Chapter 11

Talk it Out

Angel was used to other demons who played hard-to-get; "Johns" that needed some persuading that he was as good as he promised to be. He had a pretty good sense who could be lured into his bed. Just because a person says they're straight doesn't mean anything; he can usually win over anyone he wants.

Husk… was one tough customer.

He didn't strike Angel as being straight enough to be immune to his charms, but the cat just kept the "Fuck off" vibe on at all times! The spider's dirty jokes were relentless, but the gambling cat was beyond stubborn. At first, it was just how fucking sexy Husk was. His body was rugged and yet smooth at the same time, and paired with his voice and tough-guy persona he was just a complete package. Not to mention the fact that the feline demon's color scheme was really doing it for the spider.

But then, when he stopped making sex jokes every once in a while, he could just talk with the guy.

It was never anything deep, at least not yet, but the hotel's drunken receptionist could actually be really funny, and Angel even got to see some of his card tricks. Who knew the guy had a thing for magic acts? And he was pretty damn good at them, too! Angel had a thing for sleight-of-hand, but never to show off for a crowd. No, he could pick locks and pockets like a pro, but making things disappear while someone's actually watching him? That was not within his skillset. However, it seemed as though the art of illusion ran deeper than simple deception at times, or at least as far as the spider could tell.

One time, when Angel was being particularly annoying, Husk told him to wait there. He reached behind the counter and pulled out a poker chip. Angel watched him, expecting him to wave his arms, to get fancy. He put the poker chip under a handkerchief and, with a sly smile, pulled it out from behind the spider's ear. At first Angel mocked being impressed, until Husk's smile grew and he said "But there's still something under the cloth! Fuckin' guess what it is?" When Angel just looked at him, confused, the cat lifted the cloth. No flair, just picked it up from the center. Like fucking magic, there was a white sack sitting on the counter where the handkerchief had been.

"Wait, is that my-"

"Not anymore," Husk said. "Consider this confiscated. You know you can't bring this shit into the hotel."

"Aw, come on, Kitty!" he whined. "Give that back! Imma workin' on it, but I gotta have a fix!"

"Forget it," the feline growled. "Consider it payment for the nickname. I fuckin' told you ages ago not to call me that, or Kitten."

"I can make it worth your while," Angel offered, striking an enticing pose over two barstools.

"No, ya can't," Husk dismissed. "You're not getting it back."

Angel looked downright livid. "You wanna go, old man? You talk big, but let's take this outside-"

"Bring. It." Husk's wings rose up, almost coming together over his head, and his tail-plume flared out over his chest. His face lit up with a half-crazed smile, ready to put the obnoxious spider in his place. Angel's breath caught.

"Damn sexy bastard," he muttered. "You're lucky that's so damn hot… Fine, don't ruffle your pretty little feathers... Unless it's a mating display," he added, almost spitefully. He walked away, slumped over in defeat, while Husk just kind of stared at him, his smile faltering slightly. His threat display had been called many things, but "sexy" was definitely a first. He grimaced. He'd tell Charlie about the drugs some other time. For now, he had a bottle to get to. Then, to his own annoyance, he started humming something that would occasionally get stuck in his head.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself. "What were the words again. Something, something, call the Immediate Murder... something." He shook his head. "God damned jingle.

Angel walked outside and pulled out a cigarette. He felt his frustrations melt away slightly as the pink smoke filled his lungs, giving him a slight buzz that made his brain tingle. The feeling traveled through his nerves, and his veins felt warm.

He looked down at his cigarette and grimaced. He flicked it away after only a single draw. He really wanted to finish it, but a single hit would be enough for now. He had to think about how to get his drugs back before Husk told Charlie or, worse yet, Vaggie. At least Charlie doesn't try to shove a spear up his nose whenever he steps out of line.


A few days later, everyone was buzzing with excitement. There had been a few call-ins from flyers and newspaper ads. The hotel's voxtagram page (run by Vaggie) had gotten quite a bit of attention, too. Sure, some of it was sarcastic and mean, but some callers seemed genuinely interested. One even shared Alastor's love for the violent interview, and said that Charlie's violence showed she was serious. The princess wasn't sure if that was good or not, but she accepted it for now.

Near the end of the day, everything was ready. The lobby had balloons, the gambling table and front desk were clean and stocked, the dining room was set up for a buffet-style dinner, and the stage-room was stocked with tables and chairs for people to listen to Charlie's speech.

Vaggie was going over everything repeatedly, annoying every person working there, including Eliza, who did her best to grin and bear it. She couldn't stop herself from telling the moth that harassing her was distracting, and that she couldn't get anything done with the constant barrage of questions and reminders. Niffty kept puffing up her cheeks and telling Vaggie to go away, while Husk eventually switched to just ignoring the pesky moth. Angel was roped into giving a short speech about his time at the hotel. This was Charlie's idea, and while Alastor merely said that he didn't think it was a good idea, Vaggie was practically pulling her hair out trying to change Charlie's mind.

"It would be good if he told everyone that he's doing much better!" she said, trying to calm her girlfriend down.

"Charlie," Vaggie said, trying not to yell, "he made us look stupid on the news with that fucking turf-war! Now he's going to say 'Yea, I haven't done anything since, I swear.'? Are you kidding me?"

"At least he's been clean for a while, outside the occasional cigarette," Charlie mentioned.

"We don't know that!" Vaggie countered. "He's gone for days at a time at his 'job', where he probably gets high every day."

At the front desk, Husk listened in, forced to keep his paws off the bar's good stock until after the speech. He considered telling them about the drugs he confiscated the other day, which were still behind the desk hidden away. He grunted, shoving the sack back into its hidey-hole and returning to his cards. He wasn't sure why he decided not to tell them, but he kept it his little secret. Maybe he'd spill the beans tomorrow, once the reception was officially over.

"In fact, do we even know he's going to make it?!" Vaggie asked. They had asked the spider a couple days ago to do this speech, but yesterday he just disappeared. Husk had said that he talked to him before he left, but they hadn't seen him since. "Does anyone know where he went?"

"Want me to hunt him down?" Alastor asked, though he did not look inclined to bring the spider back in one piece.

"No, no hunting, please," Charlie jumped in. "I'm sure he'll come around! He wouldn't leave us hanging… again…" Vaggie lept at that statement, and the argument continued.

As Vaggie continued to stress, Angel walked in the front door and watched the commotion for a minute before sighing. He walked over to Husk, stretching his top pair of arms over the table.

"Hey," he greeted, wearily.

"Hey," Husk grunted in reply.

"Can I have it back? I don't know if I can do this speech sober." Husk narrowed his eyes slightly. He glanced to the side at the arguing owner and manager before pulling the suspicious bag back out, handing it to the tired-looking porn star. "Thanks, Ki-..." he caught himself and sighed again. "Husk." He was too tired to argue with the veteran, instead heading up to his room. He needed some peace and quiet. And drugs. There was no getting through tonight without them.

About an hour later, Husk finally told them all that Angel had come back. Charlie was relieved, while Vaggie chewed him out for not telling them sooner.

"You were too busy yelling at everyone," he growled, "so why the fuck would I try to tell you then? Besides, the guy was fuckin' tired. Give 'im a break." She was fuming, but Charlie thought for a moment.

"Did he go to his room?" she asked. Husk shrugged, but confirmed that he headed in that direction. She decided she would go and check on him, just to be sure that he was OK.

Angel was not OK.

He was hesitant to take the drugs for once, and actually waited about 15 minutes before finally deciding that he wasn't getting anywhere. He had taken a hit, and the euphoria made him stretch out over his bed. For a little while he stayed like this, forgetting that the last night had anything to do with him. It was someone else's life, who was he to care about that? He was floating, that was all he knew, and that was all that mattered.

It didn't take long for everything else to kick in, however.

Probably about 30 minutes in, he started hearing voices. He looked all over his small room, and at one point thought he pin-pointed the source as being under a pink boa that was laying precariously in the corner. He lifted it, and saw the shadows move. He jumped back, but the shadows stopped when the boa fell back into place. He crept along the floor, slowly approaching the offending object like it might bite him. He lifted it again, and this time the spiders crawled out.

Thousands of them poured out from under the boa, and in moments they were crawling on him. He felt the itch as they covered him, and tried desperately to claw them off. A few minutes of this, and they suddenly vanished. He lay on the floor, exhausted from the struggle with the tiny bastards, when-

"Angel." His breath hitched. It was an alluring male voice, but it made his skin crawl with fear.

"W-who's there?" he flipped around, but no one was there.

"Angel." The voice called to him from the bathroom. He cautiously stalked towards the door, listening intently for any sounds coming from inside. He heard shuffling. It was Fat Nuggets, who was hiding under the bed for now. He knew to stay out of sight when his master got like this. However, Angel didn't register the sound as coming from his pet. He was sure that someone was moving around behind the door.

"Gotcha!" he yelled, opening the door and reaching out to grab the perpetrator. He grasped only empty air, and stood there confused. Then he heard a sound coming from the main room and spun around. He dodged as an assailant, whom he didn't recognize, came at him with a knife. It must have been dark, because it seemed as though the man was only a shadow, with rough edges and fluid movements. The intruder stumbled through the door frame, and the struggle commenced.

Charlie knocked on his door. "Angel, are you in there?" When she heard swearing and the sound of something hitting a wall, she called out more loudly. No response. Normally she hated to intrude, but it sounded like he was in danger, and so she whipped out her skeleton key and entered. The room was a mess from Angel's struggle with the army of tiny spiders, and the sounds of fighting were coming from the bathroom. The door was ajar, and when she burst inside she saw Angel in the shower, holding the neck of the showerhead as if strangling it.

"Angel!" she shouted.

The spider looked at her and snarled "GET OUTTA HERE! This freak broke in an'-" When he looked back at his hands, the assailant had disappeared. "Wait, where'd he go?" He stepped out of the shower, scanning the room. "He can't have gone far! Get out of here before-"

"Angel," she said, realizing from his raving and bloodshot eyes that he was high as a kite. "There's no one here. You're safe from-"

"You don't know that!" he shouted, pushing her out of the way to scan the room. "He could send anyone after me! At any time! That's why I never told him I was staying here. He'd be fuckin' pissed!"

"Who would be?"

"My boss, dumbass," he said. "If Mista Valentino knew I was stayin' here, tryin' to get clean… He'd…" The shadows were jumping out at him. He wanted to curl up and hide. Panic set in, and his breathing became labored. "He would-"

"Angel, stop!" Charlie put her hands up in a soothing fashion. Then, the spider grabbed his head and cried. The swings were hard for her to watch, but they calmed down after a few minutes with her watching over him to make sure he didn't hurt himself.

Finally, he was sober enough to look at her with clarity, and he realized he was busted. Still, exhaustion had a hold of him, and he could only smile weakly. "Hey, toots."

"Hi, Angel," Charlie greeted, happy that the storm had passed. "Why did you do this? Why today? I was hoping everyone could see you sober!"

"God dammit, I know," he grimaced. "I know, it's just… It's a lotta pressure, ya know? Last night Val had me doin' some rough shoots and I just… I can't…" He was still emotional from the crash, and Charlie put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said, her own eyes moistening. "I didn't think it'd be that much pressure. I mean, you're so social that I thought it'd be simple, and I didn't think about how hard it might be for you. Have… have you been scared this whole time? Of going clean, I mean?"

Angel couldn't look her in the eye for a while, and kept silent.

"I know you said after the interview that it was ruining your 'persona'," she continued, "but that wasn't the only reason for acting out, was it?"

"What, are you the fuckin' shrink now? Should we let Eliza know the hotel doesn't need her anymore?" Charlie looked legitimately hurt, and Angel mentally kicked himself in the balls. "Shit, I'm sorry, Bubbles… I just-"

"I know," she interrupted. "Maybe… you should go see Eliza before the reception? Just talk it out with her. She's a professional, she can help you out and no one else will ever know what you said, OK?"

As much as he would never admit it out loud, that sounded like a great fucking idea. Still, he put out a pissy front. "Fine, I'll talk to the shrink. Doubt it'll do anythin' tho."

"It certainly won't hurt," Charlie encouraged, patting his shoulder before turning to leave. "But if you ever do want to talk to someone else… I'm here, OK?"

Angel couldn't bring himself to be rude. "Yea… thanks."


It took him a little while to figure out she was actually in her room, though he wasn't sure why at first. He knocked on her door, and at first didn't receive a response. When he jiggled the doorknob, he found that it wasn't locked.

"I'm coming in," he announced, opening the door wide. Her room was larger than his, which immediately ticked him off. It had a kitchenette off to his right, and a small glass table with dark metal framework and a matching chair. Further in there was a couch and a couple comfy-chairs, then a desk in the back of the room in front of a window, where Eliza sat in front of a computer. She was wearing earbuds that were apparently blocking out all noise and holding her head up with her hand. He tilted his head in annoyance, walking to the back of the room and moving to the side slightly to get a look at her face. From what he could see, her eyes were closed. "Hey!" he called loudly.

"Oh!" she jumped, turning to look at him. She took a calming breath and gave him a small smile. "I'm so sorry Angel. Everyone was getting ready for the Reception, so I wanted to take some time to study."

"Whatcha watchin'?" He asked.

"Listening, actually. Even though I don't need to study to maintain my license anymore, it never hurts to keep it up!" She turned to the screen, showing that she was listening to some sort of documentary.

"Seriously? You study for fun?"

She turned and gave him a slightly curious look. "I'm amazed that you're surprised to hear that. My career was my life before, why should that change now?"

"You need to get laid," he commented flatly. She laughed as he sat down in a comfy-chair. "Look, can we talk? Bubbles said it'd be a good idea."

"Very well," she agreed, turning to face him once more and removing the earbuds. "What did you wish to discuss?"

He sighed. "It has to do with bein' here… It's becoming kinda scary, if I'm honest."

"Why is that?"

"I'm worried about my boss. He's a pimp, and I've been comin' to work sober. He ain't cool with that."

"You worried he'll come here and cause problems?"

"Yea, pretty much. Look, if anyone asks, I don't give a shit, but… I don't really want him blowing this place sky-high. Charlie's sweet n' all, and I don't want her gettin' hurt."

"You have a problem sounding noble?" she asked.

"I gotta image to keep," he informed her, flatly. "And my boss is noticin'. If I actually go clean, he ain't gonna be happy. And I can't go against him."

"Does he own you?"

"...Yea."

"I see." She looked pensive for a moment. "Can Charlie negotiate on your behalf? I'm sure she'd be more than willing to do so, if it helps you."

"Shit doesn't work like that," he said, shaking his head. "We gotta contract, but he ain't givin' it up. I'm his best star, and he knows it. Besides… Val doesn't give shit up. Like, at all. Bein' exterminated is your best chance."

"I assume, since you're still alive, that you don't wish to die?"

"No shit, lady."

She smiled politely. "Then why are you so quick to give up? The worst that could happen is Charlie fails, right?"

"That ain't the worst thing, no."

Eliza cocked her head to the side. "Would he attack the princess?"

Angel shrugged, honestly unsure. "Maybe… if he were desperate enough." After a time, the two had worked through some more of Angel's issues, as well as the unpleasantness that accompanied his latest high.

"It's almost time for the Reception, so we'll need to cut this short," she interjected. "Anything else will have to wait until your next official appointment, I'm afraid."

"Actually, any chance I could skip? You know, since we talked now an' all."

She gave him a 'really?' look. "No, Angel. Coming to me on your own time does not nullify your existing appointments."

"Dammit," he mumbled, crossing his arms and pouting slightly. "Can't a guy catch a break 'round here?"

"Enough. Now come on, let's go down and enjoy the party. I'm not much for crowds, but I am excited to get this business underway!"


Charlie was bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement, while Vaggie seemed very calm about the whole ordeal. Aside from keeping Alastor and Angel in line, there shouldn't be any problems with this official opening. At least, not on their end.

Vaggie was surprised at how happy Charlie was. Not because the hotel was finally opening, an event that the princess had been impatiently waiting for, but because she received no word from her parents. Despite the distance she clearly has with them, she had been so hopeful that they would at least return a damn call every once in a while. But it had been nothing short of radio silence, and honestly Vaggie had her spear at the ready to shove it up her father's ass. Lillith had at least been somewhat supportive in the past, but Lucifer… that bastard left his daughter out to dry. She understood the concept of tough love all too well, but this was beyond that. There was no faith in this project, and their silence made that painfully clear.

Charlie, however, had no intention of letting this get to her. She was determined to prove herself, once and for all. This project would succeed, she was sure of it. She had to be; after all her other failures in the past, she couldn't handle another. Honestly, without Alastor's help, this idea would have never come this far, and despite his intentions she was incredibly grateful. She hoped that, with time, perhaps even he would better himself in some way. She just couldn't accept that he was completely unredeemable. No, he had a chance, just like everyone else, and she would give him that chance.

Starting tonight, perhaps he could see a reason to turn a new leaf!

"Hello, dear princess!" an older gentleman approached her. He was a bit creepy looking, and his appearance was, admittedly, rather daunting. It was even more so once she realized who he was.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Ripper!" she said, holding out her hand tentatively. He shook it politely, and she smiled awkwardly. Not one of the people she expected to see.

"There you are, Jack!" called Alastor, who appeared next to the guest in question. "I was hoping you could make it! What do you think of our progress so far?"

"It certainly looks well-kept," he praised. "I look forward to seeing what sort of clientele you attract. Redemption is a very tempting notion for the lower class!"

"Indeed," the deer-demon agreed, nodding excitedly. "We shall see what washed-up sinners crawl to our doorstep for a chance of leaving this wasteland behind!"

"If only they could see the beauty of it all!" added a feminine voice, which Alastor was very happy to hear. He turned to Rosie and they kissed cheeks. Then came a voice that he was less thrilled about.

"Ooo, this is lovely, Ally!"

"Hello Mimzy," Alastor greeted warmly. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight!" The demoness was a bit short and rather plump, but with a figure to die for. Charlie felt herself get a bit envious of her knockout figure, and her own was remarkably modest given her mother's gifted physique. She had black sclera with pink irises, short pale-blonde hair and purple-grey skin. "How long has it been?"

"Very long," she answered with a huff. "Where've you been, sweetie? Have you been holed up here all this time?"

"Only for a month or so," he answered. "Since after the infamous interview on the picture show, in fact! I took it upon myself to help our dear princess in distress."

"How… generous of you," she praised, though her tone suggested her real opinion was more in the negative. She shot the princess an inquisitive look that bordered on the accusatory.

"Nice to meet you," she said, approaching more slowly. She may be excited, but she could still read that look pretty well. "It's good to meet Alastor's friends!"

"More than friends, if he'd just open up a little," she said, winking at him. He chuckled politely.

"She's an honest one, wouldn't you say?" he said, the highest praise he could give in this situation. Her aggressive flirting grated on his nerves, but he'd be damned if he showed it. "I think you two will get along famously! Mimzy is a wonderful singer, and simply adores dancing!"

"Really?!" Charlie said, getting into the club-owners face excitedly. "What kind of music do you sing?" Alastor and Rosie watched in amusement as the jazz-singer was bombarded with questions by the hotel owner.

"She's certainly lively," Rosie giggled. "Where is dear Eliza? I look forward to seeing her tonight! Is it true that the staff is going to sing?"

"No, only Charlie will be entertaining us tonight," he informed his friend. "Unless, of course, Mimzy wishes to share the glorious gift of her voice?"

"Oh, Ally, you should've asked long before now!" she huffed. "'Sides, do ya even have a proper stage for lil' ol' me?"

"My dear, you could sing on the streets and your voice would not be tarnished!"

"Flatterer," she winked at him, utterly soaking in the attention.

"Though, truthfully, we don't have a proper sound-system yet," he admitted with a shrug. "Perhaps I should remedy that tonight. Oh, why must the call of music tempt me to pamper my business partner?"

"Mimzy!" squeaked an excited voice, and a blur of red and yellow charged into the jazz-singer, almost knocking her over.

"Nift!" she squealed excitedly, hugging her friend. "Oh, it's good to see ya, sweetie! How've you been?"

While the two friends caught up, Alastor turned to his friend to say something but noticed she was waving to someone behind him.

"Rosie," Eliza greeted warmly. She shared cheek-kisses with the overlord, much to everyone's surprise. They had no idea that she had seen Rosie a few times over her first month here at Plaisirs Crus.

"My dear, this lovely lady is Mimzy," she introduced the plump demoness, who was still talking excitedly with Niffty. Rosie tapped her shoulder, and the woman spun around.

"Wonderful to meet you," Eliza greeted with a bow. "I've heard you're a good friend of Alastor as well. Always a pleasure!"

"Pleasure's all mine, darlin'," Mimzy answered sweetly. "Though I think I'm at a disadvantage. He's talked about me, but he never mentioned you."

Eliza ignored the slight. Rosie had warned her of her jealous possessiveness over Alastor. "I'm new to Hell, only having dropped in a month ago. Besides, I don't believe he considers me a friend. I'm more of a business acquaintance."

"Ah, I see!" Mimzy perked up after that. "Well, it's good to meet ya regardless!"

And with that, the Reception began to pick up as a few more potential guests and sponsors came. Alastor had outdone himself, and the advertisements had apparently worked to get a few people in to consider them. Charlie was elated, Angel was surprised, and Eliza couldn't wait to start her work in earnest.