The blaring sound of a train whistle startled Aria off the couch, making her almost fall out of it as she jumped and scrambled to her feet! As her military-grade analysis tech spiked with information at her adrenaline rush, once she realized where the sound was coming from, however, she was able to ease the military tech back to normal levels. Aria scowled as she recognized Alastor was standing there just behind the couch where her head rested, his grin incredibly cheeky as he once again wore the same dapper, red suit with pinstripes as his radio background sounded off another train whistle as he chuckled. Aria now had a new alarm clock sound she instantly hated.
"Rise and shine, my dear! You're quite the late riser!" Alastor said with a tsk, tsk sound, his smile amused as he pulled out his pocket watch with the red, demon eye staring up at him as he opened it up and then closed it with a snap. "You have about five minutes before the small spider shows up to pick us up!"
"WHAT!?" Aria shouted, dismayed that she'd forgotten to set her alarm clock as she frantically waved a hand to put her pillow and blanket away in her guardian angel storage, while she sent a thought to her choker and instantly changed out of her pajamas into the simple, purple, velvet dress she wore the day before, completing the ensemble with the same, black shoes and belt. "Dang it! I overslept! Thanks for waking me up, at least, but did you have to use a train whistle!?"
"You're a very heavy sleeper, my dear!" Alastor pointed out as he suddenly went through a slew of whistles and alarm clock sounds before the obnoxious train whistle blew at the end, the audience laughing as Alastor explained. "I tried quite a few sounds before you finally woke up! I've heard of people sleeping like the dead, but I've never gotten so close to actually considering calling the funeral home just to make sure! Ahahaha!"
"Very funny," Aria grumbled out, a bit grumpy that she didn't get to have a decent breakfast or a shower as she rushed to the elevator as Alastor tagged along, singing along with his background music about some old song about never being fully dressed without a smile as she pushed the button to summon the elevator. "I at least have some emergency rations stored up, although french toast was what I was planning on cooking up this morning. Ugh...I really wish I hadn't forgotten to set my alarm clock last night!"
"Ah, what a pity!" Alastor said with an unapologetic grin as the elevator doors opened for them, making Aria rush to push the lobby button as Alastor joined her in the elevator, while Aria summoned a white and gold wafer from her storage as she chewed it slowly and washed it down with a canister of water she summoned before dismissing it back into her storage, again. "If you'd woken up at a decent hour, you would've sampled my banana foster pancakes with a side of fresh berries, and the lovely coffee that Damian kindly showed up early to serve! He's in the lobby, waiting for us, by the way, and no, there isn't a drop of coffee or a bite of my pancakes left to savor, I'm afraid!"
"Ugh," Aria groaned, incredibly annoyed at the lost opportunity to eat more of Alastor's cooking on top of everything else, but the coffee didn't bother her, given she didn't drink the stuff as the elevator doors closed quickly as they descended down, while she just hoped her scripture study the night before would be enough to get her through this meeting with the head of a mob boss. "What's the time now?"
"Hmm...we have about two minutes before our ride shows up!" Alastor answered promptly, checking his pocket watch before hiding it away in his vest pocket as he summoned his staff and grinned at her widely with amusement as he leaned on it playfully, considering her for a moment. "By the way! Are you going to leave your hair that way, my dear? Don't get me wrong, I find it rather refreshing to actually see you look so lively, but I highly doubt that looking like you've just been electrocuted is in! Not to mention that you really need to smile, more! You're never fully dressed without one, you know!"
"So I hear," Aria answered distractedly as she sent a thought to her choker, making her hair settle down past her shoulders and down her back like it usually did, making her feel very thankful that Alastor took the time to tell her before anyone saw her like she'd just gotten out of bed, despite the fact that she'd just did. "There! Thank you. You didn't have to wake me up or tell me about my hair, but all the same, thank you."
"Why, you're very welcome, my dear, but I didn't do it for you!" Alastor answered as his smile turned sly as he twirled his staff and put a hand on her shoulder as he stepped close to her side, whispering low as the elevator slowed as they neared their destination. "It's incredibly important that we BOTH look our best, given the audience we're about to perform for, and I need you to not look like the rag-a-muffin of an angel you are! Just remember to follow my lead, keep your pretty mouth shut, and let me do the talking unless you're spoken to directly! He may not be an overlord, but any mob boss worth his salt can do a great deal of damage and make it look like an accident! So, do us both a favor, and think very carefully before you say anything!"
Aria frowned at his remark, but reluctantly nodded, not liking where this was going, but if yesterday's little spat had taught her anything, it was the fact that she needed to start listening to Alastor more. She still hated the fact that her outlook or opinion wasn't wanted, but given her ignorance about how Hell operated, she knew it was wise advice. Giving Alastor the floor meant less mishaps like what happened when she let slip to Rosie that she was from Heaven during her delving session. Aria hoped to not repeat the same mistake as Alastor squeezed her shoulder before letting her go as the elevator doors opened, revealing an astonishing sight!
"As the golden, elevator doors spread wide to reveal her standing there, one must pause and wonder how a radiant beauty such as you, my lady Aria, could look so somber," Damian insisted as the elevator doors revealed him standing there in a soft yellow and navy kimono to greet them with a sparkling smile as he was cascaded by cherry blossoms out of nowhere as he ran his hand through his cerulean hair, making sparkles appear as he flipped his hair up in a dashing pose, making Aria stare in disbelief, wondering where the heck the cherry blossoms and magical sparkles came from! "Take heart, my fair one, for I am your protector this day! So long as I draw breath, you need not frown a moment longer! Smile and let the world know joy once more!"
"Nice to see you too, Damian," Aria greeted with a sigh, the attention from Damian making her feel awkward and a little uncomfortable as she wished he'd tone it back a bit, given that she already dealt with a demon that also favored the dramatic. "I'm actually surprised to see you still in this form! I thought you would've turned back to Andrew after we parted ways yesterday."
"Alas! Seeing my place of work become dead and gone like so many withered cherry blossoms in the wind left Andrew feeling rather anxious, which left me in charge of his body a while longer to keep him safe through this rather trying time!" Damian said dramatically with a sigh, as he closed the distance between them as he put an arm around her seductively, holding her close enough to catch the scent of the sea before she struggled out of his grasp, making him smile affectionately as he laughed good-naturedly. "Ah, but don't be sad, my lady! All is well! Miss Charlie Magne and Alastor have agreed to let me stay after they realized my gift in making certain beverages, along with my skill in combat! With how I handled myself yesterday, per Alastor's request, I have been hired to help you with this strange mission of yours. I was going to come along freely, to repay you for saving my life yesterday, but given Andrew's need to have food to eat and a safe place to sleep at night, I could not refuse such a generous offer from the beautiful Miss Magne and The Dashing Radio Demon!"
"Let's not forget how inept you are in combat, my dear!" Alastor pointed out with a wicked grin, making Aria blush angrily at his remark as she watched him clearly enjoy the rise he was getting out of her as she just knew without a doubt that Alastor was going to be nothing but unpleasant company for the entire day. "I hardly think I could say no to the generous offer Damian provided when he volunteered to be your bodyguard so freely this morning at breakfast!"
"I'm so thrilled," Aria commented dryly, the sarcasm heavy in her tone as a very tired sigh escaped her before the front door of the hotel suddenly banged open, making Aria jump as the front hall was instantly swarmed by fly guys!
"It looks like they're still here, boss!" the familiar voice of Harry called out loudly down the hall before Aria recognized Arackniss walking briskly down the hall in his very dark suit and odd bow tie he wore the day before, his frown and multiple eyes glowing red as they adjusted to the darker interior of the hotel.
Do people just wear out what they have until they have to get a new suit, or do people get really attached to a certain look, here, I wonder, Aria thought to herself, shrugging, since she hadn't veered much from the purple and black colored clothing she'd started out with, either, as Arackniss reached her, his black, toothy frown and numerous, pink eyes unnerving her as he stared at her intensely.
"Good to see ya didn't skip town, sweet cheeks!" Arackniss commented with a nod to her before he scowled at Alastor and Damian as he pointed rudely at both of them with two of his hands, while two of his hands rested in his pockets, one rested behind his back, and one rested on the almost-hidden handle of a handgun she could see by her much-improved, military-grade, analysis program, making Aria frown at the sight of it. "I see that you're bringing these two troublemakers with ya. I hardly think we need a skinny radio host and a fucking wannabe samurai to keep ya safe, to be perfectly honest. I'm nothing if not a man of my word, and I promised no guns!"
"You're certainly nothing, my tiny fellow! Your so small that I would've mistaken you for that bloodstain on the floor!" Alastor quipped readily with a dark grin on his face as his radio feedback played a mocking, player piano tune that made Aria think of those old, western shootouts.
"Ugh! Fuck you, ya mouthy bastard!" Arackniss retorted as he flipped off Alastor before he looked down at the floor and looked back at The Radio Demon, unimpressed. "It looks like your age is finally showing. I don't see a bloodstain anywhere on the floor."
Without even batting an eye, Alastor snapped a finger, a red, billowing substance leaving his gloved hand as a tentacle shot out of the floor, almost impaling Arackniss as the tiny spider demon jumped out of the way, narrowly escaping the tentacle by mere inches before he was grabbed by Damian from behind. The water demon wasted no time as he pulled Arackniss's arms hard behind his back, and pinned the tiny spider demon onto the floor as he put his deadly tail to the spider demon's throat, making Arackniss grunt in pain as his hidden gun became much easier to see, now that half of it was poking out from his coat pocket. Alastor snapped his fingers and made the tentacle recede as quickly as it appeared as he sauntered lazily to where Arackniss lay as he pulled out the handgun from Arackniss's pocket and sneered as he kept it trained down at Arackniss's body. Without a word, Alastor shot him, making Aria cry out in astonishment as Arackniss screamed again and again until Alastor emptied the entire magazine into him, making sure to not aim at anything vital as Arackniss's blood pooled dark and red around him.
"If I'm not mistaken, there's a bloodstain on the floor as plain as day right where you're lying, my tiny fellow!" Alastor said with a dark, amused grin on his face as he then looked down the hall at the fly guys with a glint of glee in his red eyes, making Aria turn and stare in shock as she saw every single fly guy being restrained by Alastor's black tentacles, a few fly guys looking very blue in the face as a few held their guns in limp hands before clattering to the ground as they passed out! "I have absolutely no idea how you missed it! Now, kindly tell me why you brought a bunch of armed goons and a gun, when you explicitly said that there would be, and I quote, 'no guns!' Do try and be quick about it! A few of your men look like they're about to expire!"
"Ya fucking nutcase!" Arackniss spat in a pained voice as he weakly struggled against Damian's arms, but this was just like the day before as Damian just put enough pressure on his limbs to make him remember what had happened to him yesterday as Arackniss hissed out in pain before he finally relented. "Alright, alright! Enough, already! We brought the guns in case we ran into any shit on our way here or on our way back! It wasn't anything personal! A lot of people in Hell want us dead! You can hardly blame us for keeping fucking, concealed guns on us for our own fucking protection!"
"Yes, well, you should've thought about that before breaking your word and bringing your armed goons with you!" Alastor insisted as he smiled dangerously at Damian, who took the cue as he put more pressure on Arackniss's arms, making the tiny demon scream out as some of his arms were pulled out of their sockets, again. "Perhaps you should lose a few arms to make you remember better manners next time you deal with The Radio Demon, hmm?"
"Alastor-" Aria started to say, but the look he gave her stopped her mid-sentence, his red, glowing, slitted eyes too familiar as she recognized the look from the night before just before he left huge claw marks in solid stone.
"Rip two of his arms off and I'll make sure the rest of his goons are unarmed before you release him!" Alastor announced as he leered at Aria, his background music an old-timey, insidious mockery of a moment of triumph as he passed her without a second look as he snapped his fingers, making the tentacles he summoned finally release the fly guys as Aria watched them lie still, making her fear for their lives.
Aria angrily looked away from both Alastor and Damian, her hands balling up into fists as she bared her sharp, yellow teeth in frustration! She fought the urge to say anything while snapping her eyes shut as she felt overwhelmingly helpless, while she heard Alastor hum to himself happily as he emptied out bullets from every gun he found, the tinkling sound of bullets hitting the ground like metal rain. The Holy Ghost comforted her, telling her she was doing the right thing in listening to Alastor right then, but her heart sank, the comfort almost a mockery to her as she was forced to listen as Arackniss's arms were ripped off for his mistake, his screams searing into her ears! Everything inside her kept screaming at her to do something, to try and stop Alastor or Damian from going any further, but she knew she had to just stand still and trust that God knew what he was doing as she trembled with fear and fury!
"There we are! You are all unarmed and one of you literally so!" Alastor announced gaily as his invisible audience laughed in delight, his glee making Aria's heart sick as she dared to look at Arackniss and her heart broke for him as he clutched at his sides where two of his arms had been as blood stained the carpeting beneath him even more as it turned the carpet into a darker shade of burgundy. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, we should probably not make your mob boss wait any longer than he needs to! Up you get, my tiny fellow, and wrangle your pathetic excuse for mobsters so that we may leave as soon as possible! As for your guns, I am confiscating them until I can strike a deal with your boss so that this little fiasco doesn't happen again! I'm sure you don't have a problem with that, now, do we?"
Alastor loomed over Arackniss like a nightmare as his horns grew long and deadly, while his murderous smile stretched across his pale face. His eyes grew into blackened pits with black ichor draining from them, while his radio feedback burst over everyone in the lobby in a twisted, noxious backlash that left Aria feeling sick with dread. If she didn't know that interfering would make things far worse, Aria already knew she would've been all up in Alastor's face for being such a bully to Arackniss right then as she frowned angrily at him!
"No problem whatsoever," Arackniss answered evenly, the hate he had for Alastor weighed and measured in all eight of his pink eyes as he slowly stood to his full height, his head barely reaching above Alastor's waist as he walked with measured steps back towards the front doors, but not before pausing and looking at Aria, frowning. "What's that fucking look for?"
Aria had no words for how she felt. She was angry with Alastor, she felt compassion towards Arackniss, and she felt frustrated with herself as she wished things could've been different. She stared at Arackniss, feeling all of these feelings swirl inside her like a vortex until she decided to ignore everything else but her compassion as she looked at Arackniss imploringly.
"Nothing can make this right, but I won't just ignore your pain," Aria said with a determined expression as she reached out to Arackniss with an outstretched hand, making the tiny spider hesitate, suspicious of what she was about to do as he looked at her with his calm, calculating eyes, but all she did was return his gaze with a very gentle expression. "I'm not going to hurt you. Here."
Aria gently put a hand on his shoulder and quickly dipped into her angelic power reserves before anyone could stop her. A white light momentarily glowed over her hand as Arackniss gasped, while Aria cried out in sudden, excruciating pain! Before her eyes, the healing process for Arackniss sped up significantly to the point where his arms had grown back, the miracle of it comforting Aria as she realized with a pained smile that he would've regrown his appendages naturally with enough time. Aria could hear the rise of Alastor's radio tuning loudly behind her, but Aria ignored it as she took all of Arackniss's pain into her, her sides bleeding heavily as she screamed out in sheer agony!
"What...what the hell!?" Arackniss cried out, looking at his brand new arms in shock, but as Aria fell to her knees, he put two hands on her back as though to steady her and himself, the shock heavy in his face as Arackniss realized what she'd just done. "Oh shit! Quick! Harry! Marv! Wake up, you shit heads! You're not dead! I need alcohol and a clean shirt! I don't care where you fucking find it, just give them to me now, damn it!"
"What have you done to my fair lady, you corrosive, vile vermin!?" Damian growled dangerously as he loomed over Arackniss, his soft, yellow eyes with black where the whites should've been glowing red with rage as Aria vaguely heard the sound of something sharp move dangerously close to her.
"I didn't do anything!" Arackniss retorted with a painful grunt as Aria heard someone push something heavy off of them, while someone else hurriedly shuffled over to her, the sound of a bottle being opened as the smell of alcohol filled the space in front of her as a small hand moved to lift her dress up, making Aria suddenly shake her head violently!
"Wait!" Aria barely breathed out as she sent a thought to her choker and quickly changed her long dress into a simple, purple t-shirt with black pants and black shoes, the sleeves ripped up, while the collar was a star shape for easier access to her wounds.
"Damn! Well...this definitely makes things easier, but what the hell are you, sweet cheeks?" Arackniss asked with a hint of surprise in his voice as he lifted up her shirt just enough to treat her wounds, the sting of the alcohol that had soaked into the cloth that was wrapped around her torso making her hiss out in both pain and relief.
Aria just concentrated on breathing, the urge to scream in pain diminished by how painful it had been to do so. The rise and fall of her chest pulled the now damaged muscles in her sides, the blood oozing from her newly formed, open wounds staining the floor she knelt on. As Aria tried to ease into the caring hands of Arackniss and ignored the unfounded outrage of Damian, Alastor's presence loomed behind her, making the hair on her neck stand on end as she wondered just how angry he was at her meddling this time.
"You're going to be a thorn in my side, aren't you, my dear, but at least you've taken two thorns in your sides for the both of us! Ahahaha!" Alastor laughed, his hand resting on the top of her head as he patted it gently, leaving Aria feeling even more anxious as the invisible audience chuckled as his background music played a sound like when someone gets caught doing something foolish. "All joking aside, you actually played your part just wonderfully, my dear! Niffty?"
There was a flash of bright light, followed by the telltale sound of a camera going off! Aria dared to turn her head as she spotted Niffty at her side holding an old-fashioned camera, an unusually evil grin on her adorable face. Aria felt a chill run through her as she watched Niffty rush off with the camera, while Alastor just stood there over her, looking smug. Aria had the sneaking suspicion that she'd just played right into his hands.
"You play dirty, Radio Demon!" Arackniss growled as he stopped wrapping her wounds and stepped away from her quickly, leaving her half-wrapped as Aria tried to reach for the abandoned end of the length of cloth left to tie around her, but Damian thankfully took up what Arackniss had started, albeit sloppily as Aria hissed when he tightened the material too hard by accident as he tied the makeshift wrap around her firmly. "You almost had me believing your shape-shifting assistant, whoever the fuck she is, was a half-decent demon. This is fucking payback for the blackmail shit I set up yesterday, isn't it?"
"You catch on quick, my tiny fellow!" Alastor said with a shrewd grin on his face, twirling his staff with a careless air about him as an upbeat, old-timey tune piped up in his radio background, while the ding, ding, ding of a winner's bell mocked Arackniss even further. "I needed something to hold over you in case things go south later on this evening! I can assure you that I'm a man of my word when I say that, if this mission of yours turns out to be just as you described, then all is well! You'll be given the incriminating evidence at the end of our little mission and no one will ever have to know your juicy, little secret!"
"And what happens if things go fucking south, huh?" Arackniss asked critically, his eight eyes narrowing and his sharp, black-toothed frown looking tense as Aria fought to pay attention through the intense pain as her heart sank at what Alastor said next.
"Why, I give this little photo right here in my hand to every newspaper and news station here in Hell, of course!" Alastor declared confidently with a happy smile like the idea was the funniest thing in the world as the sound of an old-fashioned printer and a radio voice coming from Alastor's staff saying "This just in!" like an actual reporter rang over the lobby, making Aria stare at Alastor as the betrayal of using her sacrifice to further his own ambitions left her feeling shocked, sickened, and incredibly angry. "You not only become a laughing stock overnight, but I highly doubt your mob boss would keep you after this went public! Who would've thought a cold-blooded killer like you would have such a soft spot for a woman in distress?"
"You can't...be serious!" Aria gasped out, a cry of pain followed by a groan of regret escaping her as she hushed her tone to barely above a whisper as she held onto Damian to steady herself before looking back up at Alastor as she just glared at him! "This is monstrous...even for you! To ruin him...just to get a little payback...for what Arackniss pulled on us...yesterday!? Are you really...that petty to try...and erase the good will I risked...bleeding for!? Do what you have to...but don't you dare degrade...my sacrifice! I did it for him, not you!"
"As much as I admire your act of compassion, my lady Aria, I think it was incredibly foolish for you to take away his suffering and carry all of it by yourself!" Damian chided her as he gently picked her up and carried her like she was his bride, making her flush in embarrassment at the thought, but said nothing as she hissed out in pain during the transition. "I know you mean well, but here in the abyss that is Hell, you must crush your opponent quickly and swiftly to show them your unconquerable spirit and indomitable strength of will, or you'll be crushed quickly for your bleeding heart, no offense."
"You weren't complaining yesterday," Aria retorted, crying out in pain for her comeback, but she didn't care as she glared at Damian and Alastor before she turned to look at Arackniss with a look of pity and sadness before looking away from him.
"We better get moving before my old man gets the idea that I got into some sort of fucking trouble," Arackniss announced in a calm, steady tone that was almost emotionless as the sound of a bunch of his fly guys getting up and groaning filled the entry way as Alastor led the way, poofing ahead as he flung the front doors wide, revealing the unnaturally red sky of Hell and a dark limo with gnawing teeth near the wheels.
"Well, then! Let's not keep your fatherly employer waiting!" Alastor announced as his radio background grew lively and spry as a fly guy opened the door for Alastor as he climbed into the limo, while Damian gently got her into the car before getting in himself as the fly guys swarmed out of the hotel.
"I just hope we don't run into any trouble on our way back, or we're fucking screwed," Arackniss commented with a pointed frown, his eight, pink eyes leering at Alastor, who looked as calm and easy as a summer's morning.
"Don't worry, my tiny fellow! I'm more than enough trouble for anyone foolish enough to try and take a pot shot at us!" Alastor announced grandly, making Aria look at Alastor with some distaste at his arrogance, while trying to not think of how incredibly close Damian was to her as he kept an arm around her to steady her as the limo revved up and then took off like a gunshot as it careened and sped heedlessly through Hell's busy streets, making Aria cry out in surprise! "So just smile and enjoy the ride!"
Aria had a bad feeling about how this day was starting as she thought about how Alastor had taken advantage of her kindness and wondered what else he'd take advantage of from her before the day was out.