Val grit his teeth in irritation as he ended his call with Henroin. The Spider Don had been less than happy to learn that Angel had not only left town and even less pleased to learn that Porn Star had been declared no longer under Valentino's employment.

"Listen Val," Henroin had said. "We have a deal, you have associations with my family. And in exchange, we get that nice territory on the western side of the pentagram. All you gotta do is keep that fuckin' whore -that by some freak accident was a byproduct of my own loins.- from being a problem for my family and its reputations. I don't care what yah gotta do or how you gotta do it. But you get that fag back under your control no matter what. I've been working too damn long and hard for that slut to ruin me now. While you may be an Overlord, I ain't just some lowly sinner, capiche? I've got connections who can bring down your entire pornographic empire to its knees. And without Angel Dust…you ain't got shit."

The Moth mentally cursed himself for not locking up Angel Dust in the 'Special Room' for the next decade the moment heard about his involvement in the Happy Hotel. While the Slutty Spider may have been truthful that the hotel was not likely to succeed. The fact the Porn Star had agreed to participate in something without his employer's permission should have been a red flag from the start. Even after thirty years since making Angel into a star, the spider was still resistant to him and rebellious. That was something both Vox and Velvet had constantly been warning him about…the boy needed to be broken. The only reason he never did anything about it was that the clients and fans liked the idea of having an untamed whore. But no more…he had tolerated Angel's crap for too long. That slut was going to pay the price for his actions and pay them dearly. But it seemed just raping and beating him into submission wasn't going to cut it anymore. He needed the Spider to suffer, not just physically…but mentally and emotionally. He needed to suffer by seeing someone he cared about to suffer because of his actions. Not Summer or Dia, Angel didn't like when those girls were punished because of him. But he wasn't particularly close to them either…he needed someone Angel Cakes really cared about, someone he loved and treated like they were family. The pig…no…too easy. Yes, Angel could be punished through his pet pig, but the only thing that could be done with it would be to kill it. Maybe have a private chef make it into a lavish dinner and then force Angel to watch as Vox, Velvet, and himself enjoyed pork chops that were sliced from the body of his beloved pet. That would likely break Angel, but he wouldn't suffer enough for his actions…it needed to be someone else…now what was the name of that cyclops girl again?

Sitting down in his office chair Valentino thought over what he wanted to do once he caught hold of his wayward property and his female companion. He would leave the girl alone...have her get used to her new accommodations. She would know something would happen to them sooner or later, so she would just leave her to exhaust herself with the anticipation of what will happen to her and when. Angel, on the other hand, would be in pain for his decisions. Vox had some things he had developed for the Porn Studios and what better way to test them. In the meantime, Val would also remind Angel that he had the girl in his possession and if he was sass mouthed or belligerent his girly friend would suffer for it. Princess Morningstar would naturally come to the studio to seek out her missing residents, but she would only be wasting her time. The special rooms were on a hidden floor underneath the porn studio, only Vox, Velvet, and himself knew of its existence. The whores who suffered in those private sex dungeons were always blindfolded or unconscious when they were brought there. Angel's particular special room, however, was elsewhere...in another building. The Princess and Alastor could work together to try everything possible to find the two demons only to conclude there was no one left to find. Angel and the girl would have been as good as erased by their account. And if by chance they did find the girl, they were free to take her with them. It wasn't like Angel Cakes needed to know that his female companion was no longer in Val's possession. Besides, she would come back sooner or later seeking to find and rescue Angel thus all the more reason for the Porn Star to watch her suffer under Valentino's hands. That would be when he would begin his fun.

Opening the fly of his shorts, Val ran his hand along his erect length as he visualized all the ways he would…pleasure and prepare the girl, before ripping open her clothing. The Moth groaned in pleasure as he pumped the girth of his loins, mentally visualizing himself entering the moist velvety folds of the girl's body all the while whispering into her ear that if she had never met Angel…if she had never befriended him this would not be happening to her, Angel was the one causing this to happen, all because he agreed to be her friend. The girl would break, it might take a session or two but she would break. Once he was done with her he would proceed to take Angel in front of her. He mentally visualized Angel crying out as the Overlord felt his loins explode. Panting with satisfaction as he tucked himself back into the trousers and zipped up his fly. Once he had finished with both, he would take the girl with him as he left. Leaving Angel to worry about what would befall the female demon as he was once again locked in that room. Forced to watch daily streams of the girl being taken by Val, Vox, and maybe others for their own entertainment. Then as they came to enjoy Angel regale him with stories about how enjoyable his girly friend was. Once they knew for certain his untamable spirit was broken, only then he would be released to live out his pathetic existence as one Val's personal toys.

Princess Morningstar couldn't hide at her private estate forever, they would need to return to the city at some point. And when she did, Angel and possibly the girl would be with her. While Angel would understand staying within the walls of the hotel would be in his best interests, the Spider by nature didn't take being cooped up well. If he didn't go stir-crazy within a matter of days, the girl certainly would, and when that happened... Drool rolled down Val's chin in anticipation, the girl from what he had seen had a fine-looking body, the sort of body people paid money to fuck. Despite being aware Angel was purely homosexual, there had been clients who were interested in seeing Angel with a female partner. The cyclops girl looked like she would be a good candidate for a female Angel Dust…maybe she could be groomed to become the "New" Angel Dust. If she could give the sort of fuck Valentino imagined, he had the perfect film idea for her debut.

The plot would be a fighting tournament where people signed up and fought one another for a large monetary prize. Every time someone in the tournament lost a match, the losers would entertain the spectators by being violently gang-raped on stage. If the Cyclops was proven popular enough to become the new top star of this studio. Angel's star could plummet; there would be no further reason to keep that smart mouth in existence or maintain his associations with Henroin. Angel would be erased, Henroin would have no recourse since Angel was no longer supporting his association with the Spider Mafioso.

Then there was Henroin's other son, there was just something Valentino never liked about him. Arackniss could prove useful particularly if he was enticed enough to leave his father's service. The Mafioso already had his firstborn son as his second-in-command, this appointment however wasn't based on trust. It was more of a means of Henroin keeping his elder son under his heel. Still, there were also other members of Henroin's family who also had their own uses…particularly when it came to exposing potential betrayals. And their loyalties could also be bought for the right price, as the saying goes: You pay a man enough, and they will walk naked into Hell.

Vaggie and Cherri had settled on making some loaded potato soup for dinner that night. A comforting idea for a wet blustery day in Hell, and it would be light enough for Angel to manage to eat given that he wasn't feeling well. Before she started for the lower floor landing, Charlie had gone to the upper loft floor to get a book. Her father didn't have the sort of books she enjoyed in his study, he never had any sort of enjoyment for the sort of stories where the heroes win. Her father preferred religious mythology and lore, as well as concepts of philosophy, particularly religious philosophy. The few novels he did partake in always had tragic endings or were left ambiguous as to whether the heroes did win or if their victory was worth the losses suffered.

While Angel and Cherri had been packing for the trip, Charlie had called ahead to the local library to make sure there were at least a couple of books that she could enjoy. While she did share her father's love for myth and lore when it came to novels she always enjoyed the ones where good ultimately triumphed in the end. The heroes lived happily ever after and those who were lost were remembered for their heroic sacrifices.

Upon reaching the lower floor Charlie paused as she heard Angel being violently ill. A few coughs were followed by a couple of heaves that culminated in a wet sloshing noise coming from the ensuite bathroom that was part of the guest room. The Princess mentally wondered if she should ask Cherri to come down and look after Angel after all. But she thought better of it, she had made the choice to come down here and she would fulfill that task. Glancing into the main room Fat Nuggets was standing on his trotters at the edge of the bed looking towards the bathroom door with concern. Entering the room, the Hellborn Princess put her selected book down on one of the bedside tables. She caringly patted the demon pig a few times to comfort him while she deafened herself the wet sounds of Angel vomiting in the next room. Mentally noting that the Spider had been sleeping on top of the bed covers for much of the day. The Princess calmly pulled down the bedding and busied herself with arranging things to offer some peace and comfort for him. There were a couple more heaves followed by a couple of coughs, finally, there was a flushing sound then an exhausted groan followed by a thud.

Charlie peeked into the bathing room and found Angel curled up on the floor. It was clear from how he was clutching his head and stomach that he was not feeling well. His fur looked sweat-soaked and clammy, and he also looked rather pale. Palor did feel like a strange concept since Angel's fur was often a snowy white. It should have been technically impossible to distinguish how he could be drained of color any further. Interestingly enough, it was the areas of his fur that were pink that suggested how he was off-color. The pinkish areas of his fur had grayed out to almost silvery shades. Even the freckle-like spots on his cheek had dulled to almost grayish pink dots. Slipping into the room she knelt down on the floor beside him. Angel's darker eye cracked open and glanced up at her, an indication that he was aware that he wasn't alone.

As much as she wanted to reach out and offer some sort of comfort, she could sense that something in his recent experiences with Valentino had set him on edge particularly if he was unexpectedly touched. It was possible... given what was done he mentally associated physical contact with pain. Even Cherri felt distressed that she was also subjected to the distance Angel was putting between himself and her. While the Spunky Blond would put up a brave face and insist she was used to this, it was obvious that it did bother her that the Spider was not welcoming her as a confidant as he had once. Charlie herself remembered how Angel had jumped at her touch when she had tried to offer him some comfort when she had heard him crying the previous night. He hadn't been hostile or reactionary towards her, but she could feel there was a sense of shame at being caught displaying what he likely felt to be weakness.

"Are you able to move to the bed," Charlie asked? She makes no move to touch him or help him to the next room. She didn't want to make him feel like an invalid that had to be handled with care, but she didn't want him to strain himself if he was too weak to move. There was a short moment of consideration before Angel rolled over onto his stomach. Curling his arms and legs underneath his body he started getting up to his hands and knees. Getting to her feet herself, Charlie moved away to allow him the room he needed to get to a standing position but remained close to be of some assistance. She did take note that his movements were slower than they would usually be and they were often accompanied by a cringe of pain that implied his injuries hadn't healed. Once Angel was on the bed in the next room, perhaps he could permit her to check the ones on his backside at least since those seemed to be some of the worst according to the photos Husk had taken.

Reaching up to the sink, the Spider used the blood quartz countertop as leverage while he continued to climb to his feet. He wobbled unsteadily with weakness but was able to stand with some support from the sink counter.

"Here," Charlie offered her hand out to him. "Lean on my shoulder."

"I'm fine," Angel insisted as he attempted to move to the other room, but the adrenaline from the need to be physically ill had clearly worn off leaving him weakened and exhausted.

"No you're not," Charlie said firmly as she reached out and wrapped one of her arms around his waist. "There is no shame in taking help from others when it's offered to you." Pulling one of his main arms around her shoulders she helped support him to the next room and guided him to the bed.

"You sure about that," Angel bitterly asked? He settled into the bed as Charlie pulled the coverings around him. "There's always been a quid pro quo expectation, everything including kindness has its price to pay sooner or later."

"Is this from the years you've spent in Hell," Charlie asked with some concern? "Or is this from when you were alive?" She was aware of the irritated tension that was filling the room. It wasn't directed towards her -not intentionally at least- but it was being brought on by the brewing chaos outside and events from the past few days. Angel noticeably didn't respond to her inquiry as he buried himself under the covers and proceeded to ignore her. Perhaps he had no real answer to her question. Still, while she felt Angel wasn't correct she could accept he wasn't completely wrong, he did have reason to be suspicious of offered kindnesses. Even when she had given him that stack of souls after he had agreed to take part in the hotel, he had immediately been put on guard. As Alastor had put it: 'Kindness was something that was unexpected here in Hell, particularly by sinners.' Perhaps his view was a truth he had come to accept and embrace, but Charlie refused to believe that people couldn't be capable of kindness, even in a place like Hell. Otherwise, there was little point to existing at all. Grabbing the book she had brought down, the Blond Princess sat at the Porn Star's bedside and quietly read to pass the time.

"Why do you do this," Angel tiredly asked? Charlie had been so involved in the book she was reading that the sudden question startled her. Placing a bookmark to let her know where she left off, Charlie put down the book aside so Angel had her full attention. He sat up and regarded her somewhat tiredly, though Charlie did note the irritation from earlier had abated there was still a level of unease. "I know you have things you want to say or talk to me about. So why do you just...well why do ya stay with me and not do that?"

"I want to be someone who is there to listen to you," Charlie said. "If you need someone to be a listening ear about anything." Angel still regarded her skeptically before he patted the bedding, obediently Fat Nuggets trotted up and settled in Angel's lap. The Hellborn Princess knew this was meant to be an indication that he already had a listening ear in his life. "Someone who is there to talk to that can actually respond. Nuggs is a good listener, but he isn't the same as someone like Cherri. He isn't someone who can actually respond or react to what you have to say. I only stay quiet because I do want to respect that there are things that you may not be ready to talk about or even feel you can. And I want you to have the choice to talk rather than feel you are being pressured into."

Angel mentally processed what Charlie had told him. She was correct that there were things he wished he could actually talk to someone about. Nuggs was someone he could talk to, and while the small pig was a good listener, he wasn't really a conversationalist, he couldn't reply or offer insight. But even if he could honestly talk to someone, where could he even begin? His whole life both his brother and himself had been instructed that anything with the family stays with the family only. The two of them were forced to live a life of subterfuge and duality, obediently following their father's commands while they both lived in fear of their father's bullying rages. Being the sons of a Mafia Don, they had to be especially careful since their crime family's reputation rested on their shoulders. If they did anything or said anything to damage their family's reputation or Don Ragno's credibility their father would come down on them hard. Then when he found himself in Hell...particularly after he was obtained by Valentino, there was the constant refrain of "You're just a whore, no one is going to believe a word you say." Even when Val punished him or when the other V's were given opportunities to abuse him for Val's amusement. Over and over again it was the promise of "Don't bother telling anyone about this, no one will believe a whore like you anyway."

Yet, Charlie...didn't she prove the fallacy in those words. Just weeks ago, she had wanted to hear him out on what was happening. She knew he had no reason to make up any of the things he had told them, nor did he have anything to gain by making it up. She had believed everything he said and even the stuff he didn't actually say. And just today she had called Val out on his bullshit to the point where the Moth practically admitted to what he had done. She had believed him...she could see that things were occurring without it literally being performed in front of her. The fact she was willing to sit with him until he felt comfortable enough to talk to her. That was something no one had ever done, even Cherri had to personally ask him about what was happening when she began to suspect what Val was doing. Still, he couldn't feel like it was something he could trust. Charlie had no reason to exploit him that he could see. Yet, there had been those who did present themselves as a friend or ally and then once they had any dirt they felt they could exploit you with they used it against you. Charlie had technically crossed that line with the interview where she had told all of Hell that he was a resident of her hotel. And by that result, Valentino had found out he was intending to escape. He did accept that this betrayal was not intentional as she had been unaware of what was occurring, but that didn't mean it was any less a breach of the trust he had been willing to give her.

"Have yah, you know..." Angel responded somewhat snidely "Considered asking...about anything you wanted?" He really felt like he could use a smoke right now, but it was still a total mess outside. And on top of that, he was already feeling the drug cravings starting to kick in. Fuck...this place wasn't like the hotel. He had his own room, but there was no way he could go through a drug high without notice. And he didn't bring any drugs with him anyway, they were left in his vanity drawer at the hotel. The last time he had used had been nearly eight days ago, he was feeling that itchy uncomfortable feeling his body went through when it wanted drugs.

"I have," Charlie responded matter of factly. "I just haven't inquired about anything, because I don't want to unintentionally bring up anything that was sensitive. I want you to be the one to decide when it's best to bring up something you feel needs to be said. Though Vaggie and I have been starting to put some things together on our own."

"Such as," Angel sighed he lay back against the pillows as he threw one arm over his eyes. He really wanted nothing more than to fall into a coma for the next week or so. Maybe by the time he woke up, the worst of the crap he was feeling would be over.

"Well," Charlie said hesitantly as she pulled up a photo of Henroin and Arackniss together. The large massively-harry gray spider authoritatively was seated in a business chair his blank-sclera of his eyes gazing forward towards the camera. The pupils of all eight eyes were cold and emotionless white pits. The only clothing he wore was a pair of black suit pants and a red necktie. On his right stood Arackniss, much smaller in appearance when compared to his father but still carried an air that if you underestimated him due to his height you were fatally mistaken. His eight red sclera eyes coldly glared out through the dark hair that hung in front of his face. Standing behind Henroin's chair stood a large dark brown furred spider. He was similar in build to Henroin and had a similar cruel-hearted look in the set of his jaw. Like Arackniss his eyes also had red sclera with three smaller eyes resting above his right eye and another three under his left. "Husk said you had mentioned your father and older brother were in Hell, and he suspected who they possibly were? Is this…are the people in this photo...people you recognize?"

Angel took the phone Charlie handed to him. Lifting up the arm covering his unpatched eye, he was reluctant about seeing the image he was about to see. Charlie had said she and Vaggie had figured things out on their own, and this was based on vague speculation from Husk. It was likely that Charlie and Vaggie were way off and the photo was of no one he knew. But what if they were right, if they guessed on their own he couldn't be faulted for breaking omerta. Still, he had broken his oath to the family by leaving them after he manifested in Hell. He hadn't gone out looking for anyone from his family, he didn't want to be trapped in the same toxic bullshit over and over again. Instead, he had dropped all contact and his true name, using the name Angel Dust as his primary name in this new world so that way he had some distance by the time his older brother and father joined him in this horrible place as he knew they would. Holding up the phone so he could see the on-screen image, he suddenly shot up to a sitting position. Recognizing the monstrous ogre-like appearance of his father instantly, even as a Spider the large man was still the same person who had haunted Angel's childhood. Unfortunately, he had sat up a little too quickly, he felt a sense of weakness as his blood rushed to his head. He could feel Charlie wrap one arm around his shoulders as she carefully guided him back so he lay prone against the pillows. The last thing he saw was Charlie watching him in concern, she called out his name but her voice sound distant and distorted. Then everything went black.

The first thing he became aware of was the feeling of someone petting his hair. He at first resisted the urge to wake up, this was the sort of bullshit Val would do when Angel found himself being abused to the point of losing consciousness. When he would begin to come around Val would act with mock concern, but the way he would tell him that he was the one who got too carried away and passed out as a result. It was never the vibrator used was put at too high a setting, or Vox had let off a burst of electricity as he came. It was always how he got too carried away and that he should be more careful, only for the inescapable pain and humiliation to continue once again. As he continued to regain consciousness, he noticed the hand caressing the white fur that counted as his hair was smaller...and a lot more gentle than Valentino's. As though sensing he was awake, the person who was with him stopped the comforting gesture. He felt the person get up from the bed and heard footsteps leave the room.

"I'm sorry, Angel," He heard Charlie say with remorse in her voice. "I shouldn't have...I never thought...I'm just so sorry." With that she slipped out of the room, leaving Angel confused as to what happened. Laying back against the pillows Angel let out a breath, he softly smiled as Fat Nuggets came up and nuzzled his cheek. He could sense the storm outside beginning to abate thankfully. This would be a relief though there were still other storms hovering over the horizon, and they too would have their chance to pass over and air out the hidden wounds that still festered.