This arc has a playlist!
Three demons all rushing to get ready in one bedroom was as chaotic as she'd expected it to be.
Clover had gotten into her costume as quickly as possible, save for her shoes and the very short corset-adjacent piece Angel had talked her into buying at the last minute. Angel had zipped her up with one of many sets of hands he'd put to work simultaneously before she'd crawled into the center of Lollie's bed, chewing thoughtfully on a miniature chocolate bar while Fat Nuggets snuffled through the frills of her petticoat. The rush she felt to return downstairs was brushed off as excitement for the rest of the night, but she couldn't ignore the way her mind continued to wander back to Alastor. His smile burned deeper into her mind's eye than it ever had been before, and she had to sit on her stocking-covered legs to keep her tendons from twitching with anticipation.
To distract herself, she watched as the other two demons twisted around each other in front of the mirror, ducking around elbows and passing back and forth supplies she never heard either of them ask for. Clover had chosen to do her minimal amount of makeup with a small hand mirror while the other two had fussed with finding their costume pieces, as the chaos of last night's performance had mixed up their purchases. The small red heart she pressed into the bow of her lips was already bleeding across her bottom lip and the soft smudge she added around her eyes stared back at her in the foggy glass, she noticed much to her disdain. She didn't fret for too long over her reflection, for it was in it that she caught a flash of white fur leaning in behind her.
"You ready toots?" Angel smiled, towering over her far more than usual as he planted two of his many hands on his hips.
Turning to look him over, Clover found herself smiling back at her furry friend. The bouncy bunny ears he wore atop his head had been expertly blended into white curls, and the red waistcoat he'd found in a section labeled "Dapper Designs" was cinched in beyond its limits over the white bunny costume that had inspired it all. A ridiculously oversized pocket watch tucked into its pocket and white gloves pulled the whole thing together, and Angel had even made the trademark Playboy faux collar and cuffs work with it. All in all, Angel was a very cute White Rabbit in Clover's opinion.
"As I'll ever be." Clover sighed as she gently nudged Fat Nuggets from her lap and took the hand that was offered to me. "Don't lace me in too tight, I still have to put on my shoes."
"And maybe you'll need the wiggle room if ya' get tuh' dance with Al again."
"I'm nervous enough, don't make it worse."
Angel laughed, loud and open as he helped her to her feet, making sure the blue dress beneath was pulled up properly before he began to lace her in. She watched in the vanity mirror as he did so, smoothing her palms over a wrinkle in her skirt and taking a final look at her outfit before she tried to forget the insecurities she found in the mirror for the rest of the night. The square neck of the dress, while it was nothing compared to Lollie's bustier, was a little low for her liking even with the extra coverage of its ruffled trim; Anything that revealed that she did have something to show was out of her comfort zone, for Clover was far more used to short hem than swooping necklines. The layers of petticoats hid the shorts she'd chosen to wear beneath it well, but the knee-high stockings did little to help her feel more secure, no matter how much their black and white striped pattern shot nostalgia into her veins. They reminded her of days of studded belts and raccoon-patterned hair dye, and the giggle she let out at the memory drew Lollie's attention.
"You already on some giggle juice or what?" Lollie mumbled around bobby pins, pulling the last from between her lips to pin the almost comical cone hat to the top of her head. "Ya' could've shared."
"I was just thinking of something, and there's going to be plenty of that later, so don't worry about it."
"There's plenty of that in here if you'd asked for it." Carefully tossing a pill into her mouth and double-checking that she hadn't accidentally smudged her lipstick in the process, Lollie turned on platform heels to face them with a seductive smile. "Whatcha think? Be nice, I bruise easy."
Lollie's costume was a mashed-up mess of pastels and patterns, which was even more impressive by how little of her it covered. Despite that fact, this was a safer, yet more personal choice for Lollie; Clover knew the sweet seductress could have chosen something far more risque if she'd really wanted to. The one-piece was cut very similarly to what Angel wore beneath his waistcoat, with draping non-functional straps and ruffles around the hips in a contrasting purple to the pink and green stripes. A matching ruff around her neck gave her slightly more coverage, as did the white fishnets and thigh-high patent platforms, but that wasn't saying much for a demon with a figure like Lollie's. Her outfit was fit for a circus, almost reminiscent of those sad clowns you saw on old French posters with its heart-shaped white face paint and black triangle eye motif but vibrant in a way that was distinctly Lollie.
"It's very cute. Is this inspired by…"
With an endearing nose wrinkle and a wink as Clover trailed off, Lollie ignored the question as she bounced across the room to fetch the last bit of her costume.
"You two better hurry, sounds like people are startin' to show up."
Clover's ears twitched at the notion, pressing forward to listen to the noises drifting up from downstairs. Over the sound of her music she could hear the muffled noise of a crowd speaking over each other, disjointed voices blending into one single rumble that vibrated the floor beneath her feet. A pat on Clover's shoulder to signal that Angel had finished returned her attention to the mirror she had been contemplating her image in moments ago, and Clover turned to admire the satin bow he'd fluffed to hide the bulk of her corsets lacing.
"I feel like an edgy 2000's video game threw up all over me." The confused look on Angel's face got a snort from Clover as she slipped on her shoes, the extra inches giving her enough room to pat his cheek affectionately. "Thanks, Angie."
Slinging a lollipop-shaped backpack over her shoulders and adjusting the frills on her ruff, Lollie nudged open the door with her hip; Clover didn't question the odd assortment of things she'd tossed into the bag, even the pill bottle that had been mixed in with her handful of suckers and makeup. She did question when Lolie began to walk backward down the hallway away from the staircase, and her furrowed brow brought an immediate but hushed explanation.
"Welp, guess I'll be seeing you two later. I'm gonna exit through the stage door, walk in with the resta' the bozos off the street. Looks betta' for our reputation."
Clover paused, looking at the demoness as she bounced on her toes atop the carpet for a long moment before she nodded.
"See you in a bit."
Angel raised a brow at her when she glanced towards him, the two of them watching until Lollie had skipped around the end of the hallway and disappeared before they turned towards each other. When neither of them moved to lead the way Clover swung her arm towards the stairwell, a teasing smile twitching at the corners of her lips.
"Follow the white rabbit."
They appeared together, arm in arm, at the top of the staircase as one of the few pop songs she'd picked to start the party off began to play Already the lobby was bustling with people, demons dressed in everything from full-out costumes to streetwear mingling near the corners of the room and whispering by the bar. A few heads turned as Angel and Clover made their way down the staircase, but far less than she had expected after the recent events of apparent newsworthy importance, and as they paused on the first landing to peer through the light fog that covered the room Clover realized why. The dance floor was empty, which was to be expected of a party in its infancy she supposed, but the stark line of demarcation that circled where Alastor still stood in the center of the floor made her wonder whether the fact that the party had barely begun was entirely to blame.
Alastor's head turned from where he'd been idly watching people wander through the front door as her shoes hit the ground floor, and once again his eyes flickered over her almost comically to take in her change in attire.
Surprising Alastor was one of the greater pleasures of stepping out of her comfort zone, and she was only slightly terrified that his reactions would only push her further.
"What an interesting choice of costume."
The swell of pride that bubbled in her chest at the soft flush and flickering of his ears spun her in a circle as Clover stepped up beside him, her skirts giving a satisfying swish around her thighs as she stopped to face him.
"It's better than I expected for a last-minute choice, at least it's not a generic witch costume."
"I assume this is some sort of film reference then?"
"C'mon Al, Alice in Wonderland came out in the mid-1800s."
A quick glance to the crowd around them as the stares of the masses began to itch at the back of her neck spurred Alastor into motion, and together they wandered towards the safe cover of the bar.
"Ah! Is that what this is? Your arrival with Angel Dust makes more sense now, I should have known you two would come as a pair."
Alastor's smile tightened as he leaned against the wall perpendicular to the far corner of the bar, leaving space for her to squeeze herself beside him. There was something she would dare to call jealousy spinning his words sour as he spoke, and Clover did her best to calm him.
"We would have asked you, but we weren't sure you'd go for it." She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall behind them as she watched Angel weave through the crowd. "But I like your costume, and I don't think I would have worn anything special at all if Angel hadn't been there to support me."
It was a little more pointed than she'd intended. Clover didn't blame Alastor for distancing himself from all the trouble, as much as it might annoy her, but she was happy that the others she'd grown to care for had stepped in to help fill the void he left behind in his absence. Alastor hummed in contemplation, rocking forward on his heels before he stepped around her to take two cocktails from their tray behind the bar. The cold chill of the glass instantly numbed her fingers as Clover took the swirling coral liquid from him, watching as it shifted to a glowing white under the blacklights that swept across their corner.
"You have found yourself a place here, haven't you?" Alastor mused as he returned to his place beside her.
"Have I? Sometimes I'm not so sure."
A chuckle lifted her eyes from her drink, and she watched as Alastor took an experimental sip from his before his head lolled towards her and his voice dropped the echoed transatlantic to reveal its softer, more southern timbre.
"Perhaps 'found' is not the correct word, I think 'made' might be more correct." He smiled at the interested raise of her brow, looking over her face for a moment that stretched on far longer than should have been appropriate before his smile went crooked and he straightened himself again. "Or 'carved out stubbornly with a blunt knife', if we are being poetic."
Clover snorted, but before she could snap back with her own sharp wit a shortened call of her name turned both of their heads to the demon weaving his way between the growing crowd. She felt Alastor trail behind her as she moved to join the collection of her friends that had formed across the bar, lingering just close enough to include Husker as the barkeep leaned lazily across the countertop. The newest arrival reached them just as Clover did, and she couldn't help the broken laugh that painted her voice as she looked over the leather-clad lizard standing in front of her.
"Cyrus, what the fuck are you wearing?"
Smiling wider than she thought she'd ever seen before but just as smug as she'd expected of him, Cyrus raised both hands in surrender as he stopped short.
"Don't tell me they don't have cowboys-s-s in the 21st Century."
"Not any that look like you."
Angel's blunt addition to the conversation only spurred Cyrus on, and Clover nearly lost her control as Cyrus gripped his hat between his claws and tipped it in the spider's direction.
"Thank ya' kindly."
With his hat back in place, Clover was able to take in Cyrus's costume in its entirety. Blonde hair had been mostly slicked back underneath a wide-brimmed khaki Stetson, and in the open front of his normal leather duster she spied the pointed toes of rough, snakeskin boots tucked into his jeans. It would have been a mostly normal outfit for Cyrus without the addition of the red bandana tied around his neck, the hat, and the empty holster that hung from his hips. The most ridiculous part of it all was that he seemed entirely at home in the get-up, and she wondered momentarily if that meant something more.
"And what the hell are you supposed to be? Dorothy or-?" Cyrus said as he turned to Clover, squinting as he looked between her and Alastor who stood behind her.
"Alice in Wonderland."
"You shoulda' been Dorothy, the Judy Garland one, ya' kinda' look like her." Cyrus shoved his hands into his pockets as he leaned over to peer into Angel's glass, raising a brow at the shimmering purple liquid before sauntering through them all to grab his own from that bar. "I like her, she's cute."
Static bristled the hairs on the back of Clover's neck as Cyrus leaned against the bar beside them, and her head turned to look up at Alastor standing beside her.
"Do I look like Judy Garland?"
Alastor blinked down at her for a moment, his ears flicking as the song changed and a rise in noise came from somewhere in the crowd before his head tilted and he hummed in over dramatic contemplation. The stroking of his chin broke the resolve she'd held through Cyrus's costume choice, and her giggling warmed the cold chill that had come across him.
"I've always thought you bear a striking resemblance to Clara Bow, even more so with this new hair of yours."
The fluttering of her heart didn't last long before a bright flash of light turned every head in their small group with various amounts of complaint. A mess of rising static, hissing, and cursing overwhelmed the music for a moment before the threat was revealed to be nothing more but a girl in clown makeup.
"Aw! Ain't this a cute little picture!" Lollie grinned as she dropped the camera from her eye, taking the printed Polaroid and shaking it between her fingers. "This looks like a party in a party, aren't ya' gonna leave any fun for the rest of us?"
Ignoring the screech of Alastor's radio and the attention it brought to them, Clover stepped towards Lollie and dropped her voice low enough that no one could hear over the heavy strum of guitar that accompanied the chorus of a song she was sad to be missing out on as she addressed the issue held between Lollie's palms.
"Why do you have that?"
"I swiped it off your dresser the other night, don't worry, I'll take good care of it." The picture was held out to Clover as Lollie nudged her with one shoulder, nearly knocking Clover off balance. "Awe, c'mon sugar. Don'cha wanna remember tonight?"
"I can do that with a cell phone."
"Ain't that'a risk. You think Big Red's gonna let you take a picture with that Voxtech junk?"
Those long batting eyelashes laid heavily against the white that painted Lollie's face, and while it did little to ease her worries about what her camera's presence at a party of Sinners could reveal, Clover thought that causing a scene could raise confusion. She could feel the gaze of the masses on them, watching as she took the photograph and returned to Alastor's side. Their phantom stare disappeared when she looked up from it to catch their eyes, and with a small smile, she passed the snapshot to Alastor for approval.
"What do you think?"
"Why, it's a splendid little candid! I think we should perhaps save it for the fanfare that is sure to follow this evening, with credit to the artist, of course."
Lollie nearly bounced out of her shoes at Alastor's compliments, but Charlie quickly stepped in to take the conversation in a different direction.
"Can I see? I think I'd like to get some photos, maybe for a scrapbook!"
Wide red eyes, rimmed dark with black grease paint, looked to Clover for permission and received a small shrug in return.
"Sure, what's the harm in that?"
"Proof of whatever bullshit all these assholes are gonna get up to after a few drinks." Husker groaned from over the sound of ice rattling in a shaker behind them, and then again as he slid a fresh tray of drinks onto the countertop. "We're fucking lucky we bought so much booze."
"I told you so."
The sing-song of Alastor's teasing brought a fresh smile to Clover's face and smoothed the worried lines that had begun to develop between rounded brows. She glanced down at the photograph she still held, her heart resuming its fluttering as she looked over Alastor's photographed warm smile as he leaned into her. He'd been caught mid-compliment, one arm braced against the bar behind her as they spoke softly to each other, Clover's face upturned towards him. It was comforting that she looked far more relaxed than she felt, but she put most of the blame for that phenomenon on the man still standing beside her. The rest of the photograph was equally heartwarming, with Cyrus leaning comically against the counter beside them as he clinked glasses with a brightly smiling Angel Dust. Vaggie and Charlie stood nearby in matching costumes Clover had failed to notice up until now, though she wasn't quite sure how she'd missed the homage to one of her favorite post-Halloween films. Her friends made an adorable Pumpkin Queen and King, with Charlie's hair pulled back off her face to show off the painted skull and her normal red suit replaced with a black pinstriped get-up with bat-wing accessories. Vaggie had decided to forgo the blue face paint, relying on simple stitching drawn onto her violet skin to sell the look, and Clover wondered if she'd asked Niffty to make the trademark patchwork dress that made up the bulk of her costume. Either way, the two of them were a sight to see, and Clover had just enough liquor in her system to start giving compliments.
"You two look simply meant to be."
Clover's joke appeared to land as Vaggie's sour expression sweetened, her friend leaning in to look at the photograph Clover turned towards the couple with a small smile that crinkled the stuck-on string she'd used to stitch the falsely drawn-out lines of her mouth. Vaggie's expression shifted back to something more somber as her gaze lingered on the side that was filled with Alastor's lean form, but something far more positive replaced the snide comment Clover expected when Vaggie began to speak.
"We all look pretty good, huh?" Her eyes glanced at Alastor over Clover's shoulder, and the popping static behind her gave the impression that he was as interested in what Vaggie had to say as she was. "Keep him in line tonight. ¿Entiendes? No funny business."
"That would be quite difficult with your sense of humor, Vagatha." Alastor hummed, his voice buzzing with self-satisfaction.
A squeal was the only signal that their chaos was about to reach a new level before Clover was swept up in a hug that made her head spin, nearly barreled over by the bundle of blonde curls that crashed against her stomach and took hold of her hands. Already slightly off balance from the deadly combination of liquor and high heels, Clover stumbled into Alastor behind her with a wince as she prepared herself for the squeal of feedback that was sure to follow. It never came, and a pleasant greeting took its place.
"Mimzy my dear! You've arrived far earlier than expected!"
Blinking away the dizziness that persisted despite the steady hands of Alastor holding her upright, Clover turned to look down at the frightful flapper that had nearly knocked her off her feet. Mimzy beamed beside them, her dark gloves gripping tightly to Clover's bare hands as they swung between them excitedly. In the few seconds she had to observe the situation, Clover spied spiderwebs sparkling in the dim light as Mimzy swished in front of her, but she quickly spoke to avoid being silent for too long.
"Hi!" Clover managed to sputter out through her shock, feeling Alastor's chest vibrate with laughter behind her and shooting him a sharp glare before turning back to Mimzy. "I didn't know you were coming."
"Are you kiddin' me? Wouldn't have missed it for the world! Al told me you've been all a twitter about this little shindig, so we had to show our support!"
"We-?"
Clover had barely begun to question when the crowd broke in the wake of another, taller form gliding across the floor to join their party. Rosie smiled as she regarded them all with a small curtsey, a polite pleasantry which only Clover and Alastor returned as the rest of their group splintered off into broken conversations. From the corner of her eye, Clover caught Lollie hopping up onto the bar's counter beside Angel; Or she caught the reaction from Husker and Cyrus, at least. With the growing chaos, it was hard to find one thing to focus on, and the overstimulation was quickly gnawing at Clover's nerves.
"Yes, 'we' dear. I must say, I was quite disheartened whenever you did not request a costume for the occasion." Rosie's comment spiked Clover's heart rate, but her smooth voice and the humorous quirk to her smile as she gently tapped the end of her cane against Alastor's side lessened that blow to her anxiety-ridden mind. "I'm talking to you as well, Alastor. I can't tell you how long I've had sketches lined up for such an occasion. I'm terribly wounded that you two didn't think of me."
"My apologies. Perhaps next year, I must admit our attire wasn't at the forefront of our minds. You understand, don't you?"
Finding Alastor's fingers still cupping the crook of her elbow, Clover gave them a small squeeze of gratitude before reaching for her drink and taking a long sip of liquid encouragement before joining the conversation.
"I honestly totally forgot about my costume until yesterday, I probably would be wearing a sheet if it wasn't for Angel Dust."
Rosie's teasing smile softened at the shake in Clover's voice, and the tall demoness leaned down to fluff the puffs of her dress sleeves before tapping the soft pink of her nose with a long finger covered in lace.
"Don't fret my dear, we've all eternity for me to decorate you. I just hope the next dress I make at your request will be a little more extravagant than this." Returning to her towering height above Clover, Rosie turned to Alastor with a knowing raise of her brow before looking at Husker with a sharp-toothed smile. "Now, is it possible to get a nice glass of wine or are we solely serving from the menu tonight?"
Sipping the rest of her drink from her straw, Clover decided she didn't care to decipher the demoness's words. Tonight was already proving to be far more than she'd prepared herself for it to be, and she knew she'd need a lot more than a cocktail to keep up with the charade of conversation if it were to continue. Mimzy still had possession of one of Clover's hands, swinging it idly between the two of them as she hopped to the rhythm of the music. Where Rosie left off, she picked up again with a glimmer of bright teeth between dark-painted lips.
"So- What's eatin' you? I heard the gift of gab finally caught up with ya!"
"Uh-" Clover stuttered as she felt Alastor twitch behind her, her head turning to search through the crowd for something, anything to distract from this particular topic of conversation. "I hadn't really noticed, things have been so- Chaotic."
This is exactly the thing she wanted to avoid tonight.
Eight eyes met her own from across the bar as they widened in a silent plea for help, and Angel was quickly squeezing himself between the demons that had begun to line around the bar in search of beverages with a rough exclamation that had Cyrus chasing at his heels. Whatever was spoken between Mimzy and Alastor dulled as blood rushed through her ears, twitching them upright as she became aware of the muttering of the demons around her and Alastor's position still pressed firmly against her back. A million excuses could be made for why they were so close at this moment, but none of them would matter come morning. It was a hard thing to keep up the mindset Lollie had tried so hard to instill in her when faced with the facts; People were going to talk and try as she might, there was very little she could do to control it.
"Damn them all."
"What was that?"
Alastor's soft question brought awareness to her not-so-silent mantra, and Clover's cheeks were beginning to turn crimson by the time she'd stuttered through a poor explanation. Luckily, Angel appeared from the opposite end of the crowd than she'd expected with a rough throwing of elbows that sent him scrambling to find purchase against the bar.
"Jesus! You'd think it be easier to get a drink in this joint- Hey bartender!" Angel yelled, twisting his hips to make room for Cyrus to sidle up beside him. "Can I get a round? We're dyin' of thirst ova' 'ere!"
"Who the fuck do you think you're talkin-"
"Cy! What a sight for sore eyes you are!"
"You two know each other?"
Unwrapping her arms from around Cyrus's waist, Mimzy turned to Clover with renewed vigor; The topic of prior conversation long forgotten.
"Cy' 'n I go way back, he used tuh' play pian'a every otha' night at the club-"
"It was-s-s a long time ago." Cyrus cut in; Clover quickly noticed he'd retrieved his cigarettes from somewhere and had begun to knock the butt of the pack against his palm. "It ain't a big deal, ya' kinda get to know people when you've been here s'long as we have."
"Quite! I had almost forgotten that you'd previously been employed by Miss Mimzy. No wonder your establishment lies so close to the Colony."
Cyrus snorted a humorless laugh at Alastor's chipper response, but his tone remained casual as he continued.
"I gotta' good deal on the place, what can I say? Can't blame them for not wantin' to live by a buncha' cannibals. You get us-s-sed to the smell after a while."
"Who can tell over the coffee beans and weed." Was Clover's dry response, but the warning narrow of her eyes was left unnoticed in the wake of a fresh drink being passed her way.
"Wait-" Mimzy giggled through her first sip, covering her mouth with one hand as she hiccupped due to the bubbly beverage before she turned to look between Clover and Cyrus. "You work for him? How'd that happen?"
"She dropped onto my doorstep like'a bag of rocks, what els-s-se was I supposed to do?"
A swing at Cyrus's ribs was barely missed as Clover shook her head at him, earning a laugh from their surrounding group of friends.
"You're a mean drunk." Clover teased as she passed Alastor his designated glass. The warm smile she got in return for her worried look up at him did more to soothe the chill of her nerves than the fizzy taste of strawberry and spice, so she tried her best to relax. "I basically made him give me a job, don't let him fool you."
"She's impossible to s-s-say no to. Don't you agree, Radio De- I mean, Al?"
Clover's hopes for a civil, unconcerning conversation flew out the window and into the night at the glint of Cyrus's fangs behind the rim of his glass. The sly wink that was sent over the top of it as he sipped sent a ripple across Alastor behind her, and the gentle touch of his fingers against her arm dropped to the curve of her waist with a purposeful squeeze that knocked the air from her lungs; Whatever game Cyrus had decided to play tonight seemed to be working, and Clover couldn't entirely bring herself to be furious at him for including them in it when it was giving desirable results.
"I think I'm gonna' go out for a quick smoke. Cy', you wanna bum me a ciggy?"
The question may have been spoken to Cyrus, but Mimzy's eyes never left the spot above Clover's shoulder that Alastor had chosen to fill. His breath blew across the bare expanse of her neck, sending shivers across her skin with every rough exhale as his static reached a peak. Cyrus seemed blind to the fury boiling over behind her as he held out one arm towards the tiny spider web-coated skirt and nodded towards the open door with a hiss.
"S-s-sure thing doll."
Waiting until the top of his cowboy hat disappeared too deeply into the crowd to keep track of, Clover all but melted into Alastor behind her with relief. Her long, over-dramatic sigh sent waves across the top of her glass as she drowned the lump in her throat with the rest of her cocktail and set the glass down on the bar with a satisfied thud.
"I don't know why I thought a party would be a good idea."
Alastor chuckled at her dry tone, taking a long sip of his own drink before placing the half-filled glass into her open palm.
"You seem to need this more than I do! Don't fret darling, the night is still young. Once your friends have settled down, I'm sure you will be able to enjoy it."
"And what about you?"
"I'm sure I shall find some way to entertain myself, as outside of my tastes tonight may be."
"Don't judge it too quickly."
His head tilted at that, dropping to one side in that dangerously endearing way as he gazed down at her. A twitch widened his smile as she met his eye and found her devious sparkle reflected in the deep thought she found there; Clover twisted herself in his grasp to better watch the expressions that brightened his dark features.
"Well, now I shall spend the night wondering what you've got up your sleeve." Alastor's grin widened to reveal dark gums, one brow raising curiously as she hid giggles behind her glass.
The weight of his hand against her side was enough to support her search for more of their banter to lighten the mood, and Clover shifted her weight until one hip pressed heavily against his thigh. She waited until she was sure she wasn't pushing him too far to move further, distracting herself with another sip of her drink while the warmth of their skin bled through the ruffles of her skirt. Alastor showed no sign of discomfort, and she found herself thinking back to their night at Mimzy's now that the woman herself had made an appearance. He'd been so open then, so at home in his skin and daring with how close he'd come. Perhaps a party was exactly the excuse they needed to hide in plain sight; It would be easy enough to blame her leaning against him on the liquor leeching away her inhibitions, or to pretend the minute amount of space between them was due to the crowd of creatures corralling at the bar pressing them together.
As if puppeteered by her pondering, Angel Dust suddenly jostled her from behind, and Clover had to grip at Alastor's arm to keep herself from spilling her drink onto them both. Cursing raised over the music as Angel took care of handling the offending demon that had nearly knocked her glass from her fingers, but that wasn't the only noise that she took notice of.
Dark claws twitched around her waist as the sharp sound of a manufactured shutter sounded off beside them, quickly followed by the sick crack of metal and plastic that ended before Clover had even turned her head to follow the noise. Standing dumbfounded a few steps away from them was an average demon, its horns twisted and its face roughly painted to resemble what Clover assumed was supposed to be Frankenstein's monster as it stared up at the dark figure that had grown to tower over it. With a clatter, the cell phone Shadow clutched in its claws fell to the floor, and what was left of its flickering screen was crushed beneath the heel of Alastor's shoe.
"Oh dear, it seems your mobile telephone is broken. They don't make them like they used to, now do they?" Alastor's abrasive optimism shrunk the demon back into the crowd, bumping into the line of bodies behind them as the Radio Demon's head snapped up to stare them down with a sick crack. "Perhaps next time you will be more careful."
Once again that feeling of being watched itched at the bare expanses of Clover's skin, and it took all of her restraint not to pull Alastor off into their dark corner to hide away from it all. Sadly, his demeanor had sharpened once again, his neck twisting unnaturally as he turned to address the gawking array of demons dotting the dancefloor. They scattered under his stare, and the static-laced breath he'd taken to speak was released with a soft sigh.
"There is no such thing as privacy nowadays, is there? I'm not sure how you stand it."
The empty place beside her he'd left behind felt like ice against her skin as she struggled to find the right words to console him, but it was difficult to soothe someone who was as equally bothered by the turn of events as she was. Clover did her best to be strong for those she simply called friends, but to be anything aside from utterly vulnerable with him became more difficult with each interaction. She would have cursed if she'd thought it would make her feel better; When she'd had the chance to be dishonest she'd chosen to take a chance, and now she wished her capacity to lie had grown to include him, if only to twist the truth just enough to keep him calm.
But she couldn't, so instead, she said the first thing that came to mind.
"I can't."
Her admission seemed to shift his focus just far enough away from fury to lessen the static that had begun to bear down upon them all. Alastor's radio clicked off, but the oppressive weight pressing down on her chest didn't die with it. They'd settled into an almost humorous facade of calm by the time Mimzy and Cyrus returned, having retreated to the far side of the bar with Angel Dust and Lollie to joke about the costume choice of the masses to lighten the mood. Cyrus quickly joined in on the fun with his own sarcastic comments that quickly became twisted into outright insults once Husker was free from the endless restocking of drinks. Finally, Clover had seemed to find a calm equilibrium among the chaos, laughing with her friends and munching on the pumpkin-shaped cookies Cyrus had swiped from the refreshment table.
"Is that allowed?" Clover had gasped at the fair-haired, horned demon dressed as a priest that she'd spied across the room from her spot sitting on the bar. "You'd think that would- I dunno, burn or something."
"Maybe he's into that."
"Sounds like you know something about that, Scales."
"Wouldn't you like to know, legs?"
Ignoring Cyrus and Angel's flirting to chance a glance towards Alastor's spot leaning against the wall, she found him staring softly at her from over the top of his glasses. The small smile she sent him was returned as he emptied his third drink of the night, and she couldn't help but giggle at the small flush that the alcohol had begun to cast across his cheeks. Her fleeting moment of admiration disappeared with the song that faded into the rhythmic strumming of a guitar, and a ripple of recognition spread across the room as a new song sang out from the speakers.
As a time-warping dance classic from a science-fiction film filled the room, Clover turned to a friend that she would surely classify as a double-feature worthy with a wide smile. Lollie was already on the case. Hopping from the bar and landing on her feet with a 'thump' that raised even Alastor's head, the candy clown costumed demoness plucked her sucker from her cocktail glass before popping it between her teeth.
"If these chumps won't get on the dancefloor, someone's gotta get the party goin'."
She punctuated her statement by looping her arms through those of the two boys beside her before dragging them towards the dancefloor. Cyrus caught Mimzy's arm as he passed, ignoring the giggling resistance from the flapper with a wink in Clover's direction before he pulled her to the dancefloor, cocktail and all. She turned to wave the remaining two demons left at the bar forward with a wide smile, calling out over the rising music even as her short stature disappeared into the crowd.
"C'mon bunny! Hop to it! You two getcha' tails out here!"
Clover looked to Alastor, unsure of what to say at that moment. She didn't want to leave him, but she knew he wouldn't come out with her for a song such as this. Gluing herself to his side for the night was proving to be more trouble than either of them had the patience to handle, and maybe, just maybe, she'd have better luck with what she had in mind for him if she gave him the space he so often needed. Alastor noticed her plight with a soft sigh that banished the residual sharpness that squared his shoulders even in his slightly intoxicated state, and that warm brown glowed with fresh humor like firelight as he nodded his head towards the dancefloor.
"I think I'll take a walk, and see where Rosie has run off to." He cleared his throat of the softness that tempted her, pushing off from the wall as his trademark smile snapped back into place. "You'll find me later, won't you?"
Her short nod in response pulled him closer, and Clover was unable to move under the half-lidded weight of his gaze until he leaned down to mutter into her ear as he passed.
"Don't get into too much trouble."
Not one to let him get the final word no matter how adorable she found that soft crinkle at the corners of his eyes, Clover left him with a fleeting flirt that she hoped felt as meaningful as she meant it to be.
"Without you? I wouldn't dare."