"Let's go upstairs, doll."
"Wait, I didn't-"
"Lay off her, Val, she's with me!"
Clover turned towards the new voice, finding a pair of pink eyes much like her own looking back at her, nearly neon against mint toned skin and tilted in a sweet smile. A familiar swish of iridescent pink made it's way past her, the woman who had appeared beside her fitting herself effortlessly against the chest of the man Clover was now certain was Valentino. Clover averted her eyes as delicate hands slid across velvet, suddenly feeling like she was intruding in more ways than one. Valentino's faux honeyed tone returned as he addressed the woman.
"I'd like to know if you're having guests while at work, dollface, we've talked about this."
"Aw, don't get ya' moth balls in a twist. I just forgot! Can ya' really blame me, you've kept me busy all night, give a girl a break."
"That doesn't sound like an apology."
Her back now pressed against the farthest wall away from the two, Clover quickly took in the girl who was nearly hanging from around Valentino's neck, raised on the toes of platform boots and still struggling to make the stretch. The dress was recognizable as the woman that had walked past them before, sparkling as it rose dangerously high around her hips as Valentino wound an arm around her, the pink shine shifting as she rocked herself in his embrace. The woman's voice softened, smooth as silk as she batted long eyelashes up at him.
"I'm sorry."
"Just sorry?"
"I'm sorry daddy, it won't happen again."
"That's my girl. Now-"
Valentino had just returned his attention back to Clover when a loud shatter shook the ceiling above, his gaze shifting upward abruptly at the sound as he hissed an agitated sigh. The girl didn't seem bothered, dropping her feet flat to the ground with a soft tap before stepping backwards, her voice tinted with an unhidden smile as the hollow echo of voices rose above them.
"Better get going, I've got it from here Valentine, don't you worry about it."
Clover's arm was taken hostage, pink bell sleeves swinging between them. The screech of a cat rang through the building, loud enough to cause all three of them to jump and for Clover's heart to begin to race. As much as she knew Husker could probably handle himself, she worried about her elder friend, sending a frantic a look to the woman who had stepped between her and Valentino before he could notice She only smiled calmly back at her, looking up at the demon that towered over them as he flicked his gaze between them. Finally, he moved, stalking quickly towards them and breaking their grasp as he shoved them both aside, quickly disappearing around the corner with a swish of a fur lined hem. She didn't dare move, pressed haphazardly against swirling paisley wallpaper as her thighs shook with the effort to keep her upright. The woman across from her pushed off from her own side of the hallway to watch their assailant disappear, head tilted to better listen to the receding sound of heels. Finally, her shoulders dropped with a sigh, flipped bordeaux strands swinging against her cheeks as she turned towards Clover.
"What a fuckin' creep, huh?"
The woman giggled, wrinkling her nose in an endearing but disgusted fashion at the reference to the departed pimp before moving towards Clover. Swinging hips stopped short, pressed into her palms as she spoke with new purpose.
"Now, what the hell are you doin' down here. You're not a dancer, because I saw you with that old cat upstairs, and you're not a customer."
Finding her voice again, Clover furrowed her brow at the woman, wondering what odd situation she'd found herself in.
"How do you know that?"
"It's, like, kinda my job to tell when someone is wanting, ya know? Now either you tell me, or ya' leave, capeesh? You've got some real chutzpah coming down here alone, so it's gotta' be good."
Clover sighed softly, pushing herself up and stepping towards the woman. She saw no ill-will disguised behind heavy lashes, her painted smile honest and amused as she watched Clover fumble through a myriad of excuses before finally settling on honesty. Neither of them backed down from their eye contact, even as the other woman's gaze was shifted upward with a smile as Clover spoke.
"What's your name?"
"Lollie, what's yours?"
"Clo-"
"Wait, ya' know what? I don't need to know, I'm just gonna' call you Bunny. Are ya' gonna' tell me why you're here or am I gonna' walk you out?"
"I'm looking for a friend."
"You're gonna have to give me a little more than that, babes."
"...I'm looking for Angel Dust. We think something happened to him."
Lollie's cheerful attitude deflated, her weight shifting nervously as she spoke.
"He worked last night, he was with us, Val and his friends, last night after his performance. He...well, I'm not sure if he's still here, because I never saw him leave, but I can take you to his dressing room. After that, you're on your own, sugar."
The camera around her neck swung slightly as it was pushed gently by painted fingers, Lollie tilting her head in thought.
"Why'd ya' bring the camera anyway?"
"I just had it on me, this was a last minute thing."
Painted nails lifted the weight from her shoulders, Lollie crowding into Clover's personal space as she examined the device with a fond smile. The abrupt flash startled her, the leather padding of the camera's safety strap pressing into the back of her neck as she flinched away. She tried her best to keep her panic hidden, feeling the anxious drop of her stomach as she watched the white square of undeveloped film print out and be taken between slender fingers, Lollie shaking the photograph with a smile. Would it develop as normal, showing the seductive wink and smile of the mint and bubblegum toned demoness who had taken the photo, or would Clover's proximity be enough to alter the image into that of whoever her newest acquaintance had been before her demise? Her questions went unanswered as Lollie placed the camera gently against Clover's stomach, nodding her head towards the hallway behind them as she continued on with their idle conversation.
"I used to have one of these, I'm pretty sure an old beux of mine has a bunch of saucy photos of me in an attic somewhere, probably hidden away from his wife. Blessed be whatever grandson of his will find them one day."
Why she was telling Clover any of this, was a mystery. Even as she led her around the opposite corner that Valentino had disappeared around, Clover was suspicious of the woman. Her motive for helping was beyond anything that was within a rational range of reasoning, so at least an arms length of distance was kept between as she followed her up another small flight of stairs into a more dimly lit hallway. The carpet was nicer here, the wallpaper less garish, the doors spaced farther apart, giving her the idea that the rooms here were bigger than the ones she'd seen before. Clover kept her voice hushed as she allowed her curiosity to search for clarity in the situation.
"Are you also a…"
"Harlot? Only on the weekends,"
"I was going to say, do you also work for Valentino, like Angel?"
"If you're askin' if I signed a contract with the bastard, the answer is no."
"Why are you helping me?"
Lollie smiled over her shoulder, slowing her pace to a stop.
"Us girls gotta stick together in situations like this, ya know? Who knows what that bastard woulda' done, I wasn't about to just sit in my dressing room and let it happen."
"...Why is your room down there? You seem like you'd have the nicer rooms with how friendly you are with him."
Lollie laughed, turning to face her in front of a doorway, her skin turning a sickly grey in the red light that flickered from its place mounted on the wall.
"Geez Louise, sugar, you ask a lotta' questions for a damsel in distress. Look, if we meet again, I'll tell ya' everything, I won't even charge ya' for it."
Her smile faded as she turned towards the door, looking up at the light with a wave of her hand, the melodic teasing tone of her voice vacant as she continued.
"That usually means someone is working, maybe you should come back later. Or maybe he'll call you after he's done."
Clover didn't buy it, staring up at the doorway for only a moment before she reached for the doorknob. The lock clicked hollowly, the knob turning and the door swinging open as she pushed inward. She could feel Lollie leaning over her shoulder to peer inside into the darkness, holding her breath as they listened for signs of life. The silence became too heavy for Clover to handle, a sick sense of dread sinking into her stomach. She pushed the weight forward instead of allowing it to hold her to the floor, stepping into the darkness with a short glance behind her. Lollie didn't move with her, instead turning to look down the hallway before beginning to move down it. Her hushed goodbye and promise of good luck fell on distracted ears, Clover's attention returning to the empty doorway at the soft grumbling that came from inside and leaving the echo of her words behind her, stepping into the dark room and whispering softly into its depths as the door swung closed behind her.
"Angel?"