Back In The Other World:
Meanwhile, Charlie and Vaggie were working at Ozzie's as they tried to make the best of the situation. In their spare time, the girls usually spend their time talking about their situation and what they had noticed about the world around them.
Charlie had buried her head into the book she had acquired while Vaggie was playing with the fire that she had summoned in her hands, manipulating it to her will.
As they were doing this, they heard a knock on the door. Vaggie scowled,"Ugh...what now?"
"I think someone wants us...hopefully it's nothing bad…" Charlie mumbled as she set her book down.
"Better not be…" She growled before heading up to the door and opening the door with a deep frown etched across her face,"What is it?"
Vaggie's scowl deepened when she saw Asmodeus at the door, greeting her with a wide grin, going so far as to place his hand on her shoulder,"Hello there little lady, looking extra beautiful today aren't you?"
"Don't touch me!" She hissed, slapping his hand away.
"Feisty today aren't we? You know I just love it when you're angry, Vaggie, it makes you even more sexy~" He cooed.
Vaggie growled, her eyes burning with rage. She seemed ready to lose her temper as her hair threatened to become like literal hellfire. Before anything could happen, Charlie stepped in and said,"Asmodeus, leave her alone. Vaggie doesn't like being touched and both of us would appreciate it if you stopped doing that…"
"Aw, I don't mean any harm, Charles, just being 'friendly' to my best workers, that's all…"
'Friendly my ass,' Vaggie thought it herself bitterly, still glaring at the Lord of Lust with burning hate.What do you want, Asmodeus? Is there a reason you've come to pester us or are you just here to try and get into my skirt?"
"Well I did come to inform you that we're having a very special performance today. There's going to be a large crowd today and some associates of mine are coming to see the show."
Charlie raised an eyebrow,"And that has to do with us?"
"Since it's special, it'd be best for you two to dress up if you know what I'm saying. The outfits you're wearing look a little...plain. It's about to get crazy in here and you two looking bland would make you stand out and not in a good way…"
"We don't have any other clothes," Vaggie huffed,"The clothes on our backs are the only ones we have in case you haven't noticed so you're out of luck there."
"Oh that won't do honey, you see, I want YOU to go up there and give everyone a little show."
"ME!? Vaggie snapped,"Are you nuts? I'm a cook, not one of your performers!"
"Come on, Vaggie. Live it a little, I know you're capable of doing it. That and since you scared off Verosika and her gang...I need extra helpers on stage," He said,"Besides, the audience will just love you. They have a thing for beautiful girls and dancers are the rave around here…You being an elemental is just a major plus, the folks will love seeing the fire…"
"I'm not doing that," She adamantly said,"I'm not performing."
"Aw sweetheart, honey, I don't think you understand," He said before grabbing her cheek,"It ain't exactly a choice and I'm not asking. You're gonna dance up there whether you want to or not, understand?"
His tone didn't waver yet she could tell he was threatening her, his eyes told her just enough that she had no say in the matter at hand. Charlie watched helplessly, desperately wanting to help her friend but lacked the power to do so.
"Understand?" He asked again, this time tightening his grip on her ever so slightly and despite him only using a tiny percent of his strength, Vaggie could feel the pain burning through her. She grit her teeth before forcing herself to say,
"Yes sir…"
"Good girl…" He chuckled,"Exactly what I wanted to hear…" He caressed her cheek,"Such beauty...you've got quite the charm on you. Pretty face, beautiful eyes and a hot body...It'll make you the perfect star for the show and guess what? I even got you a new outfit, just for you…"
Vaggie cringed when Asmodeus placed new clothes into her hands,"Great...just great…"
"I expect to see you with this on stage. You'll be performing in a few hours so get ready. Pretty yourself up for me will you?" The way he said it made it clear it was an order and Vaggie reluctantly nodded. He then turned to Charlie and said,"And Charles?"
"Yes?"
"Take this," He said, giving Charlie an uniform,"You need to look your best as well, even if you're not just a server. This is your official uniform from now on, understand?"
Charlie looked at the outfit before saying,"Wait...if Vaggie's performing, who's gonna help me cook?"
Asmodeus shrugged his shoulders, "Surely you can do it yourself, right? You're a grown man, Charles, shouldn't be relying on the little lady to help you at every turn…"
"But I don't' know how to do it on my own-"
"Not my problem," He admitted,"Should've learned how to do things on your own, can't rely on Vaggie to do your job for you. Just don't fuck up the meals, understand? I'd hate to have to get rid of you so soon…"
Charlie bit her lip before sighing,"I...I'll manage then…"
"Good, now get dressed you two. The show will start soon and the fun will be starting soon.." He chuckled before taking his leave, leaving the two women behind…
Charlie swallowed her saliva,"So...guess we should get ready, huh?"
"Not much of a choice," Vaggie muttered,"Fucker's basically using us as his entertainment to reel in more money...He won't get away with this.."
"But he's so powerful, Vag...How are we gonna get him for this?"
Vaggie narrowed her eyes before smiling,"I have an idea...It's a long-shot...But we're going to make him regret his treatment of us. This establishment will pay for his treachery and we're going to make him suffer…"
"Um…" Charlie felt a bead of sweat trickle down the side of her face at the tone in her friend's voice, noting how deadly serious she was,"Uh, Vag, what exactly are you planning on doing…"
"Listen close...because when we're done, this place will be going out in a flame,reputation and all..." She said as she leaned in and began whispering her plan to Charlie who listened in cautiously to her friend's whispers.
Vox groaned, being in this timeline was beyond tedious. The lack of modern technology was not only a major inconvenience but extremely tiresome.
Normally he could just talk to people over the phone and now he had to physically go over and talk to people. Things that usually took a few seconds via text took far longer. Didn't help he was basically stuck here with no way out with another version of his ex breathing down his neck.
Not much had changed, Val was still an emotionally abusive asshole. Only difference was that he wasn't a moth this time around.
At the moment, he and Velvet were sitting around on the couch. Vel was tending to her dolls(Vox found them creepy AF and did his best to avoid them at all costs). Even if the dolls were docile, he didn't feel comfortable being around them,especially whenever they walked and moved on their own.
Just then, Val approached the two before saying,"Vincent, Vanessa, we're going out."
"Going out where? I thought we didn't have anything to do today…" Velvet said as she stitched the doll in her hands up with a sew and needle.
"Well I've decided we're going out," Val said.
Vox rolled his eyes, he couldn't say he was too surprised by Val's sudden declaration. His Val did the same thing, randomly declaring wherever he wanted to go. Didn't matter if Vox and Velvet were busy, if Val saw he was free, he demanded they come along for the ride and would get pissy if they refuse.
"Going out where exactly?" He asked,"Don't tell me we're going to a strip-club are we?"
Those were usually Val's favorite places to be(no surprise there) and Vox lost count of how many times Val took him to a strip-club for dates. It wouldn't have been so bad if Val actually paid attention instead of ogling the performers.
"Of course not…"
"Thank god…"
"We're going to a strip club and a restaurant."
Vox's disappointment fell through at this, cursing himself for having high hopes. He rolled his eyes before sighing,"Figures…"
"Well,where is it?" Velvet asked,"I hope it's somewhere good."
"Course it's good, babydoll. It's Ozzie's."
Vox and Velvet blanked. They knew about Ozzie's, back in their home timeline they had heard of the Lust Ring having a sexually themed restaurant. They had never seen it in person though they had seen clips of the place on TV. Sinners weren't allowed to travel through the Circles so that was the most they could really get out of the place.
"You're joking right?" Vox asked,"There's no way we can go there…"
"Yeah, won't we get in trouble?"
Val stared at the two like they had grown a second head before chuckling,"Get in trouble? With who? We're just going to a restaurant. I don't remember that being illegal."
"But the Rings...if we go into a different ring we could-"
"Rings?" Val asked,"What Rings? I don't know how badly your memory is scrambled but I can assure you that there aren't any Rings here, babe. As long as you have money you can go wherever the hell you want…"
Vox and Velvet were perplexed before it suddenly hit them. This timeline had no restrictions and don't appear that there was any sort of system where it separated people into categories like 'Hellborn' or 'Sinner' like in Hell.
Pretty much everyone had some sort of magical element to them and it didn't seem like there was an overpopulation issue like there had been in Hell. It wasn't as crowded and there didn't appear to be any yearly Exterminations since nobody had mentioned any sort of yearly slaughter.
'Holy shit…' Vox thought,'We really ARE in a different timeline..'
No wonder things were so different. They hadn't even adjusted to the notion that the world they were in, despite its similarities, was an entirely different timeline with its own history. There wasn't any yearly purge, no barriers keeping Sinners from entering other Circles, or the Circles themselves for that matter.
The things they knew in Hell...none of it mattered anymore. Wasn't like anyone could reach them in this timeline anyhow. The rules were entirely different and they still hadn't realized how different this world was until Val broke that bombshell on their heads.
"Hey," Val snapped,"Are you two done staring out like logs or are you gonna get ready to go? I'm not getting any younger and I'd appreciate it if you got your clothes on."
"Clothes on? We're already dressed…" Velvet said.
"You two have been wearing those rags for years, it's about time you changed your attire, especially since we're going out."
"But we don't have any new clothes…" Vox admitted,"The clothes we're wearing are the only ones we have…"
"Figures that'd be the case...Thankfully, I've come prepared…" Val threw them sets of clothes that he bought,"Change into them, they should fit…"
"Should?" Vox asked skeptically,"Do you even know our sizes?"
"I made a good estimate," Val said nonchalantly, clearly not caring whether they were right or not."Go on, try them on. It won't kill you to put it on…"
The two overlords nodded their heads before going into separate rooms to change. When they came out, Vox and Velvet looked in the mirror at their changed appearances.
Vox was wearing a stone blue robe, the hood propped up to resemble an oversized scarf, hiding a good portion of his face with his braid sticking out at the side. There were stitched in elegant designs in the clothing that were cloud grey in color. The robe went all the way down, concealing his boots and had long sleeves.
Velvet wore a black and 'velvet' colored dress that was noticeably less puffy and more revealing up front. The dress exposed more of her shoulders and frilly bow with a small skull and black roses, being up to her calf with stockings and heels.
Velvet blinked,"Wowie...I look so awesome…" She began checking herself out, giving a little twirl,"Thanks for the outfit, Val! I look stunning!"
"You always do babydoll…'' He chuckled, eyeing her up and down as well with pride and...another emotion that was best not to be delved into at the moment.
Though not everyone was pleased with their new appearance
"I...I look like a girl…" Vox mumbled,"Seriously Val? Was this the best you could come up with? I look like a woman in this damn cloak. Why did you get this?"
"Not my fault you look feminine," Val said flatly,"Not that it's a bad thing...I prefer you like this...You better this way…"
Vox scoffed,'Feel like this is just Val's way of indulging in his stupid fetishes by choosing our clothing…' Wouldn't surprise him if it was, Val always had a thing for feminine things and his version of Val always tried to get him to wear some of the shit his whores wore on set to no avail.
Course he must've figured Vox wouldn't agree so he decided to get him the most feminine thing he could find while still making it to Vox's standards so that he'd actually wear it.
"Don't be such a prude, babe. I spent a lot of money on these clothes and the least you can do is be grateful. Didn't even hear a thank you…"
"Ugh..fine. Thanks for the outfit, happy now?" He asked, hoping Val would hop off his back.
"See? Wasn't so hard now was it, baby? Now, why don't you do me a favor and get your asses in the carriage? It's about time we've got to the restaurant, don't you think?"
"Yes…" He mumbled in response before following Val with Velvet close behind. Velvet seemed relatively excited at taking a look at Ozzie's, even if it wasn't the one they were familiar with. He could hardly blame her but Vox didn't share her enthusiasm, already having a bad feeling about the place.
"Come on, Vox, don't look so blue, things are finally looking up!" She whispered,"You should be happy, Val's taking us out and he even got us new outfits. He even sounds like he's in a good mood today…"
"I know...but I just can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen…"
Vox's nervousness only increased when they approached the location, stepping out of the vehicle to see a large and fancy restaurant. When the three of them made their way outside and to the entrance, people instantly became apprehensive at the sight of Valentino, immediately granting him the right of way, not even noticing Vox and Velvet's presence.
'Guess people still fear us...or more specifically Val…' Vox thought. It didn't seem anyone recognized them, likely because their counterparts had been gone so long that nobody remembered who they were and just thought they were one of Val's entourages or personal eye-candy.
Val went up to the front and showed his V.I.P reservation, the person examining the ticket for a few seconds before letting him pass and saying,"Lord Asmodeus was expecting you, Valentino. Feel free to take a seat and enjoy yourselves…"
Val nodded, grinning madly as he motioned for Vox and Velvet to follow. They followed inside and Vox and Velvet's eyes widened in amazement at the inside. It was so large and luxurious looking, it made all of Val's clubs look mediocre in comparison.
"Damn...this place is...a lot larger than I expected it to be…" Vox heaved, still in disbelief at what he was witnessing.
"Woah...this place...it looks so cool…" Velvet wowed, her jaw nearly falling open, eyes seeing stars. She had the urge to take out her phone and show her followers a sight that sinners could only dream of and post it for all to see...until she remembered her phone was gone and for all intents and purposes, so were her communications to her homeworld…
"You two seem rather impressed...Suppose your memories are really foggy, we've been here before and yet you two are acting like this is your first time," Val mentioned,"Guess you two hit your heads hard while you were away, didn't you?"
Vox felt a bead of sweat trickle down as he nervously mumbled,"Y-Yeah...we did…" He then cleared his throat in an attempt to avoid any further conversation on the topic, desiring to change the subject,"So...Val..where do we sit? Did you get us good seats?"
"Only the best…" He snickered before pointing to an empty table with three seats that was up at the front,"That's our spot."
They headed over and took a seat, Val and Vox sitting beside each other, Val closing the distance between them by pulling him close, Vox being more thankful that his hood covered his face to hide his discomfort.
While reviewing the menu, Vox and Velvet weren't going to lie...they had absolutely no fucking idea what half of the shit on the list was. A lot of it was exotic foods and some of the food had sexual undertones.
'The fuck is this shit?' Vox thought to himself,'Asmodeus needs to work on his damn menu before he serves this shit. Would it kill the fucker to keep it simple? What the fuck is fruit salad with a dash of cum? Hope that's just slang for salad dressing because with the type of place this is, I'm skeptical of the sources of some of their ingredients…'
Just then, one of the waiters approached them. The waiter appeared to be 'male' and had blonde hair styled in a ponytail. 'He' wore a purple suit with Asmodeus's signature bull and a ram imprinted on 'his' uniform. He wore white gloves,pants and purple boots. He had faded blush stickers and pale skin and large lashes that looked a tad too feminine.
'He' took a second before clearing his throat and saying,"Hello sir, welcome to Ozzie's. What can I do for you and your associates tonight?"
Vox and Velvet didn't get the chance to say anything, not like they would've known what to order given they understood none of the menu but Val did all the talking for them,"I'd like 'Ozzie's feast' and a glass of wine."
"O-Oh...OK then...I'll be sure to get it…"
"Good...And be sure to make it snappy...err…" Val narrowed his eyes, uncertain of the person's name.
"Charles, my name is Charles."
"Charles, eh? Come up with that name yourself?" Val jokes, though 'Charles' flinched at the comment before nervously laughing, attempting to play off Val's comment as a joke.
"Funny...Uh...anyway, I should get going...I'll be back with your food in a bit…"
When 'he' left, Velvet giggled,"That guy was kind of weird wasn't he?"
"He's probably new, don't think about it too hard," Vox said.
"Couldn't care less if he was new, I just don't want my food getting messed up. He better get it right else we're going to have a problem…" Val huffed.
As they were waiting for their food, they noticed that something was occuring on stage, everyone's attention directed to the stage suddenly lit up as Asmodeus made his presence known as he stood through the smoke.
The moment Asmodeus got onstage, people began cheering, even Val himself was going wild. Vox and Velvet watched in amazement as Asmodeus greeted the audience with a smile,"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the house of Asmodeus, where you are free to give into your inner desires to your heart's content!"
Once again, people whooped and hollered. People were eating up his every word and Vox couldn't help but feel slightly envious, Asmodeus could literally say anything and the masses would probably bend over backwards for him on a whim without the slightest hint of hesitation. It was the type of power he'd kill for and yet he knew he'd never amount to such despite doing his damned hardest.
"Today we're going to do something special. Due to...complications I've had to find another piece of entertainment for the night but worry not, I've found the perfect replacement for Verosika and her gang. Behold our new little temptress who will whisk you off your feet, Vaggie!"
Asmodeus disappeared from the stage and in his place was a fire that had started. At first, no one could understand until they saw a woman emerge, slowly stepping forward from the flames. When you first saw her, it was almost like her body had become fire, appearing to look almost nude before the audience before her features filled in.
A latina woman with fiery eyes stood on center stage, wearing a skimpy uniform that exposed her midriff and shoulders. She wore a red tube top with a small mini skirt and gold arm bracelets.
Vaggie then began to dance gracefully,grabbing a pole and beginning to do suggestive movements to entertain the crowd. It appeared she had practiced doing this before as her movements were natural yet elegant as can be.
Val's eyes widened with interest, lust filling his eyes.
'Fuck..not again…' Vox gritted his teeth, envy filling his eyes as Val's attention was taken off of him so quickly. It was why he hated going to strip-clubs for their dates because Val's attention always got stolen away by the performers. He folded his arms, bitterly sitting there and refusing to watch the display, Velvet's expression looking uncomfortable at the obvious tension.
Vaggie continued to dance on stage, manipulating the flames to wow the audience and captivate their attention. People seemed to adore her performance, whooping and hollering her name and shouting suggestive phrases at her. Vaggie brushed off these 'compliments' and continued to dance, going as far as to hope off stage, giving playful winks and blowing kisses.
She went up to Val's table and Val actually went as far as to grab her and pull her close to him. Vaggie tensed for a moment before feigning a smile before giving him a kiss on the cheek and shoving him away, leaving a smudge of lipstick on his face.
Vox's eye twitched at this display, muttering,"Fucking boyfriend stealing bitch…"
And it wasn't just Val enjoying the show, Asmodeus seemed to be eating up the performance. Eager to see her up close, he used his physic powers, summoning a hand out of magic to lure Vaggie, making her look in her direction.
Vaggie cringed for a second before dancing over to him, Asmodeus's grin widening with every step. Vaggie crawled towards him as he placed his hands on her, placing her onto his lap and groping her body.
She smiled and leaned in, Asmodeus, foolishly, had believed she was making a move for a kiss and prepared to lock lips with her...only to feel a burning sensation through his side and let out a scream in agony. Vaggie grinned as she had stabbed him with a sword she had made seemingly out of fire.
She then punched him in the jaw and quickly hopped off of him before setting fire to the general area around her. Everyone quickly began to panic, Vox constantly shouting,"Val! Vel! GET DOWN!"
Velvet quickly obeyed though Val hadn't reacted, still in awe at Vaggie's actions. He would've gotten hit with the fireball she sent his way had Vox not shoved him to the ground on instinct.
Guards tried to apprehend Veggie but were repelled with fire but Vaggie lit them all on fire in response. Screams to terror were heard as it erupted into chaos.
Matters only became worse when the fire erupted from the kitchen and Charlie ran out of the door before being sent down to the ground by an explosion from behind,"Augh!"
"Charlie!" Vaggie shouted as she repelled another person off of her with a swift uppercut.,"We need to get out of here!"
"Don't need to tell me twice!" She exclaimed before rushing over to Vaggie who in turn grabbed her arm.0
"Come on, let's go!" She hissed before running off with Charlie, who peered behind them to see Asmodeus shouting at the top of lungs.
He roared with rage,"You..YOU TWO WILL PAY FOR THIS! I'LL HUNT YOU TWO DOWN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"
The two girls didn't bother to stick around long enough to let him act on his promise, rushing out the doors and fleeing as fast as their legs could carry them.
Vox cursed as he saw the flames grow higher and higher. It was only a matter of time before the flames confused the whole building with them inside. He quickly turned to Val and Velvet and shouted,"It's only a matter of time before this place crumbles, we need to leave before it burns down with us!
Vox quickly rushed out the door with Val and Velvet following behind. Other's who had been paralyzed with fear followed after, escaping by the skin of their teeth before the entire place blew up.
They made it out just in time to see the explosion, Velvet's jaw dropped,"Holy shit…That's a REAL big explosion! Dammit…I wish I had a camera…"
"What's a camera?" Val asked.
"Uh..nothing..nothing, Val…" She mumbled.
"How are you two so calm!?" Vox hissed,"We nearly got burned alive and you two legit don't care!"
"Eh, been through worse…" Vel admitted.
"Not the first time I've seen a place explode on me," Val said simply,"Though I can't say I expected this place to go down. Such a shame, I actually liked eating here. Worst part is that we didn't even get our food thanks to those two burning the place down. Little tease and her boy-toy just ran off and left us all high and dry.. Some nerve ..."
Vox then paused when he saw Asmodeus, who despite the wound he received from Vaggie's dagger, didn't seem as critically injured as you'd expect.
"Uh…why aren't you in pain?"
"I am in pain," He replied flatly,"Though I'm not as weak as you people are so wounds like this are more like pinches. Only reason it hurts is because I was off-guard. Didn't expect her to stab me…" The way he treated the injury, he acted as if it was only a minor inconvenience and that it surely something he'd recover from in a short period of time.
"So what now ? Are you gonna rebuild or what?" Velvet asked,"Because…this place ain't gonna be getting any customers with the way it looks…"
"Of course I'm going to rebuild…But in the meantime…I'll be sure to track Charles and Vaggie down for their treachery. Nobody, and I mean it when I say it,nobody messes with me and gets away with it…Though I could use a little help…"
"We're not-" Vox started but got cut off by Val, who elbowed him in the shoulder,"Ow!"
"Be quiet, Vincent!" He shouted before smiling at the Lord of Lust,"Don't listen to him, Asmodeus, Vincent is just being a little moody. We'll gladly help you get those two if you pay us our fair-share. Especially since those two rebellious workers of yours ruined our dinner…"
"Fair enough. I could always use some extra hands anyway and those two need to be punished for their actions. All three of you will be helping me track them down and once we find them…we'll figure out what to do from there…Deal?"
"Deal…" Val said as he shook his hand, Vox and Velvet looked at each other with concern at the malicious grins on their faces.
'This isn't going to end well…' Vox thought.
(A Few Hours Later)
In the meantime, Charlie and Vaggie had run away for as long as they could, going as far as their legs could carry them.
Pure adrenaline was coursing through them and by the time they had come to a stop, the establishment they once worked for was out of sight and out of mind.
Charlie heaved as she collapsed to the ground,"Huff…puff…Did…did we lose them?"
Vaggie peered over her shoulder and nodded, sighing in relief,"Y-Yeah…We lost them. They're not catching up with us anytime soon…"
"Thank god…" Charlie muttered,"I was getting tired of that place and his ridiculous demands…."
"Same…felt good burning that damn place down. My plan worked like a charm and I'd do it again if I had the chance…"
"Me too," Charlie said,"Good thing that kitchen had plenty of flammable stuff inside because it sure helped burn that place down. Hope we never have to deal with Asmodeus and his bullshit ever again…"
"Agreed…" Vaggie then looked up,"Though…where are we?"
"No idea…" Charlie admitted before examining the area they were in, now seeing that they were in a forest that was far and wide,"Damn…we must've ran really far if we managed to get here…"
They two girls soon stood up on their feet and looked around, wondering just how far exactly they had gone. They didn't recognize this area and Charlie wasn't quite sure what to do next.
"So…what now, Vaggie?"
"We should probably set up camp, now that we don't have a roof over our heads we have to improvise. I'll set up camp and a fire, you should go and find some food for us…"
"OK…" Charlie nodded before heading off in a random direction in hopes of coming upon some edible resources. Course Charlie wasn't exactly an expert on scavenging, she didn't know how to cook and she sure as hell had no clue on how to find out what was edible and what wasn't.
For ten minutes, Charlie spent her time wandering about aimlessly, uncertain if she was even going to find anything. Her luck was rather poor and she couldn't seem to find any fruits or vegetables growing out, much to her dismay,'Oh come on…how come there isn't any food out here? There's gotta be something around here for me to eat…'
As she was walking, she couldn't help but feel as though there was another pair of eyes on her, watching her every move at a certain point. She looked around and even called out Vaggie's name but received no response, valley shrugging her shoulders and figuring that perhaps she was just hearing things…
The Princess was about to give up after a while but it appeared her luck had turned around at the sight of a black berry bush. Ecstatic at the sight of edible plant-life, she rushed over and stared at them questionably,"Hm….I wonder…are these edible? Guess there's only one way to find out…"
She plucked a handful of berries off the bush and prepared to eat them when a male's voice cut her off, saying,"Slow your roll there, handsome. Unless you want to end up dropping dead from poison that is…"
Her jaw dropped at the revelation before gazing up to see who had warned her, whipping around.
When Charlie looked up, she saw a man sitting on a tree branch with no shoes on. A freckled yet handsome face with light brown hair and ram horns protruding from his skull. He hopped down from the height, touching down on the ground without any sign of wear.
When Charlie saw him, she swore he looked…familiar. It was as if she had seen him before but she couldn't quite place the person….
Charlie stared up at him in shock before saying,"Wait…they're poisonous?" She wasn't certain if poison would affect her but given her reaction to fire…it probably wouldn't have ended well had she consumed them.
"How do you know they're poisonous?"
"Read up on it in my spare time," He said,"Why? You doubt me? Because it's your funeral…"
Charlie made a face, staring down at the berries before choosing to throw them out. Normally post wouldn't concern her in regular circumstances but considering her body's reaction to fire…it was best not to take the risk with poisonous berries on the off-chance he was telling the truth.
He chuckled,"Damn, guess you aren't as dumb as I thought you were. Honestly I thought you were actually going to try eating them just to prove me wrong and 've been sad and funny at the same time…"
"I'm not stupid," Charlie said, still using her masculine voice,"Just who you think you are?"
"Well if I recall correctly, my name is Anthony. Went by that long before I got here but up until now, I went by something else."
"What did you mean before you got here? Where were you before?"
"Well I was in Hell…but then I got on a train one day and I just….landed down here. Don't know how exactly I fell in the first place but the only thing I remember is falling from the sky and waking up like this. Been over a month and I'm still coming to terms with my current existence…"
"You're from Hell? So am I! Were you a sinner or a hellborn?"
"Sinner," Angel said,"What about you?"
"Oh…I…was a hellborn…"
"Sure explains why you're not too keen on poisonous berries. I take it your parents never took the time to explain to you that not all plants are meant to be consumed…"
Charlie shook her head, her parents never taught her that and to be fair, they were immune to poison so it was likely they never anticipated Charlie being susceptible to it."No..they didn't…"
"Can't say I'm surprised. Though, can I ask something?"
"Sure."
"What's your name?"
"My name is…Charles…But you can call me Charlie if you want…"
"Charles eh? Pick that one out yourself?"
Charlie averted her gaze,"Um…"
"Relax, I'm just messing with ya," Angel laughed,"Besides, I've got a name I've come up with myself. The name is Angel Dust though for short, call me Angel…I'm certain you've heard of me."
Charlie blanked when it clicked. She had seen Angel Dust on TV but never in person and it was hard to avoid him given his face was plastered on every sex-related advertisement. She hadn't thought much of him up until now, just thinking of him as a celebrity/porn star that was a favorite in Hell. He was literally Hell's top gay porn star and he could star in just about anything with his reputation.
"Yeah..I have…I've seen you on billboards…"
"Hard to miss a face like this…" Angel snickered,"So what about you? Do you have any sort of reputation?"
Charlie was tempted to tell him about her status but something in her refused and she opted to lie, fearing he wouldn't consider her a friend if she was informed of her true gender.
"N-No. I'm just… a regular hellborn. Or I was until I got down here…"
"Eh, not everyone's lucky to have fame, babe. Don't beat yourself up over it. Besides, ordinary citizen or not, you're mighty handsome. Tell me, is your other friend as handsome as you are?"
"Uh…my other friend is a girl…"
"Aw bummer," He mumbled,"That's disappointing. Oh well, I suppose I can live with that…Wanna lead me to her? It's been a while since I've actually talked to another person…"
"Sure…" Charlie said as she led him to Vaggie, who had finished setting up camp,"Vaggie, I'm back!"
"Charlie, there you are I was wondering where…you…went…" Her voice trailed off when she saw Angel."Charlie…I'm going to be as nice as I can when saying thing but I have just one...tiny...little the HELL did you bring a STRANGER to our campsite?"
"Ugh, Charles, you didn't say your friend was bitchy. I don't like her attitude."
"And I don't like you!" Vaggie hissed,"Charlie, what are you doing bringing this random stranger here? What made you think that was a good idea?"
"Vaggie, Anthony is not here to harm us. If he wanted to hurt anyone, he would've tried doing so when I first met him.'
"He could be waiting for a sneak-attack. There's no reason to trust him!"
"He saved my life."
"He did WHAT?"
Angel scoffed,"Hello? Are you deaf? I saved her bitch."
"Oh yeah? EXPLAIN HOW!"
"Well Charles over here was gonna eat a handful of poisonous berries and I convinced him not to eat them. Had I not been following him and convinced him otherwise your friend would've met an ugly fate…"
Vaggie fell silent for a second before narrowing her eyes,"Grr…I still don't trust you…"
"Geez, can't learn to take a chill pill can't you?"
Both of them began glaring at each other hatefully, seemingly ready to enter an argument when Charlie said,"Guys, can we please not fight? This isn't the time for this. Why don't we try being friends?"
"Friends with that asshole? No way!"
"Pfft, couldn't pay me to be friends with her. Not a chance…"
"Look…if you guys aren't gonna be friends, can you at least try and tolerate each other?"
" No way. Especially since we still need to focus on food and shelter….He'll do nothing but distract us."
"Actually I already have that covered," Angel said,"I've got a place and a farm of my own crops not too far from here. If you want to stick to your little fire and try finding your own food that's on you but I think Charlie would want to come with me if anything, am I right?"
Charlie nodded, the idea of stable food and shelter already sounding promising to her.
"See? I've got everything under control. So what's it gonna be, Vaggie? Are you gonna come or are you gonna handle things on your own?"
"Not a bloody chance, you cannot get rid of me that easily and I sure as hell am not leaving you alone with Charlie."
"If that's how you want to be then so be it," Angel shrugged and grinned, Vaggie's eye twitching at his cockiness.
'Annoying bastard…'
"Come on, Vaggie, let's get going…"Charlie said, following Angel's footsteps. Vaggie sighed before trailing off, making a discomforted face in the process.
OMG FINALLY ABLE TO UPDATE THIS! TOOK TOO DAMN LONG!
Thanks for 2,805 views! Tell me what you think below!Enigmus-288: Pretty sure everyone in this fandom agrees with you lol.
Guest: Val had Vox and Velvet's employees teach him how to view things through screens. I feel like with what Vel and Vox left behind, Val would request to be able to spy on people and ask how to do it and given he owns them, they aren't able to reject him. Vox and Velvet had access to people's private info and without them around, Val can exploit this and use it for his own twisted desires. He has everything they left behind and he's using it to his advantage.