Chapter 50: Alastor's Chateau

"We told you to stay in your room!" Bayou screeched.

"What's Celia doing in Hell?" Audrey exclaimed.

"Auradon caught on with words of your connection with Alastor, he and Miss Deetz brought her in as our temporary guest so they don't get involved!" Indigo Caligo tapped her hands. "Oh, and also so she can fill in the remaining dues of her dad! You know, he still has unfinished business with his friends on the other side. You know, these guys?"

Indigo pointed above her. That's when Audrey finally noticed the shadows moving on the trees, the ground, and the entire estate. Thin shadows that crawled and clawed their way around. Creatures whose only distinguishable features over their bodies of darkness were their faces: ominous masks, voodoo symbols for eyes, and other things close to demonic with creepy smiles. So, these were the infamous creatures that led Dr. Facilier to his downfall. The shadow servants of Alastor.

"They've been having Celia fill up the remains of her father's debt while she's here. Nothing dangerous or lethal! She's just been doing some chores! You've got nothing to worry about!" Indigo reassured them.

"I don't want to be here!" Celia exclaimed.

"How dare you!" Bayou was almost tempted to slap Celia, but Bella and Levia blocked Bayou from Celia.

"Easy there, old girl!" Levia T. hissed. "The guest is one of The Lady's associates. You really want the master to find out that you angered The Lady because you beat a little girl?"

"I'm not THAT little!" Celia denied.

"Well, you're not wearing your usual shoes…" Charles commented.

"CHARLES, THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE!" Celia managed to run away from her bodyguards and squeeze Charles in a hug. "WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT YOU AFTER YOU LEFT!"

"Celia! My ribs!" Charles winced.

"Aw, how cute!" Indigo gushed.

And of course, Amar being Amar, the youngest of the bunch couldn't resist being a troll. "Wow, Charles! That's your friend from home?"

"We've never been friends! She barely ever spoke to be until Audrey left Auradon!" Charles managed to push Celia away. A hurt expression was on her face.

"Hey! I was just…"

"Not even your friend? What a relief! For a moment, I was worried what your girlfriend Ozzy would think if she thought Celia was your friend!" Amar chuckled. "Crisis averted, then! I almost thought there would be a competition, but that's insane! Why would you want to hang out with a fake voodoo practitioner over a genuine rebel rock royal anyway?"

Audrey pinched her eyes in disappointed frustration, not wanting to see what would happen next. Charles looked in disturbed confusion at Celia, who ran towards the two-story building in tears. Bella and Levia T. ran after her while most of the demons just stared at Amar in disapproval.

"What?" Amar shrugged.

"You're a sour apple, aren't you?" Lou said bitterly. Amar responded with a silent shrug.

"Armstrong, Lou, recheck the security," Bayou pointed at the two cat demons. "That girl is not supposed to be running out into the forest! Indigo and I will take care giving The Lady and her friends the general tour of the chateau."

"Celia's never going to take no for an answer," Armstrong pointed out. "Restrain a gator of its meal and it will find new ways to hunt."

"Well, how about this…" Bayou said before screaming. "DOUBLE THE SECURITY BEFORE SHE EITHER GETS LOST IN THE FOREST OR ACCIDENTALLY BECOMES A DEMON'S APPETIZER! THE MASTER WILL GET ANGRY IF WE GET HER KILLED EVEN BY ACCIDENT!" The imp's screams caused Armstrong and Lou to make a run for it. Bayou hyperventilated to the point of wanting to cry until Indigo patted her on the head.

"So, let's do this!" Indigo said cheerfully. "And don't worry about Celia. She'll get better at dinnertime."

"Are we allowed to speak to her while we're here?" Audrey asked as the group started walking towards the chateau.

"Why wouldn't you?" Indigo asked in confusion. "She's staying here until you fulfill your contract with the master. She's just not allowed out of the property because it's too dangerous out there. Some demons out there don't have standards like the master! Why, she could be eaten, killed, or worse!"

"You have nothing to fear," Bayou said dismissively. "Despite her ingratitude, we've kept her fed, we've given her a room in our quarters," Bayou pointed at the building where Celia ran off to, "the master even provides her with monetary compensations for her chores to work off her father's debt, and he's provided her with unnecessary privileges from granting her attendance in employee get-togethers and having me stuck as her homeschooling tutor!"

"Homeschooling?" Charles frowned.

"What, did you think the master was going to allow her to frolic around outside of her chores? She's a minor!"

"On with the tour!" Indigo pointed out. "Servants' quarters, the greenhouse where the produce and herbs are grown! Our charming thorn hedge maze designed in honor of the local shadows and spirits serving the master! Behind the estate, the Blood Lake and the master's fantastical garden with just the most beautiful community grove of flowers! By the way, don't feed the gators in the Blood Lake!"

"If they're anything like the ones I have in Villainapolis, I think I'll live," Audrey said dismissively.

"We'd prefer if you stayed away from the gators until the master provides his consent in you taming the beasts, milady," Bayou said. "The creatures are cannibalistic. Unless the master gives them the remains of his meals, they'll eat whoever as much dips their toe by accident."

"Has there been many accidents?" Charles accident.

"Why do you think I'm the scullery maid?" Indigo's peppy attitude briefly turned sour. Audrey glanced at the Blood Lake before it disappeared as they reached the chateau's main door. She didn't want to imagine what could have caused the former scullery maid to take a deadly dive in the lake.

When Bayou let them in, darkness immediately welcomed them. Curtains covered the windows and the primary light source illuminating things so far was a chandelier dangling above a ceiling and midair of a spiraling staircase that went all the way up. With the candles on the chandelier, Audrey could see that the chandelier was made of polished stag skulls and dangling rubies and the stairs… had red carpeted steps with handrails made of piled up bones.

"The first floor is the dining room, kitchen, ballroom, and access to the courtyard and garden," Bayou explained. "Second floor is the library, the master's rooms for magical practice and corpse compilations, and coffee time room. Third floor is the music room, guest rooms, and art room. Fourth floor is the second library and the master's archives. Fifth floor are the master's chambers right next to yours, milady. Unless he isn't around, the sharp times for breakfast, lunch, coffee time, and dinner are 7am, noon, 4:30, and 6. Unless he says otherwise, you are all prohibited from stepping within the kitchen, the rooms for magical practice and corpse compilations and the archives. NEVER step inside his room!"

"Unless he's in a VERY good mood, he'll be dining with just The Lady," Indigo said after Bayou. "I'll bring the boys' meals in their rooms."

"No technology within the estate. We use crystal balls for communications or our usual sources of entertainment when the master isn't around."

"Don't leave the estate or the radio tower without an escort until the master decides to give you your own skeleton key."

"Do not make the same mistakes as Celia Facilier on running away."

"Rest assured, you cannot be given cannibal cuisine, but if the master presents you his other dishes, do not refuse."

"And most importantly… DO NOT fraternize with the other overlords or those serving them!" Bayou pointed a stern finger at Audrey. "You may be powerful, Milady, but Hell is filled with the master's enemies. Be careful."
"I'm aware." Audrey rolled her eyes.

"OK!" Indigo clasped her hands in excitement. "So, any questions before we bring you to your rooms? I can't wait for you to see the clothes I made for all of you. Well, except the kid, we didn't expect him." Amar raised his hand. "Yes?"

"I got a bunch of questions," Amar said. "Are there lactose-free meals? Can I take care of my own room cleaning and laundry? Can one of you check my human studies homework while these two check my magic homework?" He pointed at Audrey and Charles. "Can I play with the gators in the lake? How many bones in the entire chateau are made of Alastor's victims, plain game and devoured demons?"

Bayou and Indigo glanced at one another before the former answered. "Yes. Sure, why not. Absolutely not. 665,999 skeletons overall. Anything else?"

"Yeah. How come you're the cousin of one of the imps who helped Audrey and Charles in Villainapolis…" Amar pointed at Bayou and then at Indigo, "… and why is she an Auradonian murdered by the same company your cousin works for?"

Audrey didn't know what caused her to gasp. The amount of insolence Amar was displaying by making the two chateau employees uncomfortable or his revelations about Indigo Caligo. Charles was getting frustrated and grabbed Amar by the wrist.

"Third floor, you and me, and we're going to have a boys' talk about respecting boundaries!" Charles pulled Amar towards the stairs.

"Indigo, please escort the Lady to her room while I take care of those male hooligans." Bayou patted Indigo on the shoulder. Bayou went after the boys while Indigo silently guided Audrey. Audrey couldn't stop staring at the blue demoness as they walked up the stairs, she successfully ignored the whispering hisses that echoed at each step she took. Probably the remaining whispers of Alastor's victims as their bones were used to make his staircase. Around the fourth floor, Audrey finally noticed the particular way Indigo tapped her feet when she walked… How she fidgeted her arms when she got peppy again… How her one-sleeved owl butterfly themed dress reminded her of an ice skater's dress…

Then Audrey finally noticed the purple butterfly mark Indigo had under her right eye.

"Oh my god… You're Ines!"

Indigo Caligo stopped in her tracks just before the could reach the fifth and last floor. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said quietly.

"You… you were a student at Auradon Prep…" Audrey remembered. "It was before I became a freshman… You were a commoner from Arendelle who went to Auradon Prep. You were a cheerleader before I joined the team, but the school rebuffed your petition to start a co-ed figure skating team. Around 2012…" The horrifying reality hit Audrey and she pointed at Indigo. "Those bitches made your murder look like a car accident!"

"Uh, don't use that language in here. The master's not a fan of vulgar dialect… unless we're talking about his enemies," Indigo turned to her.

Audrey shook her head and put her hands on Indigo's arms. "WHY are you here, Ines? You were not like me! You were so nice that everyone liked you! You were practically a paragon! Why are you in Hell? You should be in Heaven, that's where your dad went after he died from heartbreak! Well, that's what they said at his funeral."

"He's in Hell as well…" Indigo crossed her arms and sighed.

Audrey let go of her. "WHY? You two were such good people!"

"Our lives of so-called virtue wasn't enough to justify that he had an affair with a Hellborn demoness," Indigo said sourly. "That's right, an Auradonian man managed to have an affair with a butterfly demoness from the Envy Ring. The ring's leader told my mother I had to be raised by my mortal parent until I could choose between one of them on my 16th birthday."

"You were going to choose your dad, weren't you? He didn't want you to turn out like her."

"That's the problem, milady. I DIDN'T get to choose. On my 16th birthday, we were leaving the restaurant in Arcadia City where we went to celebrate. We went back to our car but my dad had to go back when he realized he forgot his coat at the restaurant."

"You were IN the city? They said that you died from a car accident on the road!" Audrey exclaimed.

"Nope. I was alone in the car and a long-shot bullet hit me right here." Indigo tapped on her butterfly mark. "Bayou's cousin Moxxie hit me right on my tattoo. Bullet went through my skull in a diagonal direction and out of it, I woke up in the Pride Ring, falling into a parking space." Indigo sighed and sat down on the steps. "I later found out that my mom, driven by her envy over my relationship with my dad, had hired the IMP to kill me so I wouldn't choose him over her. I found out when she approached me when I arrived. I didn't take the news well."
"Did you kill her?" Audrey asked, a tad bit too hopeful.

"I totally did." Indigo sadly chuckled. "It's also how I found out that my demon biology causes me to suck blood out of necessity." Indigo tapped her fangs, showing their pointy tips to Audrey. "I sucked blood to survive in Hell. I was trying to apply for a position as a blood saucer at the Cannibal Colony not too far from here when I stumbled onto Alastor and he offered his employment benefits. I've been his scullery maid ever since."

Audrey blinked. "You went from a cheerleader slash aspiring ice skater… to a blood-sucking demon who washes Alastor's pots and laundry?"

"Actually, he does his own laundry and cooking. His scullery maids in the past never did it for him. He never allowed them to even mend his clothes. I primarily clean the pots and laundry in the servants' quarters. My tasks are primarily cleaning up the chateau except in the forbidden rooms, polishing the bones of his victims, killing the vermin that threaten the garden, and lethal security if it ever happens when somebody tries to break in."

"How often does that happen?" Audrey frowned.

Indigo pondered. "Maybe there's at least one whack-job who somehow made it through the forest and got to the estate. If Armstrong or Lou haven't found them, I usually suck the intruder's blood to death. That sort of thing happens at most once a year. That's like 4 in one human month. The master's really paranoid about his enemies trying to hunt down where he lives." Indigo shook her head and got up. "Anyway, here we are! Final floor, to your abode!"

They got to the fifth floor. The chains of the chandelier met the center of the ceiling's dome. A dome covered by paintings of Loa surrounding a shadowed man bearing stag antlers. The fifth floor was just a small platform with antler railing. Besides Audrey and Indigo, the only thing standing on the fifth floor was a pink-and-blue painted mahogany door.

Audrey frowned. "Why is there one door?"

"It's the door to your room." Indigo pulled out a blue-colored key from her dress and put it in the keyhole. "Or should I say, the room that is your suite, bathroom, balcony access, and walk-in closet all put together. I can't wait for you to see the wardrobe the master had me build up for you!" Indigo got giddy again.

"What about the door to Alastor's chambers?" Audrey grimaced. "Don't tell me that his room is connected to his!"

"Heck no!" Indigo turned the key. "The master may be psychotic, but he's not perverted. He specifically designed the room to be untethered from his. Besides, your room used to be an empty attic… until Bayou found out the creepy stuff that Lou and Bella were doing in there. You don't want to know. Minus that, I have no idea where Alastor's door is. No one does."

"But Bayou said his quarters are on the same floor as mine. How can his room not have a door?" Audrey got suspicious.

"I know nothing, milady." Indigo shook her head and opened the door. "I've seen the master on his balcony but I've never seen him come in and out of it from this floor. If he ever did, my back was always turned until I realized he was here. Bayou says that he's like the Phantom of the Opera. Master of the building, yet so secretive on how he moves around to do his business and his own followers no nothing of his next stop. Heck, just last week, I was polishing this very door, I heard NOTHING that would suggest another door opening or someone walking out, and he stood right where you are, wishing me a good morning before going down. I've been working here since my death and I STILL haven't gone over it to the point of not getting a heart attack."

Finally, she let Audrey inside her room. "Check it out!"

Audrey followed her in and almost had a double-take when she saw her room. Subtle black walls, polished natural brown floors covered by three desaturated pink square carpets. A black Art-Deco bay window with pink gossamer curtains and plain pink cushioned seats. A black nightstand bearing a lamp besides a large black four-posts colonial canopy bed of pink gossamer curtains, blue tassels, and two-colored bedsheets plus pillows with bird patterns. A bricked chimney with an unlit fireplace and some bird of prey's skull mounted on the chimney. Empty bookshelves, a wooden coffee table bearing a bird-themed tea set, a pink chaise, two human-sized vases standing on two corners and holding the biggest amounts of red and pink roses, two other mahogany doors, and to Audrey's surprised delight, a vintage gramophone complete with records.

The crowning jewel of the room was instantly the chandelier. While fashioned like a 1930s Art Deco chandelier, the primary jewels were all broken pieces of stained-glass windows that created illuminating rainbow effects when the light struck it, bringing more color to the dark room.

If anything, her room, even as beautiful as it was, managed to be somewhat more modest in decoration than her old bedroom back in Auradon Prep and her room back at her Villainapolis chateau combined. And it came with a gramophone! Her grandmother never allowed her one of those relics!

"Your balcony has an outdoor relaxation spot, ideal if you want to read the morning's newspaper complete with the view of the Blood Lake. We had no clue on your preferences for bath lotions and usual hygiene, so the twins and I along with the girls from the radio tower did some serious shopping. We got like 20 different scents. You'll die at the walk-in closet!" Indigo showed Audrey the rest of the room. "I made sure to design your clothes for casual, formal, semi-formal, sleeping, sports, seasonal, coffee time, teatime, themed parties, cocktail, etc. All divided between vintage and modern, the master prefers the old-fashioned. And no, you won't have to worry about the horrors of petticoats and corsets, I made sure to design the clothes in comfortable but suitable style."

Audrey whistled. "Dang, Ines…"

"Indigo," the owl butterfly demon corrected. "I appreciate your acknowledgement, but in Hell, sinners use nicknames over actual human names."

"So, Armstrong, Lou, Bella, and Levia are not their real names? Not even Alastor?"

"No, that's his real name. That's what he was named in life and he chose to remain that in death. 'Radio Demon' is what everyone calls him out of lazy fear. We call him 'The Master' here out of respect. Only Husk and Nifty call him 'Alastor' but that's because they're dealed-in favors who act as casual associates rather than paid employees with benefits."

"Ah…" Audrey went to sit down on the chaise. She took a deep breath.

"Do you like your room, mi…"

"Just call me Audrey, please." Audrey quietly raised her hand. "I don't want you to call me 'milady'. I don't deserve it…"

Indigo Caligo looked confusingly at Audrey. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You didn't. I just… I don't want to be called 'milady'. I don't even deserve to be treated the way you and the others are treating me exceptionally… Especially not after what I did and after seeing what happened to you and Celia… And I doubt that Alastor even deserves to be plagued by me…"

"But…"

The walls started shaking. Despite the closed windows, the curtains waved as if a breeze had struck. A thousand ghostly wails echoed in a tragic orchestra. Audrey saw her own shadow and that of Indigo's remaining petrified on one spot while the girls got to their feet. Static buzzed in Audrey's head, causing her to yell.

"Miss Audrey!" Indigo helped her stand up.

"What's happening?" Audrey exclaimed.

"The spirits are reacting to alert us. The master is back."

Meanwhile

Charles opted to avoid getting excited when Bayou escorted him first to his room before leading Amar to his own.

It was a turmoil of suspicion and distress in him. For one, he must not trust a demon for presenting him with such a nice space. But it was hard because of how nice his guest room was.

He had an actual bed. Not the dusty attic floor where he slept and suffered from smoke inhalation problems due to his father's chimney problems. Not the oddly luxurious bunk beds within Elvis or that weird bed in the train's Moulin Rouge-themed train, rooms where he cuddled with Ozzy in his sleep. An actual four-post, humble walnut bed with red-and-black bedsheets.

He had an actual desk and chair for him to put his satchel on, not the termite-feasted boxes he once stacked to do his homework and research. An actual empty chimney, a carpet underneath the coffee table and armchair, and a closet full of clothes his actual size rather than ones too big for him. He even had a bathroom, access to a small balcony, and shelves to put his stuff. The white walls even had framed pictures of former French-speaking territories, especially of Paris and New Orleans.

Charles managed to brush away his tears. He can't give in to temptations… despite how much how he was in an environment that looked kinder than his first home.

He then noticed the red package wrapped in a big black bow resting on his bed. Charles walked up to it and read the note attached to the package.

A rewarding gift for the lonely demon hunter who protected my queen. It has been acquired for quite a well. Treat it the way no one has ever treated you. I look forward to our upcoming meeting.

With good respects, Alastor the Radio Demon

Charles frowned. He hasn't even met the demon and the latter was already giving him a present for protecting Audrey. He was tempted to just throw the package out the window until he saw the package fidget. Freaking out, Charles pulled out his dagger. He used it to slice the ribbon and package open, prepared to slay whatever monstrosity Alastor had dared to give him. The lid dropped open. In the darkness within the box, orange eyes and spots glowed…

And ended when a small white baby goat with orangish brown spots and a pink bow wrapped around her neck stepped out of the box, bleating eagerly when she saw Charles. Confused, he then saw the rest of the message on the back of the note.

P.S: Bayou assisted me in procuring your new pet from her family's goat breeding farm in the Ring of Wrath. Your new little hircine friend is a little lady and her name is up for you to decide.

Charles stared at the note, baffled by the possible bribery that was the baby goat. He didn't get the chance to think when the creature jumped on him, causing him to fall on the floor. She covered his face in licks, he didn't pay attention to the temporary agitation of the environment as laughter overwhelmed him.

"OK, OK!" Charles laughed, scooping the little goat in his arms. His purple eyes stared at her sweet, dark brown eyes. "You really are cute… for a bribery…"

A knock came on the door. "Yes?" Charles asked.

Bayou stepped in, followed by Amar. "The master is back and expects only The Lady to dine with him tonight. He'll cook both of your meals for me to bring up." Bayou then noticed the goat in Charles' arms and smiled. "I see you opened his gift."

"Yes…" Charles scratched the goat behind the ear.

"You're lucky we selected her. My family was close to sending her with other runts to a butcher in the Gluttony Ring."

"Oh… Thank you…" Charles held the goat closely.

"Well, I will let you boys freshen up. I'll return with your dinner in an hour or so." To that, Bayou left the boys in Charles' room, closing the door behind her.

Charles got up, still holding the goat in his arms as he went to sit down on the bed. "Whatever will I call such bribery?" He said teasingly as his new pet relaxed on his lap. Amar, in the time being, picked up the note. Charles watched him read the note and outright sniff the handwriting.

"Not a bribery," Amar concluded.

"Don't tell me you can read people's motives with their handwriting." Charles rolled his eyes in sarcasm.

"I can't."

"Oh."

"But my amigo Mick knows tricks. For a human who can't cast magic, he gets As in the Bard track at school. His mommies taught him a lot about music writing and he picked up overtime how to REALLY read handwriting," Amar explained. "He showed it to me and the others. The sincerity in the letters, the genuine struggle in the ink blots…" Amar showed him the note. "The Radio Demon left teeny-tiny, but still there, blots of ink between 'A' and a lot after 'Treat it the way'. I think he had a hard time saying that he gave you the goat as a pet because you needed it, not just because you bodyguarded Audrey. That's rather nice of him."

"I doubt a demon would give me a pet out of generosity…" Charles responded as Amar put his note on his desk. "Well, even if this is the first pet I ever had… My father never even let me play with his horse Snowball, let alone ride it."

"We'll have to go unicorn riding together once." Amar then jumped on the bed, the two boys and the goat bouncing on the mattress. "Besides, just because he's a demon doesn't mean he's a monster. Anyone can be a monster but he doesn't sound like it."

"You're just saying that because he gave me a goat." Charles held up the goat.

"Because you needed it." Amar lied down on his belly. "My mommies gave Demo a pet pig for their birthday with some help from Tia Vinney. You know why? Because they needed it." Amar sighed. "Demo doesn't have a good life at home."

"I still don't get why a man like Dipper Pines ended up with a chaotic demon like Bill Cipher…" Charles admitted. "Back on the Isle, they said that your friend's human dad helped destroy your friend's demon dad."

"You'll have to ask Demo. They're not comfortable with me telling others…" Amar sighed again. "I've been to Demo's house. Bill Cipher's a pretty fun demon, he makes me think of my Tio King, and Dipper Pines is super smart… But when they're in the same room alone… You can imagine who's the alpha to the omega… You had a bad daddy and your mommy left you for Gothy, but can you imagine Demo's life? Their daddies' love is so bad and Bill Cipher hurts Dipper Pines a lot. Worst part is, they both love Demo but Demo has to deal with the adults hating one another."

"My God… And you mentioned in the limo that they sleep a lot at your house."

"My mommies gave Demo their own room…" Amar said sadly. "Demo doesn't even celebrate the holidays with their daddies anymore. Demo's come to all the fiestas my family has hosted. They've even come to all my cousins' birthday parties and most of them don't like Demo." He sighed and gently stroked the goat under the chin. "So, what are you gonna name her?"

"Don't know yet, Amar…" Charles looked out the window. "I don't know…"

Much later

Audrey wasn't sure what she was feeling when she stepped out of her lavender-scented bubble bath. Dread? Relief? Apprehensiveness? Anxiety? Excitement?

She was going to have dinner alone with her demon. A guy she's spoken but never seen outside nightmares and manifestations. All she knew was that whatever feeling she had in her stomach, it was a bad one.

She stepped out of the bathroom, towels wrapping her body and hair. Indigo had stepped out of Audrey's closet to gather Audrey's attire since the latter was too nervous. Audrey had to admit, Indigo was an awesome seamstress. The owl butterfly demoness had picked out a dark fuchsia siren evening gown, a black belt with a red ruby phoenix clasp, black flats and tights, and red earrings to match the belt.

"Respectable, but humble," Indigo said. "If you dress too modestly, he'll think you're not respecting his generosity. Dress too luxuriously and he'll think you're a gold digger. The master has no respect for those interested in him strictly for his status and money. He'll like that you're not trying to show off on the first meeting but you're trying to make a good impression."

"Thanks, Indigo. I appreciate it."

"Do you any help with hair and makeup?"

"No thanks, I can take care of it." Audrey picked up the set out attire.

"I'll wait outside then. Let me know when you're ready." Indigo nodded and made her way out.

Audrey set the dress and jewelry by the sink. The tension within her was still in her stomach. She glanced out of the bathroom and at the records' collection. Unable to resist, she snapped her fingers. Pink sparkles surrounded the disk pockets as they floated towards her, revealing the album covers of old classic music. She was satisfied by the presence of some jazz albums but stopped her magic trick when she found a disk for Cab Calloway's 'Nobody's Sweetheart'. Smiling, she summoned the other disks back to their original spot and had the Calloway disk float towards the gramophone. Audrey sighed in relief when the orchestra started playing as she put on the dress and tights.

Audrey: You're nobody, nobody's sweetheart now,

There's no place for you somehow.

Audrey clasped her belt on and brushed her hair, slightly straightening it until they started in curls at mid-levels, creating a waterfall of brown locks and glitter. Once her hair was done, she moved on to putting natural makeup.

Audrey: With all your fancy clothes, silken gowns,

You'll be out of place in the middle of your own hometown.

In her own satisfied relief, Audrey had zoned out her surroundings while singing. She hadn't been made aware of the chateau's echoing acoustics, so she failed to notice how far her singing went. In Charles' room, he and Amar looked up at the ceiling in confusion. On the main floor, Bayou was startled when she looked out the window and saw that all the spirits and shadows roaming the estate stopped to hear whatever was echoing. In the servants' quarters, Celia and the cat demons found their dinner party interrupted when their radio suddenly started playing.

Audrey: When you walk down the avenue,

All the folks just can't believe that it's you.

With all those painted lips and painted eyes,

Wearing a bird of paradise…

In the dining room, a tall figure was putting down the main dishes on the table. He still needed to put out the drinks when he heard it. The fallen, angelic voice that had summoned him in the first place.

Audrey: It all seems wrong somehow,

It seems so funny,

You're nobody's sweetheart now!

He hadn't heard that voice in such a long time…

Minutes later

Audrey was finally ready. After getting some quick 'good lucks' from the boys, who were having dinner upstairs with Charles' new pet (she still couldn't believe their 'host' had given Charles such a present), Audrey was being escorted to the dining room by Indigo. Minus the credenzas with potted plants placed by the windows and the stag-antlered Art Deco chandeliers, there wasn't anything noteworthy about the hallway they walked through. There weren't even pictures on the walls.

"You're in for a treat. Roasted venison and étouffée," Indigo said. "Not as fantastic as his jambalaya, but delicious."

"Does sound good."

"I think you'll have it covered. As long as you're polite, don't turn the dining room into a battlefield, or talk about modern tech, you should be good. DO NOT mention the Three Vs or pester him about Celia's presence in his estate." Indigo stopped before a large red door with black handles. "Oh, two other things. And those are the last ones. First, smile." Audrey rolled her eyes in honest amusement and smiled. "Good, you finally have it covered. Finally, no matter what he does, and no matter how much you want to retaliate, if you so much as value the lives of your friends, you WILL NOT say a bad word about his mom."

Audrey frowned. "I'm dealing with a…" Indigo shushed her before she could say 'Mama's boy'.

"The lady's in Heaven and the master REALLY venerates her. We used to have a gardener here, five months after working, he made one nasty comment and the master fed him to the Blood Lake gators."

Audrey blinked. "Noted…"

"Well… best of luck, Miss Audrey!" Indigo nodded and made her way out the hallway, disappearing to probably join the others. Audrey sighed at the door.

Guess this is it.

She prepared to knock on it until they opened themselves, opening Audrey's way to the dining room. She froze at the sight of the actual room. Across from her was a large fireplace, glowing with golden orange flames. The ceiling seemed too high up, making it impossible to guess how tall the room was, you might as well be at the bottom of a bottomless pit. The only thing noteworthy that led to the ceiling were the endless wall decorations, too many to count. On the fireplace's wall, an endless collection of stuffed animal heads. The wall on Audrey's left, a collection of various demonic skulls. On the wall where Audrey stood under the doorway, a never-ending sea of knives, guns, daggers, axes, and other killing weapons. The last one, the wall with the curtain-covered window, was probably the scariest. A black with neon-colored silhouettes, creeping creatures, and shadows roaming on the flat surface like fish in an aquarium.

At Audrey's very worst guess, she might as well be looking at the endless collection of victims Alastor had killed. Or even worse, eaten in this very room.

The only non-disturbing things in the room were the cabinet filled with liquor bottles and glasses, the radio playing tunes, and the central dining table with a nice table setting and dishes meant for two people. His back turned on Audrey, a tall, red figure brought down a knife and cut the last slice on the roasted venison.

The moment he turned, the first things Audrey saw were his red eyes and sharp-toothed, larger than life grin.

"My queen," Alastor the Radio Demon said. "We finally meet."