CHAPTER 2
The day has come and began for the residents of Hell, forcing them to live out another day out of eternity of constant punishment for their sins and wrongdoings during their days of life on Earth. The many sufferings of Hell are wide in range for any and all souls, offering all kinds of punishment fitting for any crime.
For the lost soul named Vaggie, her punishment is fulfilling an obligation for a friend to accompany someone else on a date in the park.
Her crime was trying to do something nice for her best friend, hoping it would repair and smooth out what was a breakup between the two.
Walking to the local park in this small sliver of Hell, Vaggie carried with her a picnic basket holding various foods, drinks, and snacks within for the picnic date she was forced to go on. Through the sudsy powers of Hell granted to the Morningstar child, Charlie gifted the basket with the power to hold enough food to stock an entire restaurant, putting her tendencies for overpreparing on full display.
The overstocking of food is only a minor concern to Vaggie (and one not brought about by its weight, as that, too, is negated by the power of Hell magic). What brings her the most concern is the glares and gawking given by various other visitors to the park, muttering judgmental comments between each other.
"Oh, my, doesn't she look like a doll?" One bystander said.
"She does. Does she think she's going to haunt some little kid back on Earth, scare them into making another one of those killer doll movies?" Another bystander said.
"You mean those ones with the doll with the red hair? How many of those did they make, anyway?"
"I forgot. I think 7."
"Figures. Movies about voodoo and murder, it has to have the number of Heaven putting its stench on it."
Vaggie attempted to turn deaf ears to the conversation, but their commentary could not go ignored by her. Even when given a passing mention of her outfit, the smallest mention alone is enough to put a sense of judgement on her, and it leaves with it a burdening heaviness that brings her both anxiety and discomfort.
Both feelings provide every temptation to turn around and return to the hotel and avoid the date altogether, but her own loyalty to Charlie and her willingness to go to through for her overrides her own misplaced sense of self-preservation. She just might find it ironic that her loyalty to Charlie is put to a test after the two had broken up, and went sent on a date with someone else, but it is ignored as she moves on.
Soon enough, she arrived to the promised spot of land where they agreed to meet, allowing herself to ease herself with the knowledge that the worst was behind her.
Trying her long hair into a ponytail, she secured the tie with with a ribbon. Usually selecting a red ribbon to match her usual outfit, she instead opted for a light purple in attempt to match her current attire. Seating herself at a nearby bench, she allowed herself the leisure of taking focus off her feet, allowing her body to relax in order for the mind to follow suit.
"Relax, Vaggie. It's just a stupid picnic. It's not a date. It is not a date." Vaggie thought aloud.
Trying to find other ways to calm herself, Vaggie took her mind off her own affairs and looked to the rest of the park, observing the others who chose to relax here on this day. The majority of other demons consisted of imps and other lowly creatures, playing around in the grass and frolicking without care.
The sight is one that gives Vaggie a sigh, wishing that she could find the same sense of carefreeness that the other demons felt in the face of a severely unwanted task placed upon her. Where a park is a place of recreation and refuge for anyone seeking a day of peace, this place has become a place of anxiety and worry, making a place associated with calmness turning to one of punishment, truly a place in Hell.
In her attempt at trying to take her mind off the 'date', her mind moved back to the morning of the day, recalling how she came to be sent off to the park.
With a sigh let out in the present, her mind returned to the past, back to her half-hearted attempts at getting dressed for her day in the park. Placing the dress on her body, she cannot find any excitement to take in the chore, turning her face away from the mirror to spare herself her own self-imposed sense of shame.
The day is all but inevitable for Vaggie to face, and she knows that she cannot avoid her fate any longer. With her dress on, she called out for Charlie, saying...
"Okay, I'm ready." Vaggie said.
Packing up the last items for her picnic basket, Charlie returned to observe the fully-dressed Vaggie, rewarded with a sight that brought her delight and made her squeal.
"Ooh! You look just like a doll! You're so adorable!" Charlie shouted.
The comment brought an even more sour face to the already disdained Vaggie, looking back in the mirror only to scowl.
"Okay, that's it, I'm changing." Vaggie said.
Vaggie prepared to turn to the closet to remove her dress and put on something else, but Charlie stopped her by grabbing her and holding her to the mirror.
"No, no, no, don't be like that, I love it! Alastor's going to drop dead when he sees it! Cute, cute, cute, so cute!" Charlie shouted.
Charlie might be the only one present to support Vaggie, but she is not the only one present in the room. Angel Dust entered the room, loudly and rudely complaining.
"Hey, sugartits. I just woke up, where's the fuckin' coffee?" Angel Dust asked.
Angel Dust's groggy desire for caffeine was stopped short by a brief look at Vaggie, making him stand in silence before letting out a hearty gut-laugh.
"Oh, fuck me! That's the stupidest look I've ever seen on you!" Angel Dust guffawed.
Enraged, Vaggie took out a knife and threw it at Angel Dust, only to watch it caught effortlessly by the effeminate gangster/porn star.
"Well, what's your problem, sugar tits?" Angel Dust asked.
"I'm doing Charlie a favor... against my better judgement." Vaggie said.
"Pussywhipped even after you broke up, huh? That getup looks way too girly, even for me. A word to the not-so-wise, sweetheart, never do favors for free. Especially when you have to do things very dangerous to your health. Mental..."
Angel Dust then shoved the knife down his throat like a circus sword-swallower, subsequently pulling the knife back out.
"...or physical." Angel Dust said.
The stunt gained no reaction out of Vaggie, but Charlie, severly impressed with his performance, applauded in delight.
"Ooh! Do it again, do it again!" Charlie said.
"Ok, that's it, I'm leaving now." Vaggie said.
Vaggie attempted to step off and head on her date to see the affair over with as soon as possible, but Charlie stopped her one final time to get the last item she needed.
"No, wait! You forgot the picnic basket! You can't have a picnic without the basket of food, silly!" Charlie said.
Forced to spend a few extra seconds in the dreadfully outdated dress, Vaggie let out a loud, annoyed groan. Dragged along to the kitchen, Vaggie watched as Charlie began frantically shoving various packaged foodstuffs into the basket, to a degree and quantity that superseded what one would expect the basket to carry, judging by its average size.
"So you gonna tell me what the whole deal is, or am I gonna have to make up a bunch of sarcastic guesses until you get pissed off enough to throw something else at me?" Angel Dust asked.
"Keep up that attitude, and you won't have to wait. But I'm..." Vaggie trailed.
Embarrassed even by having to mention the favor aloud, Vaggie growled softly and spoke the answer even softer.
"I'm going on a date with Alastor." Vaggie mumbled.
"Huh?" Angel Dust asked.
"I'm going on a date with Alastor, okay? I'm doing it as a favor for Charlie!"
The news did not bring more jokes out of Angel Dust, but instead let him sit in confused silence after hearing it. But his confusion does not make him question Vaggie or her intentions first, but, instead, he feels a personal slight out of her going on the outing, taking offense to the point where he questioned his own perceived misfortune.
"Wait... Tall, pale, and handsome picked you over me? Since when do you even like men, let alone take 'em out on dates?" Angel Dust asked.
"IT IS NOT A DATE! It's just a stupid day in the park, just a stupid picnic!" Vaggie said.
"But you just told me it was a date."
"Because Charlie thinks it is, for some reason! It's just a picnic, okay?"
"Okay, okay. But if you're not gonna fuck him, could you at least blue-ball him a little, then send him my way? The ones who come to me after a bad date fuck way harder, just how I like it."
Vaggie lowered her head with an annoyed groan at Angel Dust's obnoxious attitude, attempting to shrug off his annoying antics.
Fully loading up the picnic basket, Charlie placed it around Vaggie's arm, giving her the last item needed for the picnic in the park. Not satisfied with packing her up and sending her on her way, she stood Vaggie in front of a mirror, allowing the two of them both to observe her.
"Oh, so cute, so cute, so cute! You look just like a little farm girl out of an old photograph!" Charlie cheered.
"Yeah, I knew some girls like that back in my day. They were the horniest and nastiest sluts you'd ever find, went so far as to suck horse dicks, and they'd go pantiless in those things and flash city boys. It was all lost on me, of course, but I got excellent blowjob tips from them." Angel Dust said.
Trapped between the insufferable cheeriness from Charlie and insufferable crassness from Angel Dust, Vaggie closed her eyes in hopes for a taste of inner peace.
"If only I could kill myself all over again." Vaggie said.
The flashback of prior events ends for Vaggie, returning her consciousness to the present day and time, but the groan seemed to follow from past to the present, making her let discontent be voiced aloud once again. Reminded once again of her forced position in a date with someone she had no interest in, her desires for time to move faster exclusively for her were spoken aloud, praying for salvation in Hell...
"I just want this day over with." Vaggie said.
...but even common knowledge will tell that no god would listen to anyone in their design of eternal torment, for this is the place that god created to cast out those disbelievers and dissidents of their rule over the universe, leaving those within to suffer eternally for a simple question of faith.
Looking to her smartphone, Vaggie read its readout of the time as 11:26 AM, a full 4 minutes off from their anointed meet-up time.
"And here I was hoping he was an early bird. So much for getting it over with fast. If he doesn't show up by 11:30 sharp, I'm gone. I'll just tell Charlie he never showed." Vaggie said.
Forcing herself to wait further for the arrival of Alastor, the time taken from her waiting is occupied by thinking, leaving her mind to wander elsewhere when her body is forced to stay put. Many topics cycle back and forth through her mind, trying to find a subject worth contemplating and meditating on...
...but what subject ultimately comes to her head is Alastor himself; the anxiety brought about by waiting for him coming back around to force her to think of him. In a complete reversal of her previous hostile stance towards the slender and suave has-been radio host, she began to ignore his negative and deceptive traits in favor of his positive and kinder ones, building a far more charitable image of him in her mind.
While thinking about Alastor, she began to feel as though her predicament is not the worst in the world, and certainly not the worst in Hell. Looking past the many flaws of the radio demon, she recalled the many charitable instances the devil had made, seeing his actions through the paradigm of Charlie's kind stance towards him.
And, for just a moment, she began to think that this outing might actually be fun.
"Hmm. Maybe Charlie's right. He's not that bad. I mean, he sure would've done something to us by now if he wanted to, but he didn't. Maybe he was just looking for friends or a home. Oh, man, I'm starting to sound like Charlie. I guess that girl does have good effect on people. Maybe she made him a better person, too. Maybe he's a stand-up guy after all. Maybe Charlie made him somebody nice, I wonder what kind of person he could be if he's been redeemed, if only-" Vaggie thought aloud.
Realizing where her mind was starting to lead regarding Alastor, Vaggie fought herself to stop her train of thought, squashing the idea before it could manifest.
"Oh, great. I'm starting to think about him now. Thanks, Charlie. Even after we break up, you're still messing with my feelings. I take back the kindness comment." Vaggie thought aloud.
Her thoughts are not the only ones spoken aloud or all that she hears; overhearing other demons in the park, she heard them saying demeaning comments highlighting her appearance looking like that of a doll, mocking her just softly enough to where the insults could be heard by their target. Attempting to keep her composure, Vaggie closed her eyes and breathed heavily with labor, trying to regain control of her emotions.
"Calm down, Vaggs. Breathe in, breathe out. Ignore the assholes. Ignore the assholes. Ignore. The Assholes." Vaggie said.
Sufficiently calming herself, she looked to her phone once again, reading the time as 11:28 AM.
"2 more minutes. I hope he doesn't show, I really do." Vaggie said.
Closing her eyes once again, she let out another sigh to ease herself.
However, the little ease she had gained had changed to confusion with a sliver of disgust upon hearing a moaning sound in the vicinity. Not used to hearing an erotic sound meant for private quarters arise in a public place, Vaggie moved away from her spot to investigate the sound.
"What the hell was that?" Vaggie thought aloud.
Allowing her ears to guide her along the investigation, she moved in the direction of the sound, hearing it get louder, signalling her growing near it. Still unsure what the source of the erotic noise was, she can guess very well what brought about the noise, but is unsure who would be bold enough to cause it here in public.
Her answer is found hidden behind a bush, seeing Angel Dust perform fellatio on the 'gangster' client that he had been seen with the day before. Watching the two men engage in the gay sex act, Vaggie looked on the two with disgust, with Angel Dust looking back with a blank expression and his client in complete shock.
"Uh... I, uh... You... Eh, fancy meeting you here, huh?" The 'gangster' asked.
"What... the fuck... are you doing?" Vaggie asked.
"What's it look like i'm doing, sugar tits?" Angel Dust asked.
"I asked him."
"What's it look like he's doing? Never seen a man get his dick sucked before?"
"No, I haven't, and I never had any intention of seeing it. But... really, guys? Can't you go somewhere else? This is a public park. Was this your pimp's doing?"
"Oh, no, this was all his idea. He paid me to take care of his pubic part out here. He said wanted to get caught."
"No, I didn't!" The 'gangster' shouted.
"Ah, save it. You got caught with your dick in my mouth, ain't no use lyin' now. As for you, moth-balless, aren't you supposed to be on a date with Alastor?"
"He hasn't shown up yet, I'm not completely sure that he will. In the case that he does, would you please take your 'Friends of Dorothy' act somewhere else? Preferably behind closed doors?" Vaggie asked.
"Well, shit, I didn't know Anita Bryant finally died, but at least she ended up in the right place."
"...What?"
"It's always 'think of the children' with you self-righteous fucks, 'keep behind closed doors', 'don't do that around my family', but, then, you give 'em the little inch like that, and they take a goddamn mile; throw all the gays in a concentration camp and throw away the key, just like Margaret Thatcher wanted to do."
"I'm not a homophobe, you idiot. I literally dated a woman for years!"
"Oh, so you're the self-hating type? Honey, that's just so sad, having to take on a grift for dirty Republican money. Bad news, bitch, you're going in the blender, too."
"Will you just get the fuck out of here already, you annoying jackass?!"
"Hey, why should I have to leave? I was here first."
"Yeah, beat it, you bitch! We're busy here!" The 'gangster' shouted.
Vaggie's already increasing anger had now been turned to Angel Dust's client for his remark, looking on him with a facial expression intent on murder.
"What did you call me, asshole?" Vaggie asked.
Keeping one hand on his client's member, casually stroking it to maintain its erection, Angel Dust stood up and raised his free hand to Vaggie, holding her back.
"Hey, whoa, whoa, take it easy, toots. Nobody wants a war here." Angel Dust said.
"Ew, gross, keep your hand away. It was touching loser dick." Vaggie complained.
"Look, this guy wanted somebody to walk in on him getting his knob polished, he got what he wanted, now let me finish him off here and we'll be out of your way. Believe me, it won't take long, he's got the stamina of a fucking altar boy."
"And if you're still not done?"
"Well, you got a whole damn park all to yourself, I'm sure you can find another spot. C'mon, kid, I'm feeling nice enough as it is now that I'm getting my daily protein shake. Beat it, will ya?"
"Ugh. Fine. Just... keep him quiet, will you?"
"That one I can't promise. He goes like a banshee sometimes."
With no other way to expel the unpleasant experience from herself other than to remove as soon as possible, Vaggie acted on that single option, leaving the two alone.
"Hey, what the fuck was that, man? I paid good money to get caught up in your stupid drama at your crack den home or whatever when I-" The 'gangster' began to ask.
Returning to work on his hired job of fellatio, Angel Dust put an instant stop to his client's words, bringing him to an instant stuttering of words and an eventual silence, with the occasional erotic moan. The instantaneous change in attitude of the client could ironically be compared to that of an infant being given its pacifier, with another individual doing the sucking against a personal and important item to the client.
Letting the organ slide out of his mouth with a 'pop' at his lips, Angel Dust paused the act to speak to his client one final time.
"Relax, honey-bunny. You paid for getting caught during a BJ, you got caught, now you gotta blow your load and I can get paid." Angel Dust said.
Replacing the penis in his mouth, Angel Dust returned to sucking his client's genitals, letting forth loud moans out from him and leading him to grab onto his head.
Faintly hearing the sounds of fellatio behind her, the sounds mercifully receding when enough distance was placed between herself and the pornographic event, Vaggie returned to her bench, resting herself back down at the public seat. Growing further impatient after the latest nusiance she was put through, she took to her phone once again to check the time.
Now going a full two minutes past the allotted meeting time, the clock struck at 11:32 AM.
Lowering her head in shame and frustration, feeling a sense of rejection over the no-show of her date (on, no less, a date she had no intention of participating in), Vaggie's moment of emotional weakness was made all the worse by a pair of female demons passing by, not-so-discreetly laughing at her.
"What's her deal?" One female demon said.
"She got stood up. You can always tell by the look on their faces." The other female demon said.
"Tsk. Too bad. A girl as pretty as her, she should be able to get anybody she wants. Must be a real loser if she can't even do that."
The two demons chuckled among themselves at her apparent misfortune, leaving the seemingly rejected Vaggie to mourn for her own failed date and lost dignity from the matter. Mocked by their gaggling and laughter, Vaggie turned away from the sight of the demons, attempting not to make herself cry.
Despite her efforts to do the opposite, she still cries, and all for reasons she does not fully understand.
"Damn it. It was just a stupid favor for Charlie. Why am I so upset? Because nobody likes being stood up, idiot, that's why. But over a date you didn't even want to go on? A date that's not even supposed to be a stupid date? Maybe am I just that big a sucker and loser like people say?" Vaggie thought aloud.
"Why, there you are, my sweet little moth." Alastor said.
Hearing the laughter of the two demons and her own thoughts cut off by another voice, accompanied by a shadow casting itself over her, Vaggie looked up from the shadow, finding Alastor at last arriving to the date. His choice of attire was a fine suit, selected the day before for the occasion, with a single rose in his hand.
"I was looking all over for you. Arrive a little late?" Alastor asked.
"Uh, no. I just got up for a second to stretch my legs. I was sitting down for too long." Vaggie said.
"Oh, well, sorry to keep you waiting, dearie. Perhaps this little token will win me over your favor and eliminate any chances of a rough start."
Alastor's sentient shadow took the rose from his hand, slithering over to Vaggie and handing the flower over to her.
"A rose?" Vaggie asked.
"I thought it was a nice gesture. It is still customary for someone to bring flowers or chocolates to a retreat with a girl, isn't it?" Alastor asked.
Vaggie took the rose from the shadow, the surprise of the flower temporarily stopped all her speech, not expecting Alastor's arrival to come with a gift.
"It's, uh, nice, uh... Thanks." Vaggie said.
Embarrassed by both her suspicions of Alastor standing her up proven untrue and given his full gesture of kindness and efforts put into presentability, his first impression left Vaggie unsure what to say, think, or even feel in response. Consequently, she began to grow shy, retreating into herself to avoid all confrontation.
But, for better or worse, she is on a date, and cannot stoop to such tactics. Needing to say something to Alastor, Vaggie blurted out the first word she could think of.
"Wow." Vaggie said.
Unsure what to make of her statement, Alastor tilted his head to the side, displaying curiosity in response to his gestures.
"Pardon? Was that a 'good' wow or a 'bad' wow, my dear?" Alastor asked.
"Oh! I mean, uh... I like your suit. You look good in black." Vaggie said.
Crap. Why was that the first thing you thought to say? Well, I mean, he does look good in black. Why does he look so good in black? It's such a natural color for- Oh, goddammit, what am I doing?! Vaggie thought.
"Why, thank you, little moth. You look lovely yourself." Alastor said.
"Well, don't thank me for that one. The dress was Charlie's idea." Vaggie said.
"Oh, pish-posh. It's not the dress that makes the woman, it's the woman that makes the dress, and you do look very lovely in that dress. It's nothing but cloth without you."
"Heh. Thanks, kiss-ass. Now I feel slightly less ridiculous in this thing."
"Ha-ha, you and your silly ways, my dear."
Narrowly dodging her way out of an accidental flirt, Vaggie placed the rose in her hair to relieve herself from carrying it. Though their own conversation went on without any hitch, the various people and souls in the park took great fear out of the sight of Alastor, running scared away from him and Vaggie out of fear for their own afterlives.
Out from every mouth could be uttered the primal fear that all of them recognized in him, whispering simplistic declarations of terror like 'It's him' throughout the park. The phenomenon of fear is lost on Alastor, well-adjusted to others fleeing from him, but not on Vaggie, who commented on the terrified parkgoers.
"Well, you're real popular among the common folk, aren't you?" Vaggie joked.
"In all the worst ways. And I wouldn't have it any other way." Alastor said.
"Yeah, I figured, guy like you."
The conversation had finally found its rooting in some pleasant territory, but that in turn presented a new problem to Vaggie, realizing the problem in her head.
Oh crap. That sounded like flirting. He's not going to think that I'm flirting, is he? He doesn't really think this is a date, does he? It's not a date! I don't like him in that way! I barely even know the guy! Why do I have to keep reminding myself of that? Do I just need to get laid? Is it just backed-up ovaries talking? You know, maybe Alastor- Oh, god, no! I'm NOT going there! You shut that shit down right now! Oh, fuck, I've been totally quiet and talking to myself like a psycho, he probably thinks something's wrong, I have to say something! Vaggie thought.
Having brought the conversation to an awkward end and forced into an uncomfortable silence, Vaggie was left with the seemingly impossible challenge of trying to move the two along shared speech once again. That challenge, however, was usurped by Alastor, opting to take the initiative to move the date along as planned.
"So, my dear, should we set up our picnic now?" Alastor asked.
But when the call of duty was laid on Vaggie to continue the date, and the duty was taken up by the valiant efforts of Alastor, Vaggie herself could not manage to remove herself from her own thoughts to focus on the greater task at hand. Instead, she found herself still thinking about Alastor and his handsome look in his suit, unable to stop thinking about the subject.
Why are you being so fucking weird around him? It's Alastor! The radio demon! It's just a suit! The suit doesn't change anything about his personality, he's still an untrustworthy psycho! I don't know, maybe I'm just being nervous. The things I do for Charlie, letting me get roped into this stupid date. Wait, no, it's not a date! IT'S NOT A DATE!. Vaggie thought.
"Vaggie? Are you alright, my dear?" Alastor asked.
Alastor laid a gentle hand across her hair to get her attention, gaining his desire in an instant, having his hand swatted away in response.
"Ah-ah. No touching." Vaggie said.
"Well, forgive me, my little moth, but you seemed many miles away. I was trying to ask you if we should get on with our picnic." Alastor said.
"Oh. Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just really hungry- Wait, did you just call me little?"
"Well, you sure are little to me. But don't worry your little head about that, I find little things cute."
Disliking the apparent demeaning treatment she was receiving from Alastor, Vaggie let out low growl.
"Well, it's not my fault you're freakishly tall! I'm normal sized, at least I'm not a giant." Vaggie said.
Not taking Vaggie's comments seriously, Alastor rolled his eyes back to her in jest of her anger.
"I'll just assume that's your stomach talking. Should we eat now?" Alastor asked.
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Vaggie said.
"Splendid! Why don't we go to that little bush there? We'll have a great view!"
Taking a look to his selected bush, Vaggie's apathy turned to panic as she realized it was the same bush where she found Angel Dust with his client, starkly reminded of the unpleasant encounter and fearing a return to the situation. With the date in jeopardy, she stepped in front of Alastor to prevent him from leading them towards it.
"NO! You don't want that bush! Trust me." Vaggie pleaded.
"What? Why not? It'll have a great view of the sky where we can have some shade as well." Alastor said.
"I was over there earlier. There's nothing to view there that you want to see, believe me."
Alastor had no understanding of the reasoning behind Vaggie's plea, but nonetheless shrugged them off in acceptance.
"Alright, then. Where did you want to sit?" Alastor asked.
"Uh... Oh, how about over there?" Vaggie asked.
Vaggie's selection of an eating spot was a small patch of grass out in the open, allowing the two a spot to eat their lunch with a position elevated enough to allow them a view that covered the majority of the park, giving a pleasant atmosphere and scenery for them to enjoy. Enthusiastic about the selected spot, Alastor ran right for the reservation of land to make the necessary preparations for their picnic.
"Ah, what a lovely spot you've picked, my dear! Allow me to make the proper rituals for us to begin." Alastor said.
Materializing a large blanket through the use of his own magical powers endowed upon him by hell, Alastor cast the blanket out in the wind, shaking it to remove any and all wrinkles that might have been present. Done with the anti-wrinkle treatment, he then gently laid the blanket down, allowing it to fall to the ground.
As the blanket laid across the ground, Alastor then crawled on top of it, pressing down on the blanket to keep it flat on the ground and its fabric taut. In the goal of flattening down the blanket, he leaned down over it in a manner that unintentionally brought a suggestion of thought to Vaggie, as the particular pose he had struck left his hindquarters in the air, while his arms laid stretched to the ground.
The unintended pose made Vaggie snicker at the sight, her laugh going unnoticed as Alastor had finished with his work to keep the blanket fancy and orderly.
"Oh, you seem like you've done this before." Vaggie joked.
"Why, no I haven't, actually, but it seemed rather easy. Really no different from making a bed." Alastor said.
"No, I was talking about the- Nevermind."
Sighing at Alastor's unintentional pose, Vaggie sat down with him on the freshly-set blanket, placing down her picnic basket. Opening the lid to the basket, Vaggie reached into the void-like dimension within the basket, pulling out a plate of sandwiches that seemed too large to physically fit inside the basket, but nonetheless came out from it thanks to the magic hell powers of Charlie Morningstar.
"I didn't know what you like, besides your weird fetish for jambalaya, so me and Charlie made sandwiches." Vaggie said.
The offering of sandwiches was sold in a lackluster manner by Vaggie, but the sight of the food brought great excitement to Alastor despite its unsung announcement.
"Ooh, yummy, I cant wait!" Alastor cheered.
"Relax. It's just ham and cheese, nothing special. Just like you. Then again, I guess would make you two a pretty good match." Vaggie said.
Vaggie's lack of enthusiasm towards the sandwiches were once again ignored by Alastor, but his own excitement towards the food did not prevail. Taking a closer inspection of the sandwich, his look of joy turned to one of disappointment, looking down on the foodstuff with a critical eye.
And his disdainful looks are more than obvious to Vaggie, looking back at him with concern and confusion.
"What? What's wrong?" Vaggie asked.
"Dear me, you call this a ham-and-cheese sandwich? First of all, this hasn't even been cooked; it's like they forgot that cooking food before consumption is even a concept. Furthermore, this looks to be white bread. This isn't a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich before the first day of preschool, this is a deli sandwich, and to make a proper deli sandwich, you need rye or sourdough, maybe artisan to properly compliment the flavor of the meat with a taste of heartiness; anything less than that is unacceptable, just ask any Jew who works in a Manhattan deli. And where's the condiments? No dill pickle slices? No Dijon mustard? Not even mayonnaise? Furthermore, let's not forget the most egregious crime against the culinary arts here: AMERICAN CHEESE?! No! That belongs on a cheeseburger or a diner-style patty melt! Sharp cheddar, Swiss, or provolone is what you use for ham and cheese! What kind of dog food is Charlie trying to pass off on us here?!" Alastor complained.
"Hey! Don't talk about Charlie like that! That's really horrible. You're lucky she's not here now or I'd beat your ass for that."
"Why so defensive on her behalf? Didn't you two break up awhile ago?"
Reminded once again of their romantic relationship coming to an end, Vaggie silently sneered at his remark, lamenting on her current activity being considered a date.
"That's none of your business. But she did take the time to make us the food, you could at least show some appreciation for it." Vaggie said.
"Well, I just thought it'd be more appetizing, that's all. Since she's the one who sent us away on this little picnic, I figured she'd take the time to make the sandwiches more appealing, but I suppose not." Alastor said.
"Look, I admit that Charlie's not the best of cooks, but when she sets her mind to something, she tries her best at it. So, she picked something easy to make, something that doesn't need to have a lot of work put into it. So don't throw a hissy-fit. They're just ham and cheese sandwiches. There's no need to go all fancy over nothing."
"'Go all fancy over nothing'? My dear, with that attitude, we'd never have explored the limits of our own taste buds, never have created some of the greatest works of culinary arts to ever be consumed! It seems that I need to demonstrate just how vital the importance of good cooking is. Observe!"
Waving his hands in the air in an arcane ritual, tapping into the very mainframe and software of the universe itself, Alastor began to summon magic to improve the sad and pathetic sandwiches, vowing to make them better, superior sandwiches than how they stood in their current state.
Transforming the sandwiches molecule by molecule, partaking in an act of creation reserved only for the creator of this world and universe, Alastor's black magic began to successfully convert the simplistic sandwiches into fancy, artisan sandwiches that could rival the work of any gourmet chef.
Made to his specifications of a proper ham-and-cheese sandwich, the sandwiches were now fully cooked and fresh-hot, cooked to perfection with butter serving as the fat to properly cook the bread. The ham was a cut of prosciutto, thinly-sliced and plentiful to fill the sandwich.
On the uncooked sides of the bread were a spread of mayonnaise, with dijon mustard and sliced dill pickles just atop that, and the addition of cheddar and swiss cheeses with a compliment of brie, topped off with the surprising appearance of thin slices of granny smith apples.
Making the sandwiches into fully acceptable meals, Alastor handed off one sandwich to Vaggie as he kept the other.
"Here you are, my little moth. Take a bite of that and see how real food tastes for a change." Alastor said.
Vaggie's gift of a fanciful sandwich was left unappreciated on account of her still holding anger at Alastor for his rude and critical remarks towards Charlie. Nonetheless, she still held a basic need for food, and that need of hunger overrode her desire to not eat the sandwich out of spite, leading her to bite into it.
And upon tasting it, all of her concerns and anger towards Alastor had melted away when she first tasted his magical cooking.
The meat was a hearty and salty taste, the saltiness properly compounded with the multiple cheeses to increase its flavor. Tasting as well the addition of pickles and apples to the mix, adding in a tanginess and sweetness, respectively, that saltiness was balanced out to a duality of conflicting flavors coming together as one.
Finally, with the spice of the dijon mustard to add a final punch, the orchestra of flavor came to its crescendo in Vaggie's mouth, stimulating all of her taste buds at once and evenly distributing its taste across her mouth. In response to the friendly assault of flavor in her gustatory organs, her organs of vision lit up in excitement, her organ of thought unable to comprehend the delicious taste in her mouth.
And the hostility she had previously towards Alastor is properly sedated with a meal in her belly, and a flavorful one to stimulate her senses.
"Wow! Alastor, this is amazing!" Vaggie shouted.
"I know, my dear. I'm the one who made it." Alastor said.
"But, this is like... Oh, so good! There's just so many flavors! I've got to tell Charlie about this, the whole thing is like an orgasm in your mouth!"
Misreading Vaggie's enthusiastic comments for personal details, his expression of cheer began to shrink to disgust.
"Er... Forgive me, but I generally don't find it appropriate to discuss any private matters during meal, much less your ventures of sapphism with Charlie." Alastor said.
"What? I wasn't talking about that, I meant the food's good!" Vaggie said.
"Then why didn't you just say that instead of what you said?"
"I did say that, you... Nevermind."
The moment of excitement is spoiled by the misreading of words by Alastor, but neither party has their appetites spoiled by the mistake. Instead of dwelling on the incident, the two decided to return to their sandwiches, enjoying them in a silence that began to slip into awkwardness.
However, that silence was finally broken with the need for a beverage to go alongside the food, and the first words spoken a request for a drink.
"Say, my dear, I don't suppose Charlie gave us anything to drink with our food, did she?" Alastor asked.
"Oh, yes, I have some iced tea she made for us." Vaggie said.
Reaching into the basket, she took out a pitcher of iced tea and glass, pouring the glass full for Alastor.
"Here." Vaggie said.
"Eh, did you say Charlie made it? I think I'll pass if her tea-making skills are as shabby as her cooking." Alastor said.
"Ugh. You're being a dick, you know that, right?"
"Well, I mean, I wouldn't mind so much in most instances, but I'm just not that much of an iced tea guy. If it were really, really well-made tea, then I'd give it a go."
"Fine, if you're not an iced tea guy, then what kind of guy are you, then?"
"More of a lemonade guy, personally. Got any of that?"
"Yeah, sure, I have that, hang on."
Setting the glass of iced tea down for herself, she took out a pitcher of lemonade, pouring a glass for Alastor to drink instead of the tea.
"Here, happy now?" Vaggie asked.
"Very, little moth, thank you very much." Alastor said.
"Good. And stop calling me little."
Taking their glasses of iced tea and lemonade, respectively, Vaggie and Alastor sipped on their beverages as they moved onto their sandwiches once again, moving back and forth between the solids and liquids to nourish their ethereal, eternal bodies in their ethereal, eternal Hell.
Soon, the meal is complete for the two, and they are left with but sips of their drinks left, and nothing left to do but exist in the moment and live. Their choice of spending time was put on enjoying the scenery of the park, staying quiet as they silently took solace away from damnation while they could in this speck of land, of hope.
But once again, the silence is broken by the question, and this one coming from a place of curiosity from Vaggie.
"So, Charlie dragged you into this too?" Vaggie asked.
"And, by the way you worded that question, I'm guessing she 'dragged you into this' too?" Alastor asked.
"Yeah. I don't know what her big idea was behind this. Maybe she wanted us to get along, I guess."
"Well, if that's the case, she seems to have done a good job so far. We seem to be getting along, don't we?"
"Maybe. Don't push your luck, though."
The joke is met with a chuckle by Alastor, and even a small giggle from Vaggie as well, before the moment once again goes to silence. The silence once again settles in to last into the minutes, going by as the two spent time looking on the scenery of the park, admiring the great outdoors, or what passes for a public sampling of it.
Silence is once again broken by Vaggie, feeling her curiosity get the better of her once again.
"By the way, not that I care, but what's up with your outfit? Don't you usually wear that red suit?" Vaggie asked.
"I have a friend I told about our little outing, and she made me dress up like this. Wanted me to look all fancy-like." Alastor said.
"I'm in the same boat. Charlie made me wear this stupid thing. But at least you got a suit that kind of looks good on you."
"Well, you didn't get a washcloth in your heinie. Be thankful you didn't have to pay that price."
"...What?"
"You don't want to know. I didn't even want to know, either."
Alastor's last comment could be taken as an awkward, uncomfortable experience, but it is instead a humorous one, to which they laughed in response.
"But, come on. You know I look ridiculous, don't lie to me." Vaggie said.
"Oh, no, it looks great, really. It brings out your skin tone and hair, it's a surprisingly good match. Never knew that you'd look so good in brighter colors. Really makes you... shine in a way that no one gets to see out of you." Alastor said.
"My, my, Alastor. if I didn't know any better, I'd say your flirting with me, aren't you?"
Vaggie's question made Alastor grow nervous from her accusation, leading him to chuckle off her comment to dismiss it.
"Oh, no, no, no, I was simply giving you a gentlemanly compliment, that's all. Honest Abe." Alastor said.
"Hmph. Sure you were." Vaggie scoffed.
"Silly moth. Once again, you hex me with your creative fantasies, and I'm sure a little girl like you, you've got some very wild fantasies."
Insulted once again by his comments regarding her vertical impairment, Vaggie stopped smiling at his comments, growling ever so softly in response.
"Would you stop calling me small, already? I'm normal sized. Unlike a certain freakishly tall bean pole that I know. And what's with that creepy-ass wording?" Vaggie said.
"Whatever do you mean, my dear?" Alastor asked.
"'Little girl'? 'Very wild fantasies'? Do you know how that sounds?"
"Well, don't girls have the most vivid fantasies when they're young? Being rescued by princes in shining armor, living in big, fancy castles, dressing up all pretty-like, playing a mom with her dollies; I know I was a pretty big dreamer when I was young, too."
"What- No, I meant that it sounds super creepy. Like you were a pedo in your past life or something. I mean... were you?"
The question brought a look of absolute shock and disgust to Alastor's face, leaving in his mind nothing but a blank spot in a pregnant pause of appallment.
"Ha! No." Alastor said.
"Good. For a second there, I thought you were a pedophile serial killer when you were alive. Turns out you're just a regular serial killer. Much better." Vaggie snarked.
"Well, I never killed anyone who didn't deserve it."
The last comment from Alastor brought out a chuckle from both parties, once again bringing the moment to one of friendliness and peace, perhaps even coming one step closer to friendship. For now, the moment is spent once again looking to the now-turning sky as the day moves into the afternoon; the day getting darker by the second.
Once again, there is conversation brought about to break the silence, but this time by Alastor rather than Vaggie, giving his own thoughts at the moment. To be giving his own thoughts is a rarity for the enigmatic and threatening slim deer demon, but what was more surprising is that his thoughts seemed to be suggestions for improving the Hazbin Hotel; something that very few souls expected from him at all.
Still low in trust for Alastor, Vaggie does not give him the time or means to give his suggestions.
"You know, my dear, it's been 3 months, but it seems like we've only got the two guests in the hotel since we opened it, not counting Angel Dust's client. I thought of some suggestions on how to bring in some more-" Alastor began to say.
"No." Vaggie interrupted.
"But-"
"No."
"But I-"
"No."
"I didn't-"
"No."
"I was-"
"No."
"But I was-"
"No."
"Will you let me finish, please?"
"Hmm, let me think about it- No."
Out of the blue, a sudden pinch was felt by Vaggie, left on her leg by the sentient shadow of Alastor. Keeping itself unseen and unsuspected by its target, Vaggie is not yet aware of the rogue pincher, and Alastor, well aware of the crime and partially responsible for perpetrating it, held back a snicker.
"Ow! What the hell was that?!" Vaggie shouted.
"Oh? What's wrong?" Alastor asked.
"Something just pinched me. I felt it a second ago."
"Sure it wasn't perhaps a bug bite?"
"No, I know the difference between bug bites and pinches, guy."
"My, my, I didn't know you and Charlie were so kinky. Nor did I want to know, for that matter. Bedroom time isn't something that makes a friendly conversation."
"Oh, fuck off, you-"
Again did Vaggie feel the shadow on her, this time feeling it touch her knee. Its light touch made her snap to her leg in panic, expecting to find the unwanted intruder, but once again was left with nothing as the shadow fled. And once again did Alastor hold back his snickering, trying not to laugh at his own prank.
"There it is again! Something's touching me! It feels weird!" Vaggie shouted.
Alastor's antics are at last caught onto with Vaggie noticing his smiling, arousing suspicion for her to question.
"Why are you smiling? What's so funny?" Vaggie asked.
Caught at last, Alastor let out a hearty laugh at Vaggie's question.
"Oh, you're such a dog, you know that?" Alastor asked.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Vaggie asked.
"I was talking to him."
Alastor pointed to his shadow, leading Vaggie to turn and see it mockingly waving to her. Realizing the 'joke' at last, Vaggie let out an offended growl. She threw a slapping hand to strike the shadow in retaliation, but the shadow had slithered away and crawled back to its master, hiding itself in his arms like a scared puppy.
"Oh, please, just relax, don't mind him. He was only teasing, the little devil. Oh, wait, he is a devil, and so am I!" Alastor laughed.
Annoyed with her picnic-mate's antics, Vaggie crossed her arms and began to pout, letting out a firm 'hmph'. Her act was meant to be one of anger and disdain, but it had instead made Alastor look to her in admiration, sarcastically propping his head on his hands like a schoolgirl.
"What are you looking at?" Vaggie asked.
"Oh, nothing. You're just very cute when you're pouty." Alastor said.
Alastor's comment led Vaggie to groan once again, following her angry expression with a blush.
"Whatever." Vaggie said.
Vaggie shook her head at the comment in dismissal, but her attitude was not one of simple anger, but carried also with it a deep embarrassment and sentimentality.
'You look cute'? Is he trying to hit on me? I swear, this isn't right. This has to be part of some other game he's playing. Even Charlie doesn't call me cute. Well, she did with that stupid dress this morning, but that's about it, and that was her fault, anyway. Crap, I'm starting to think too much again, I need to ask him something! Vaggie thought.
"If you're done being a shitlord, you can tell me your idea now if you want. Before I change my mind." Vaggie said.
At last able to give his advice regarding the hotel, Alastor's face shot up in delight.
"Splendid, my dear! Well, I've been thinking, if this is to be an effort to help rehabilitate sinners to redemption, it should involve more participation from others, yes?" Alastor asked.
"Yeah?" Vaggie asked.
"So, we should make events that involve the tenants whenever possible, and make them want to get involved, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, for that, I suggest we do something along the lines of a play or other performance, maybe a musical. I've been up and down Broadway in my time, and there were lines upon lines of people trying to get in to see the show. With my resources, we could have production values just as good, and not only make it an effort to involve the other tenants, but also advertise the hotel to the public with the shows themselves. It's a win-win for everybody."
Taking in Alastor's suggestion with a grain of ignorance for salt, his idea slowly came around to like it, and finally accepting it.
"Hmm. That sounds interesting. It sounds like it could actually work." Vaggie said.
"I know someone in the theater business, I can have writers and production designers on board in no time." Alastor said.
"Really? You do?"
"Of course, my dear. I always make it a point to have connections in every business. You never know when they might come in handy."
"Alright. We'll talk to Charlie about it after the picnic. Knowing her and her weird Disney singing tendencies, I bet she'd jump at the chance to do something like this. Of course, if she puts me in a dress again, I'll still have to kill her."
"Of course, my little moth. I'll be more than happy to help you bury the body."
"Ha-ha. Okay, enough about the hotel. This is a picnic, let's enjoy it and not worry about work."
"'Not worry about work'? Getting a bit lazy, aren't we?"
"So what? It's a picnic. We're supposed to relax. What, have you never been to a picnic before?"
"Nope."
"What? You're kidding, right?"
"Nope. Never been on a single one."
"Huh. What about your friend Rosie? She never took you on one?"
"Well, I kind of have been to a picnic with Rosie, but it was more like a simple tea visit. No eating was involved, so I guess you can't really technically call that a picnic."
The mentioning of Rosie's name made Vaggie inexplicably grow jealous, making her need to ask about the status of their relationship.
"What is Rosie, anyway, your girlfriend or something?" Vaggie asked.
Alastor let out chuckle in response, dismissing the allegation.
"Again with you and your wild imagination. No, just a good friend of mine, that's all." Alastor said.
"'Just a good friend'? Oh, come on, you can tell me more than that." Vaggie said.
"Well, there's not much else to say, honest."
Wanting to hear more of their past, Vaggie looked to Alastor with an exaggeratedly cute face, squishing her cheeks together and talking childishly to amplify its effect.
"Pwease, mwister Awaster? I weally wanna hear mowre abouwt you and youwre good fwiend Wosie!" Vaggie joked.
Unable to resist her silly and comedic 'cute' face, Alastor began to grow flustered and awkward before finally giving in.
"Oh, alright. I suppose it grew somewhat out of professionalism and having a shared workplace, both of us being overlords of Hell, you know? We're both from an older time, so we share a lot of the same values, enjoy some of the same pastimes, hang out at the same places, and so on. She's like the Mary Poppins to my Bert. If Mary Poppins liked to kill people, that is." Alastor said.
"Wow. You guys sound like twins. Kind of." Vaggie said.
"Ha. That's probably the first time I've heard that. Now enough about me, tell me about you."
"You already know me."
"I want to know more about you. Outside the hotel and work."
"Oh, there's not much to know."
"Now, now, don't give me that. We're outside of work and relaxing, just talking to each other, like you wanted. I told you a little about me, now you tell me a little about you."
To indulge in her own life and self is something that Vaggie has done very little throughout both her life and afterlife, not even to people she has developed a deep and meaningful connection to, like Charlie Morningstar. However, this particularly strange situation that she was placed into has put her in a state of mixed emotions, making them far more vulnerable and weaker than before.
It is this weakness that is exploited to make her give the answer to Alastor's question, going deeper than even she had believed she would go.
"I don't know. I'm just boring. I guess no one really sees me as 'Vaggie', like an actual member of the group. They just see me as 'the moth chick' or 'Charlie's ex-girlfriend'. It's been years since I took my own life back on Earth, but it just feels like the same routine that I was trying to get out of before. No one really cares or wants to. I thought I had my ticket out of it until I got here, and I had to learn how to deal with it for all eternity, but then I found someone who did care: Charlie. I never really had any friends before, so meeting her was a big deal to me. But now that we broke it off, it's back to square one. And working at the Hotel's no big help, either. If I get redeemed, who's gonna remember me? No one. Charlie might, but she's the princess of Hell, so she can have literally whatever and anyone she wants. People all love her, and she'll be accepting of anyone. If I was gone, I'm sure that she'll eventually forget about it, like she didn't even know I was gone. It's like when I was human; I had a friend like Charlie who was kind, but soon she left me for some guy, and things went down after that. I lost my home with her and I was homeless at 20. I felt down and suicidal, and I just couldn't take it anymore. Who would care or think anything of a 20-something year old homeless woman, especially when she didn't think anything of herself?" Vaggie asked.
Alastor, well-known for his callous and crude remarks, always seeking to make some sort of amusement or have some fun for himself, did nothing of the sort at this time. Instead, he sat contently and quietly, carefully listening to Vaggie's monologue and hanging on her every word.
Alas, the gesture is lost on Vaggie in her own emotional despair, and shrugged off his attentiveness.
"Wow/ Not saying anything? Are you gonna mock me or something? Ugh. I don't even know why I bothered telling you all that in the first place." Vaggie said.
Disappointed in Alastor's silent response, Vaggie pulled her legs in and crossed her arms over them, looking down at the picnic blanket to ignore him and disregard the rest of the world. A moment of silence passed before Alastor lifted Vaggie's chin with his finger, bringing her face to look at his again.
"No, my dear. I wasn't making fun of you. I'm glad you told me that. You are beautiful in and out, and your loyal to your friends, and the hotel. You aren't some nobody that everyone forgets about. You are more special than you think you are." Alastor said.
Alastor's face moved closer to Vaggie as he spoke, looking on her with kind eyes to make his own emotions clear.
As Alastor looked at her, Vaggie looked back on him with conflicting thoughts, but with most of them concentrating on his eyes. There are no coherent thoughts or speech to put it in this time, but only feelings of warmth and comfort in his eyes, beginning to think of how much they seem like rubies, shining on her with glowing light.
Likewise, Alastor began to think about Vaggie's face and eyes, particularly keeping his look focused on her lips, by actions either conscious or subconscious, but nonetheless taken and real. Mostly, his thoughts are focused on how kissable her lips seem, and how tempting it was to partake in the suggested action.
Trapped in this tense moment without escape, Vaggie's heart began beating hard and fast, snapping her out of her own trance. Awakened from the clouds placed over her mind, she slapped his hands away, doing so ever so gently with the thoughts she once felt allowing her a degree of mercy.
"Yeah, sure. Look, I'm not buying your suave bullshit. You don't have to be pretend to be kind to me." Vaggie said.
"No, I don't have to pretend, my dear Vaggie." Alastor said.
Alastor's sentiment was complimented with a look put on her to her that displayed itself in a caring way, once again making Vaggie grow flustered.
"Nevermind. Let's, uh... Let's just eat some strawberries." Vaggie said.
"Ooh, strawberries! Why didn't you say we had any?" Alastor asked.
"I forgot all about them until now. And don't worry, Charlie had no chance of screwing this one up."
"Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy! I haven't had strawberries since i was a boy! Bring them out, by all means!"
Vaggie found Alastor's child-like reaction to the strawberries cute, but did not allow herself to become fully convinced that his actions and emotions displayed were all genuine and not an act. Nonetheless, she reached into the basket and brought out the strawberries, revealing them to be covered in chocolate.
"I never used to like strawberries, but Charlie dipped them in chocolate to try to make them different for me." Vaggie said.
Never before seeing chocolate-covered strawberries before, Alastor looked to the fruit with confusion and disinterest, avert to sweets in all their forms.
"They're... covered in chocolate?" Alastor asked.
"Yeah. Try one." Vaggie said.
"Oh, no, no thank you. I'm really not a fan of sweets."
"Aw, c'mon. Just try a nibble. At least eat something Charlie made."
Vaggie took a strawberry from its container and handed to Alastor, compelling him to eat it.
"Oh, alright, I suppose." Alastor said.
Taking a bite into the chocolate-covered fruit, Alastor caused many strawberry juices to leak all over her hand, leaving it sticky with fructose.
"Great. You got my hand all sticky." Vaggie said.
"Oh, silly me. Allow me to get that." Alastor said.
To clean up the mess made with his bite, Alastor began to lick the juices off her hand and fingers, slurping up the fructose from her skin and leaving no trace behind.
The action is one that Vaggie would not allow anyone to perform on her, save for a moment of intimacy, leading her to bite her lip as she tried to make sense of what was happening to her. It is arousal which is brought to the forefront of her emotions; to feel his mouth and tongue on her primary limb of tacticle sensation, and it would do more than its job of preparing her for more intimate pleasures...
...but Vaggie still does not have any such desires or feelings for Alastor, so she does her best to diffuse the situation with a joke.
"Uh... Are you hungry or horny?" Vaggie asked.
"Oh, no, my dear. I'm just trying to get all the sweet juices in my mouth, where they belong." Alastor said.
"That didn't answer my question."
"Ha-ha. Alright, now. You gave me one, now it's my turn to give you one."
Alastor then took out a strawberry, holding up to Vaggie's face, as if trying to feed it to her. The gesture is not one that Vaggie appreciated, looking to him with a frown.
"You're kidding, right?" Vaggie asked.
"Well, you just fed me. Only fair I feed you too." Alastor said.
"I wasn't trying to feed you, I was just trying to give it to you."
"Oh. Well, regardless, only fair I pay you back."
Unable to get out of the situation she was trapped in, Vaggie let out a pout, deciding to fulfill the unintended debt between her and Alastor.
"Okay. But dont look at me." Vaggie said.
"Why?" Alastor asked.
"Just because."
Finding amusement out of her request, Alastor let out a chuckle.
"It's not funny. Just please do it, okay?" Vaggie asked.
"Okay, okay. I'll feed you wtihout looking if it's that important to you, for some reason." Alastor said.
Alastor turned his head away as requested, trying to feed Vaggie while impairing his own vision. As a result, he accidentally poked her in the eye with the strawberry.
"Ow!" Vaggie shouted.
"Oops. My apologies." Alastor said.
"Why the hell did you do that?"
"Well, I tried to feed you without looking like you wanted, but I couldn't see where to put the strawberry."
"Ugh. Okay, fine, then look, but do it quick. And stop smiling!"
Preparing the strawberry, Alastor held it up to its intended target of Vaggie's mouth. In defiance of her request, Alastor kept smiling, showing no signs of putting an end to his smirk. Unable to avoid the humiliation of watching his smile, Vaggie took in a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Feeling the strawberry pressed against her lips, she took a bite of it, chewing and swallowing the piece in a meager fashion.
"That wasn't much of a bite, my dear." Alastor said.
"I'm not much of a fruit person." Vaggie said.
"You should be. Don't you know it's healthy to get your fruits and vegetables in?"
"I'm dead. What do I need to worry about that for, old man?
"Old men are wiser and more knowledgeable, you know. We know best when it comes to staying healthy. And health also comes with the mind being well too, which comes with eating more nutritious foods like fruit. Besides, strawberries are very delicious, you should really try one."
"Ugh. Fine, I'll eat the rest of the strawberry if it makes you happy."
She then took another bite, reaching down to the stem and taking the whole strawberry in her mouth. Chewing it and being able to properly savor the taste, she was gifted with a melody of sweet tastes in her mouth, feeling chocolate and strawberry coming together to deliver a delicious flavor, leading her to swallow it all in satisfaction.
"Mmm... You're right. It's really good, actually." Vaggie said.
"See? I told you so." Alastor said.
"Shut up."
Looking in the container, they notices that there were two more strawberries remaining, leaving one for each.
"Uh, do you, uh, do you want the rest?" Vaggie asked.
"There's one for each of us. Don't you want the other, my dear?" Alastor asked.
"Eh... Okay, sure. You don't want to do the stupid 'you feed me, I feed you' thing again, do you?"
"Not if you don't want to. The debt's repaid, it's up to you."
"No, no. You just take yours and I'll take mine."
Taking their respective strawberries, Vaggie and Alastor ate the last of the berries, chowing down on the sweetened fruits to much enjoyment.
As Vaggie ate hers, however, a shot of strawberry juice got on the side of her lip, running down her mouth and cheek. Using his magic to materialize the proper tool to handle the situation, Alastor took out a napkin and put it to her face, wiping away the juice and making her face clean once again.
"Oh, my dear, what are you, a child? Getting juices all over your face like that, it's just not proper for a lady." Alastor said.
"Ha-ha. Very funny." Vaggie said.
With their food finally complete, they once again returned their looks back to the sky, watching the sun continuing to move through its course. As the sight of the sun moving offered one indication that the day was moving fast, the realization that the day was getting hotter was yet another factor, telling them the day was starting to get past noon.
"Well, since we're done, I guess we should get back to the hotel now. Let's clean up." Vaggie said.
"Wait! Why stop the day here? We have the whole day to spend together. Be a shame to waste it." Alastor asked.
"I promised Vaggie it was just this picnic, nothing more. Besides, I'm sure Charlie needs us back at the hotel."
"I believe Charlie said she was going to meet with her father for something today, I doubt she'll need us today."
The news made Vaggie hurt over being the last to know, contemplating the reasoning behind her own mind and thoughts and not doing so aloud.
How does he know that?! Why didn't she tell me?! Wait, could he be lying? Am I just a pawn to him after all? God, why am I so offended? It's probably not that nefarious. Maybe she didn't tell me because she wanted me to get roped further into this. But that means that she also forced me to be with Alastor longer. Vaggie thought.
Vaggie sad expression was not lost on Alastor; he chose to intervene and be sure of her emotional state, offering his own brand of kindness.
"Oh, what's the matter? Are you jealous, my dear?" Alastor asked.
"What? No, why would I be jealous of you?" Vaggie asked.
"Oh, my silly little moth. There's never any end to your stories, is there?"
Vaggie crossed her arms in frustration, dedicating herself to not indulging in Alastor's games any longer.
"Whatever. I'm going back to the hotel." Vaggie said.
"Wait! It's still early. Why don't we spend the rest of the day together? As friends? Like Charlie wanted us to do in the first place?" Alastor asked.
Still feeling a confliction of hurt and anger, Vaggie slowly came around to Alastor's suggestion. The reason why she did so is one unknown to her; perhaps it is because Alastor had invoked the name of Charlie, or perhaps she was simply not interested in returning home yet. Either way, it is cause for more thought, leading her to contemplate once more.
God, I am getting jealous. Why am I getting jealous? I shouldn't be jealous. There's nothing to be jealous of. No, I'm not jealous! Vaggie thought.
"Well? Please? For me, my dear?" Alastor asked.
"Ugh. Fine. Sure. For one more hour, okay?" Vaggie asked.
Successful in scoring a longer time spent with Vaggie at last, Alastor clapped his hands together in excitement.
"Splendid, perfect! How about we go to-" Alastor began to say.
"No, no, no. I'll pick. How about we go to the mall?"
"Mall? You mean a boutique outlet?"
"Uh... Yeah, sure."
"Oh, wonderful! I haven't been in a botique in years!"
"Yeah, sure. Wait, what about the picnic basket?"
"Oh, that's no problem."
Tapping into is magic once again, Alastor used a spell of transportation to send the picnic basket back to the Hazbin Hotel; the basket having served its purpose.
"Okay, very impressive." Vaggie snarked.
In response, Alastor smiled and gave a bashful shrug and bow.
"Of course, it's no trouble at all, my little moth." Alastor said.
"Okay, let's go, I know a shortcut. But just one thing: We're going just as friends, right?" Vaggie asked.
"Yes, of course. As friends. I wouldn't have it any other way, my dear."
And so their time in the park is over, and now comes their time spent together elsewhere, making the most of their day off to enjoy it to its fullest.
But the consequences of their visit to the park are not fully done with. The picnic basket had teleported back to the hotel as intended, but it arrived in the room of two others who were at the park as well, having returned long before Vaggie and Alastor had departed.
The two alone in their room are Angel Dust and his client; the former eating out the anus of the latter. As the client loudly moaned in pleasure, Angel Dust took notice of the newly-materializing basket, reaching into it to find something that could enhance their activity.
Pulling out a bottle of whipped cream, he had found it.
"Ah, just what I needed." Angel Dust said.