Playing the publicity game was far more fun than Clover had originally expected.

The Halloween Party was on the horizon now, looming over all of them with its hidden surprises of Tricks or Treats as the days grew shorter. Clover's last self-made mission had been the music for the event, and she made sure to take everyone's personal tastes into consideration as she concocted a perfect party soundtrack for the event. She'd spend hours looking over her Voxify account, turning to Lollie for guidance when she felt her own biases began to get in the way of public interest. The two had spent the evening after her impromptu makeover trying on the contents of Clover's wardrobe that Lollie had deemed acceptable for television while listening through endless amounts of music that had just begun to all sound the same when Angel wandered in. He was unscathed but exhausted after whatever antics his barbaric boss and his business partner had put him up to, and had collapsed onto Clover's bed halfway through being filled in on their battle plans, his fur still damp and Fat Nuggets curled against his chest.

It was after she'd tucked in her spidery friend that a familiar tune broke through the sound blindness she'd fallen into, Clover's ears rotating towards where her phone sat among the piles of laundry she'd taken to reorganizing into her dresser. As she recalled the last time she'd heard the melody, it immediately sparked memories of claws curling around her hips, darkened skin peeking out beneath coat sleeves, temperate leather tugging at her wrist, and the feeling of a fountain's spray dusting against bare skin. But something else became more interesting than the song itself, the soft accompaniment that came from the girl currently sprawled across her floor scrolling through Sinstagram catching her interest, and Lollie lifted her head at Clover's soft call of her name.

"Lollie, do you speak French?"

"Language of love, what did you expect from a girl like me?"

"Can you teach me the English lyrics to this song?"

Lollie grinned as she rolled herself upright, already rapidly tapping on her phone to search for translations as she answered; Clover was only mildly embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that before.

"No problem bunny."

Armed to the teeth with a better outlook and a suit of short-skirted armor, Clover had stepped into the following day with only a minor amount of anxiety churning in her stomach. She was relieved that Alastor and his Shadow were nowhere to be seen when she skipped downstairs, having left Lollie behind to rest in her bedroom with Angel after the other girl had declined her offer to buy her a drink if she'd walk Clover to work. As much as Lollie wanted to help, her hands were tied outside of the Hotel, or so she'd explained. Clover didn't press further, feeling as if she'd already asked too much of her, and had decided that if there was no one downstairs to offer her their arm, then she'd simply have to brave the walk to work alone. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Alastor, it was quite the opposite, but there was a part of her that was nervous as to how he might react to the change in her. He was a man who resented change, for the standards of technology at least, and it nearly made her sick to think that he'd feel the same towards her.

In short, she needed more time to gather her nerve for facing Alastor than she did for the rest of Hell, and that was much harder to do while uncaffeinated.

Clover had just begun to shrug into her jacket, a black woolen thing she'd found buried beneath blankets in a second-hand shop, when Charlie appeared from the hallway to her office.

"Hey! You heading to work?" All it took was a short nod while Clover tossed the cross-strap of her bag over her shoulder for Charlie to fully step into the lobby, her arms laden with a stack of papers that nearly topple over as she skips to Clover's side. "Do you mind if I come with you? I wanted to hang flyers for the party, just- Ya, know, hoping that it will entice more people to come!"

"I don't think you have to worry about that."

The true meaning of Clover's response seemed to go straight over the princess's head as Charlie quickly passed the stack of papers into Clover's arms so she could toss a red-lined peacoat over her hotel uniform. Pentagram City had taken a windy turn in the early hours of the morning, and Clover was thankful that the heavy fabric of her outerwear held down the flipping pleats of her skirt beneath, even if it scratched at her skin with every step as they made their way towards the coffee shop. Charlie paused every now and then to hang fliers, either pinning it to a telephone pole, sticking it to a shop window, or tucking a folded copy into the folds of today's paper, displayed on newsstands and doorsteps for all to see. Neither of them mentioned the glaring elephant that was her newest Sinstgram profile picture spread across the front page under another mediocre headline, though Clover was secretly pleased with how well her likeness translated into newsprint, and equally pleased that Vox had taken the bait.

It was a simple photograph, as most aesthetic self-portraits were. The polaroid she'd taken before Lollie had freshened her outward appearance had served its purpose as a prop, its image just barely visible from where she'd held it cheekily hiding her smile. Her glasses had been tilted to avoid glaring in the camera's flash, the photograph filtered to her more specific, alternative tastes, and Lollie had taken it upon herself to darken her eyes with an appropriately antique amount of shadow. The resulting image had been striking, and Clover began to wonder how far the talents of her newest friend went now that she'd learned that their combined scheming had seemed to go off without a hitch.

"Are you excited about the party?" Charlie's question lifted Clover's head from where she'd been staring off into the distant sidewalk, and she found brilliant red eyes watching her with far more care than her chipper tone implied. "Alastor said it was your idea, I thought it maybe left too much room for bad behavior, but he sold me on it. I think with all of us we can keep things under control!"

Thinking better of giving doubt to that particular line of the Princess's thinking and trying her best to ignore the blush that blossomed on her cheeks at the mention of Alastor, Clover carefully chose an answer that aired on the side of vague.

"I am, it should be fun and I think- I think we need the distraction."

Charlie ran with it, luckily, pausing briefly to hand out a handful of fliers to a gaggle of Hellhounds that crossed their path before bouncing back into the conversation.

"I don't think we've planned for so many people at the manor in- Well, centuries! I just hope they actually show up!"

With an answer to a question she'd idly pondered when wandering the hotel once or twice before being so casually given to her, things began to make more sense. She'd always wondered why the hotel looked the way it did, its layout and amenities seeming far more like that of the city homes she saw in romanticized depictions of 19th-century high society than any hotel she'd stayed in before, though updated by Alastor's more art-deco flair. The many portraits decorating the halls of Charlie and who Clover had always assumed were her mother and father certainly made more sense now.

"Maybe some sinners will end up staying if you're lucky," Clover said, leaning into soothing Charlie's concerns with only a mild amount of sarcasm to shield her from the consequences. "Or if your business partner tries to talk them into it."

A silence fell over them as Charlie took to pinning fliers on every available surface from the main road to the blocks just beyond the Cannibal Colony. The princess kept up with Clover's quickened pace as they neared the border despite her distractions, and for a moment Clover caught their reflection in the darkened windows of the shops yet to open for the day. She was nearly fooled by the flash of red beside her, but the shape of the silhouette she'd spied was all wrong. To calm her racing heart, Clover took interest in her own reflection. Her skirt was smoothed flat against her thighs as she turned to make sure the shorts beneath were not showing and that it had not caught on the bottom of the oversized cardigan she wore nor her jacket, only a few of many safeguards against being further revealed to the prying eyes of the masses. When she noticed Charlie had stopped frantically flinging fliers at every available surface, her attention snapped back to the conversation that had started up again while she'd been distracted.

"What? Sorry?"

"I said, we're going to be carving pumpkins later, all of us as a group. Wanna come?" Charlie repeated, leaning into Clover with a wide smile that refused to falter in the face of Clover's snarky reply.

"Good luck getting Husker to help out."

"Alastor said he'd talk him into helping, but-"

"I'll be there."

The two girls blinked at each other, equally caught off guard by Clover's quick reply. Something more serious crossed Charlie's face as they moved on, and Clover didn't like the way it lingered.

"Clover, I wanted to talk to you again about redemption-"

"Well, this is me!"

Clover didn't want to interrupt Charlie twice in one conversation, but it was better than the alternative. As much as she declined any efforts to talk her into seeking out the path to righteousness, it was hard to avoid when she lived under the graces of Charlie's charity. Clover knew that her sins would be easier to wipe clean than the others that stayed at the Hotel; Angel's addictions required more than simple chastising from Vaggie to cure, Husker lacked belief in himself, Lollie seemed completely committed to her own chances in Hell, and Alastor- Well, Clover doubted they'd even thought twice about his chance at redemption. Clover's sins were simple, they existed in the smallest moments of desperation that culminated into one large disgrace upon her immortal soul, and her softer disposition put a target on her for as long as she continued to stay under the Morningstar's roof. It was something she would seek to change as soon as everything blew over but for now, dodging the conversation entirely continued to be her best option.

The bell above the door was music to Clover's ears as she quickly stepped inside, ignoring the heads of early risers that turned to follow her as she discarded her coat into the back room and slotted herself between the flap of the bartop door and Cyrus as she made her way behind the safety of steel. Yellow eyes narrowed as she passed, but turned towards the other new arrival as Cyrus offered her a wide, fanged smile.

"Hey Princes-s-s, you want a drink? Biblical royalty gets half-price on S-s-Sundays."

Charlie looked between the two baristas for a moment before her shoulders slumped and she shook her head at Cyrus's offer.

"Thanks, but I'm alright. I've got places to be and fliers to hang!" Her cheery disposition returned as she quickly moved to pin another poster onto the community board that took up much of the opposite wall, pulling the recently graffitied advertisement for the hotel down as she went. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"

With a wave and a pointed glance towards Clover, she was gone. An odd silence fell over the cafe as Cyrus squinted at the newest addition to the decor, leaning over the top of the counter ever so slightly as he did so. Clover waited until he'd finished analyzing the bubbling promises of refreshments and musical entertainment to break it, painted lips parting with a smile as the short breath she took to speak drew the attention of her associate.

"...You know it's Friday, right?"

Despite the continued stares of the customers that came as the day progressed, Clover found herself more comfortable than the day before. She'd expected perhaps a mention of her photograph in the morning paper or whispers of the gossip that had been spread after the nightly news to sour her mood, but many of the sinners that spoke to her did little more than bark orders or thank her for their coffee before they disappeared out the open door to collect into crowds that peered into the front window from the safety of the sidewalk. The audience to her day wasn't entirely welcomed, but it was better than the alternative she'd prepared herself for. By the time Cyrus had disappeared out the front door with a mumbled call that he was taking his lunch, it seemed that the sinners that cared to witness her had already come and gone, leaving room for the more regular customers.

Clover was taking the moment of quiet she'd been given to clean beneath the espresso bar, making sure not to bend too far over or risk her decency should anyone walk through the front door, when a sharp clearing of someone's throat made her jump. When she couldn't see who exactly had attempted to get her attention upon standing, she moved towards the register, and was surprised to find the imp that Cyrus so often tormented tapping his toes against the tile. After apologizing and taking his order, one of the many iced, sugar concoctions Clover had come to expect from this particular customer, she paused before her pen had finished scrawling onto the plastic cup.

"Uh…I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"What, you gonna be like that other asshole and fuck it up?"

"No, I was- I was going to ask you how to spell it."

The imp blinked, his brow twisting in an overdramatic, confused fashion before his face dropped back momentarily into nonchalance. Clover didn't need to ask for his name at such a slow point in the day, but she knew this imp. He was one of many people Cyrus had decided would get the brunt of his bad sense of humor, mostly due to the fact that the imp had one of the shorter tempers of their customer base. Even though she'd never been fond of this particular practice and wasn't shy to complain, she couldn't tell Cyrus how to run his own business; But, she could offer kindness when the opportunity arose.

"It's B-L-I-T-Z-O, the 'O' is silent, you can leave it out if that makes it easier on that pretty little head of yours." The imp finally replied, planting his hands on his hips and speaking in a way she supposed would have felt more degrading if she hadn't watched his expression shift from dumbfounded to disinterested with learned precision.

"So it's 'Blitz', like Blitzkrieg? Seems simple enough, I'll have it out for you in a minute."

Clover moved down towards the espresso bar as the imp, Blitzø, tapped his card against the reader before shuffling down towards the handoff plane with his hands shoved into his pockets.

"So what are ya', some kinda' celebrity or something?" He asked, and the question lifted Clover's head from pumping the absolutely inedible amount of sugar this man, this imp, took in his coffee.

She locked eyes with the gaggle of demons that were passing by, just in time to watch one of them be blinded by the bounceback of their own flash photography reflecting off the front window, and couldn't help but snort as they stumbled away with consequences of their actions.

"No. Just a barista." Swirling the imps cold brew with the syrup and topping it off with a generous glug of heavy cream, Clover slid the cup across the empty handoff plane with a smile. "Here you go, Blitzø."

Narrowing his eyes at her as he stabbed a straw into the lid and sucked down a good fourth of the drink in one sip, Blitzø's face shifted into a wide smile as he swallowed and shot finger guns in her direction.

"Well, at least one of you can do your fucking job right, keep the change sweetcheeks."

"You paid with ca- Okay, you're walking away," Clover sighed before calling out over the clang of the bell as the door was thrown open. "Have a good day!"

The friendly faces that stepped through the door before it had time to close further brightened Clover's mood, and she quickly made her way around the counter to bury herself into the waiting, open arms of Angel Dust. She didn't expect the short spin he'd taken her on, twirling with her momentum before setting her back onto her feet.

"Hey! You finally came in! Do you want a drink?"

Angel Dust followed her as she moved back towards her proper place, looking over the remaining pastries from the morning rush with idle interest.

"Sure toots, surprise me with something."

"Coffee? Or-" Clover paused, being careful not to slide on freshly mopped floors as she rushed back towards the cash register. A quick look at her phone's time against the candid photograph background furrowed her brow. "Shouldn't you be going to bed soon?"

"Nah, not with this one's sugar rush keeping me awake, go ahead and make it a double."

The wave of one of many hands toward Lollie turned her attention to the bouncing bubblegum bombshell that was currently analyzing the community board. Tiny pigtails bobbed with her as Lollie hopped from foot to foot, only pausing her movements to snap a photo of the flier Charlie had placed there earlier before tuning into the conversation.

"We're going shopping for costumes for the party, you wanna come?"

"Shit, I haven't even thought about a costume," Clover could have slapped herself at how far she'd put this off. In a perfect world, she'd have made her own costume or even gone out of her way to ask Rosie for help, but she'd been so caught up in publicity and party planning that she'd nearly forgotten about a costume entirely. "I guess I could come up with something, a white button up and some dress pants, steal a cigarette from Cyrus- I don't know if anyone would get it but-"

"No fuckin' chance that I'm lettin' you wear somethin' outta' your closet to ya' second big gig' in Hell. You're comin' with us, n' that's final!"

Clover was stunned, staring at the stubborn line of Angel's mouth while she grappled with this lapse in judgment. It was so unlike her to leave something this important to the last minute, and it stirred the anxious gnawing that so often tore at the skin of her lips and fingers. She supposed he was right, she could simply buy a pre-made costume to cover up the mistake, but that didn't soothe her irritation. Besides, she knew both of the performers peering over the pastry case worked this evening, and it felt wrong to further waste their time because of something so silly.

"I don't get off for another hour, Cyrus just went on his lunch…"

The beat that followed was broken with a decided breath as Lollie linked her arm with Angel's and pulled him towards one of the empty tables by the window.

"We'll wait, make me something too, somethin' sweet, pretty please."

It was incredible how stubborn they all could be.

Arguing was off the table it seemed, so Clover did her best to set Cyrus up for success around making drinks for all four of them; Two were set on the counter with a call of Angel's name, and two were tucked behind the counter for safekeeping. The small rush that came after made the remainder of Cyrus's lunch hour pass quickly, and Clover had just finished cleaning up the small messes she'd made in her hurry to herd the whispering masses back out the door when the lizard slid through the front door. His head turned when he noticed the two sinful starlets sitting in his front window, his brow furrowing as he looked between them and Clover before he disappeared into the back momentarily. She noticed Lollie lean back in her chair as he did so before she dove back into whispering with Angel, which the two of them continued to do as Cyrus appeared again.

"You got plan-s-s again or somethin'?"

"Unexpectedly." Clover sighed as she untied her apron, sliding the drink she'd made for him across the counter with a small smile. "Are you coming tomorrow night?"

"Not a shot."

"Why not? It'll be more fun if people I know are there."

Cyrus glanced at the two demons who had chosen to stand by the door from over the top of his mug as he sipped, humming in appreciation for the coffee's quality before a smirk tilted the corners of his mouth not covered in whipped cream.

"Can I bring s-s-something to make it more fun, if you catch my drift?"

Rolling her eyes at the waggle of ridged brows, Clover weakly shoved into his shoulder as she held back her smile.

"Just don't let Vaggie catch you with it, I really don't want to have to lecture the hosts on the dubious legality of marijuana," She was on the other side of the bar before he could bite back at her pushing, darting into the back to grab her belongings before she joined her friends at the far end of the bar. "And I want some, obviously."

"Want some'a what?"

Lollie's question turned all heads towards her as the mint demoness slotted her arm into the crook of Clover's own, and the quick glance from her to the demon standing behind the bar cued Clover into the impolite misstep she'd taken in this conversation. Luckily, Cyrus was far faster on the draw than she was.

"Who's this-s-s?"

"Cyrus, Lollie. She's a friend, she works with Angel." Clover said quickly, unwilling to wade through whatever mess of flirtation was sure to come from the mixing of her two friends. "Lollie, Cyrus. He's my boss."

"Ouch- Nice to meet ya' doll. Don't let me keep ya' any longer, I can tell this bunny is ready to bounce."

Ignoring Cyrus's hissing laugh at whatever unamused expression must have crossed her face, Clover quickly nudged the small shopping group that had formed towards the door as she unweaved herself from Lollie's arm. Clover took the drink she'd made for herself from its hiding place just behind the wall that separated the espresso bar from the rest of the cafe and took care to unwrap her straw before swirling the cup by the lid. The ringing of the door's bell was her cue to lean forward into Cyrus, nudging her knuckle against the corner of her own mouth as she spoke and darting out the open door just in time to miss the sputtering spewing of curses that followed after her.

"You have whipped cream on your face."

The good thing about being in the company of two minor celebrities was that Clover couldn't tell if the people that passed by them were whispering about her or them.

Lollie had kept ample space between them as they'd walked to the main shopping district, skipping a few feet ahead of Angel and Clover walking arm and arm, but she'd returned once they'd ducked into the safety of one of the many costume-forward shops that had popped up with the change of season. Angel had quickly disappeared into the section of costumes that bordered on lingerie, and they'd split up afterward to seek out costume ideas alone with the promise to meet up at the dressing rooms. Clover wandered aimlessly through the aisle, picking up some more generic costumes when she found herself uninspired by other options. Usually, she had direction in dressing for the holidays, and she supposed she did now if how often she found herself returning to the section at the back of the store labeled "Decades" was any indication. As fitting as the costume choice might have been, never even in life would she have attempted to pass off plastic packaged pearls and fake fringe as a costume and she most certainly wasn't going to start now that she'd met so many friends of true vintage quality. So, she ended her search with a handful of home decor and a couple of more movie-minded costumes to try out.

Angel was already modeling one of the many costumes he'd stacked up onto the seat outside his curtained dressing room when she walked in, the black fabric of his shorts peeking out from beneath the high hemline of a near pornographic sailor uniform. His eyes flickered to her as she appeared in the mirror's reflection, watching as she hung her meager stack in the free dressing room beside him.

"That all ya' got?"

"Yeah, I don't really have any real preferences at this point."

"Aw, c'mon honey, don't be like that! I'm sure if the three of us put our heads together' we can figure something out!" Lollie chimed in, her voice dampened by the curtain that separated her from the main room.

Disappearing into her own dressing room, Clover made quick work of searching her options but found them all disappointing at best. She knew she had no room to be picky but still didn't want to spend money on something she didn't actually like wearing. The hushed conversation happening outside drew her attention, and when Clover poked her head out from behind the curtain she was met with a face full of fluff.

"Holy shi-"

"What about these toots, we could match!"

She had to step back to see what the red mass of fabric Angel was holding out towards her was, and her face began to grow warm as soon as she saw the sweetheart neckline and boned bodice. That paired with the white set of ears Angel had donned and the pushed-up amount of fur that she'd nearly gotten a mouthful of was enough to clue her into his schemes, as if Angel's wide smile hadn't been enough.

"Angel, there is no way even in hell I'm wearing that in public."

"Why not?! It would be cute, you wouldn't even have tuh' buy the ears and tail!"

Angel's whining did little to quell the burn of her skin as he held up the red Playboy Bunny suit in front of her, squinting one eye closed as he measured it to her waist and breaking into a cackle when her frantic hands fanned it away. Her heart sunk deeper when his pout split open into a smile, and Angel gave her little time to argue as he tossed the costume into his shopping bag with a flirtatious wink.

"Ya' can wear it in private then, just for fun- Maybe that will get ya' Deer Daddy's motor runnin'."

"Angel-"

"What's that?"

Stepping aside so Angel could squeeze past her and fetch whatever he'd spied in her denial pile, Clover sighed fondly at the spider's scatterbrain. The costume he'd pulled out was a simple, almost-scandalous version of a childhood favorite, the blue dress ending just barely at mid-thigh and its square neckline a far derision from the original costume's high neck and collar. It was one of the least offensive outfits she'd chosen, but it was a little stereotypical for her tastes. She wasn't entirely sure the way it tied into her rabbit-like features would land, and as much as she enjoyed having original costume concepts, she didn't love the idea of having to explain the joke to anyone who crossed her path; All of them had fallen down the rabbit hole into Hell, after all.

"What's wrong with this one? I know it's not ya' usual color but-"

"Nothing, really. It's just a little…short."

"Like that's ever been somethin' you've worried about before." Angel ignored her sputtering at his comment in favor of teasing her further. "Maybe you could talk Al' into bein' ya' Mad Hatter."

"Very funny, I really don't think-"

Clover paused as she caught their shared reflection, looking between the white bunny ears that bobbed with Angel's movements and the blue dress he'd shoved into her chest. An idea struck her suddenly, the gears turning in her head at a rapid rate that nearly blew steam out of her ears. The dumbfounded expression of Angel Dust only widened as she turned to him with a fresh bounce in her step, all eight eyes blinking down at her momentarily before the same light bulb illuminated this opportunity with a near audible click.

"Angel, do you think we could-?"

"I'm right with ya' toots."

Without any warning, Angel peeked over the top of Lollie's curtain to include the third to their party in the conversation.

"Hey, suga', you wanna get in on this too? I know just the part ya' can play-"

"Nope."

Lollie's voice came from the other side seconds before the clinking rings holding the dusty fabric up nearly knocked into the spot the spider's nose should have been, and the mint demoness stepped out a second later.

"Look-" Lollie sighed as she looked between the shocked expressions of the two demons staring down at her. "I would love to be ya' Queen of Hearts but the fact that I'm even promotin' this party is risky business, me showin' up in a trio with you three would be declaring loyalty, and as far as Val is concerned, I don't have any. I'm payin' him in blowjobs and bills, and that's all he cares about."

Neither of them said anything in reply as they watched Lollie twirl in front of the tri-folded mirror, tugging at the hem of the nearly nonexistent nurse outfit she'd squeezed into before throwing her hands up with a sigh.

"It would make this a whole lot easier, that's for damn sure."

Clover couldn't think of how to help her normally cheerful friend as she watched Lollie stare down her own reflection, pink lips twisted in distaste. As suddenly as she'd appeared, Lollie hopped down from the pedestal and stomped off back onto the display store in search of something else. Waiting until the sharp sounds of platform shoes had disappeared entirely, Clover motioned Angel to stand in the crack of her dressing room and dropped her voice low.

"Okay, I know she's worried about something, but what is it? She keeps mentioning something to do with Valentino, what could possibly be worth the risk of sticking around him?"

"She's got this thing with talkin' about it, she doesn't wanna jinx it now that it's actually happenin', but-" Angel slid into the room with her, gesturing for her to turn around so he could help unzip the cheap satin of the witch costume she'd last tried on. "Val got a big call from Lust in the middle of her set last night, next thing I knew he was throwin' me on to fill in for her while they went upstairs. The girl came barrellin' into my dressin' room this mornin' after she got the news, and she's sweatin' like a sinner in church over it."

Clover hummed at the explanation, a tone somewhere between understanding and concern. It was obvious enough that she wasn't quite sure how to digest this new information, or at least it seemed like it was as Angel wrapped one set of arms around her shoulders and set his chin atop her head after he'd helped put back on the blue dress.

"Don't worry about it, it's got nothin' to do with you. Just be thankful that she n' the horse she's bettin' on have Valentino too tied up to care more about you n' Vox."

"I'll try, but I promise nothing."

"You've got bigger fish to worry about, c'mon," Angel slid open the curtain, taking her hand and pulling her back towards the store floor. "Let's see if we can turn these costumes into somethin' a little more special."