentino backed out of the window and allowed Bruce to roll up the window. Once it was closed, Valentino watched as Bruce got out of the car and walked down to the other end to open the door on the left side for him and Vox. Valentino began walking to Bruce and waved towards Vox to follow him, which he did. Once they both climbed into the back Bruce shut the door carefully behind them and jogged back to the driver's seat. After a couple seconds the car began to pull away from the spot and drive out of the movie district.
Inside the limo Vox and Valentino sat beside each other on the dark pink seats in the far back, not saying a word to each other. Overhead pink lights that lined the inside of the limo cast a glow over their faces, the city outside darkened by the tint of the windows. After a moment of silent driving Valentino asked, "Well, we're almost back in Pentagram City, what were we gonna do Vox?"
Vox's hands clenched at his pants upon hearing the question. He was going to make a plan this morning until the fiasco with Pentious happened; since then he hadn't put any thought into his day with Valentino, but there was no way in Hell he was going to tell him that. Instead, much like Valentino did earlier, Vox began to stealthily text a contact through his monitor. He was the owner of an Italian restaurant that Vox would take Valentino to to make up whenever they broke up. Mainly because it was one of the few places Valentino actually liked to go to.
"Hey, it's Vox," Vox typed. "I need a table for two right now. Don't care how busy it is, or if you need to kick someone out, just get me one. Remember, you owe me."
After a couple seconds, Vox got a silent notification of a reply. "Of course Mr. Vox. I could sense the urgency in your message and got you the best table in the restaurant. I'll be getting complaints later but I can handle them. I look forward to having your company."
Vox smiled, and replied back. "Thanks Flamegan, you're a lifesaver"
"Hello? Did you break or something? Why the hell are you smiling?" Valentino asked, waving his hand in front of Vox's screen.
Blinking, Vox came back to the present and answered, "Sorry babe, I was smiling cause I knew you'd like what I had planned for you first."
"And that is?" Valentino asked, raising an eyebrow.
Vox replied cheekily, "Oh just a little place called Flamegan's, I believe you've heard of it?"
Valentino leaned back a bit and smiled, "Mmmm, Flamegan's. We haven't gone there for a bit. But this early?" Valentino looked down and asked Vox.
"I said I was gonna make this special babe," Vox said, looking back up at Valentino. "Only the best for you, and that means Italian brunch. I know you like that." Vox placed a hand on Valentino's leg.
Valentino hummed a little, then said, "Trying to win me over with food? It's a good start Voxy, hope you can keep this up all day."
Vox smiled at hearing him being referred to by his pet name again, he was back in business. Just then he got an alert coming through; an alarm was tripped at his tower. Vox's eyes widened, then shifted in annoyance. Is that fucking snake hacking into my tower again? Vox asked himself. No, this is an outer proximity alarm, nothing internal has gone off yet. So maybe he just flew in? Instead of asking himself more questions, he went to review the cameras that picked up the intruder. Freezing the monitor so his face looked like he was still awake sitting in the limo, he retreated internally and pulled up the images and live feed. Reviewing them, what he saw confused him even more. On each of the pictures was a different angle of the same scene. A weird, clown makeup-wearing, man wielding a crowbar smashing the side of his tower. The way he was dressed, with his tattered and stained purple suit, he figured it was some crazy homeless sinner smashing a building without knowing who owned it. Yet something about the man's face seemed very familiar. Regardless, Vox sent the standard warning message to play on the side of the building where he would see it, thinking it would drive the man away since it didn't seem like he would be able to pay for any damages.
Just as Vox was about to resurface to his body, he saw the homeless clown man smash the window completely after a few more swings on the live feed, then move inside. This frustrated Vox. Great, he thought, now I have two clowns to deal with. It was obvious after what he saw that this was intentional, and not the actions of some random drunk. Who the hell was this person, and what's his deal with me? Vox asked himself.
Right now the answers didn't matter, he just needed him out and away from his tower. Running a program called "Hollow Room Protocol" he watched the live feed. After a minute, he saw a wall pop out from inside the tower carrying the man on its face, then flip the man up into the sky causing him to sail past the cameras. Vox nearly chuckled at this, but halted himself so Valentino didn't realize he was doing something else instead of paying attention to him. This program never gets old, Vox thought. Definitely an improvement over the old system.
Vox would typically trap people who broke in on the first floor of his tower, inside the empty room that leads to nowhere, then go down to collect them when he had time. But after a few incidents where he forgot he locked someone in there, causing the entire tower to reek of decomposing demons, he had decided to alter the system. He has since enjoyed this change, especially when the offenders try to run.
Satisfied the man was far away from his tower and that the hole was sealed up, he finally retreated back into his body and to the view of the limousine's interior.
"Did you hear my question Voxy?" Vox heard Valentino ask.
Vox's smile straightened to a line, realizing that Valentino asked him something while he was preoccupied and he didn't catch it. Clearing his throat, Vox sheepishly responded, "Sorry Val, I must've not been paying attention. I don't think I caught it."
Valentino slowly reached over with his lower left hand and squeezed Vox's leg tight. "Sometimes, Voxy, you make me want to bash in that screen of yours."
Vox didn't say a word, the threat causing him to hold his tongue. But he was still calling him Voxy so he knew he wasn't in too much trouble. Valentino got closer to Vox and asked, "Do you remember why we broke up?"
Was this the question he asked me? Vox thought. Why would he ask anyways? Vox looked at Valentino and vocalized his last thought, "Why do you ask?"
Valentino squinted at Vox, the silence between them was only a couple seconds but felt like an eternity to Vox. Sitting back up, Valentino replied, "I just wanted to make small talk, it's a bit of a trip to the restaurant."
Vox relaxed a little bit, confirming he didn't inadvertently place himself in a bad situation. He sat back in his seat and said, "Sorry, I don't remember."
"Are you being serious right now?" Valentino asked, looking down at Valentino.
Keeping his relaxed demeanor this time, Vox said, "Look if you expect me to remember the reason we break up every time we do, I wouldn't have storage space for anything else in my head."
Valentino hmphed, his way of vocalizing Vox had a point without verbally conceding it. He replied, saying, "You called my new coat 'tacky'. It was very expensive and the worst thing you could've said to me after showing it off."
Vox looked at the ceiling for a moment, trying to recall those events. After a couple moments, he remembered being on the ground in Valentino's room, picking up shattered pieces of himself, and said, "Oh yeah, right." Turning to look at Valentino, Vox eyed the coat he was wearing now, noticing it wasn't the coat from that night. Pointing to it, he continued, "Hold on, that coat you bought was white. Why aren't you wearing it now? Are you still mad about it?"
Valentino shook his head, "Nah, I got over it. But then Velvet caught me wearing it later on and said it was tacky, so I threw it out."
Vox looked over incredulously at Valentino, recognizing the contradiction and how he accepted Velvet's word over his. He opened his mouth to call Valentino out for this, but slowly closed it after realizing it would more than likely sour Valentino's mood again. Instead he leaned forward and raised his voice to address Bruce in the driver's seat.
"How long until Flamegan's?"