We made it to the new year guys! It's 2022! Let's hope it doesn't suck like the other years did...
In the meantime, Charlie and her group had been on the move for quite a while and tension was still rather high. Angel and Vaggie weren't exactly thrilled to have Velvet around and made it clear if she overstepped her boundaries she was getting hit to the curb.
Despite Charlie's best efforts to ease tension, it was clear that the female V wasn't welcome among their ranks and their alliance was beyond shaky. It was evident that Vaggie and Angel distrusted Velvet and frequently made comments about her while she was within range.
Today was no exception to this rule…
"Charlie, I'm trying not to be mean here but do we REALLY need to bring Velvet around with us?" Angel asked irritably,"Seriously, it feels like carrying dead weight. Absolutely nothing positive has come from her being here. Why did you have to make us carry her along for the ride?"
"Because we need all the help we can get, Angel. We can't just be throwing out allies just because we don't like them…"
"I get we need allies," Vaggie grumbled,"But HER? Really Charlie? Surely we could do better than this. It's not like we get anything out of having her around other than dead-weight."
"Guys, I get your personal gripes with Velvet but this isn't the time for this type of conversation."
"Then when is it?" Angel asked,"No offense, Charlie, but ever since Velvet got here she's been doing nothing but dragging us down. Not only is she extra mouth to feed but she's also one of Val's closest associates. Who's to say she's not just waiting to betray us?"
Velvet shrunk a little at Angel's accusatory tone,"I-"
"Be quiet, I'm talking to Charlie!" He snapped,"Stay outta the conversation, this is between us, not you!"
"Angel, enough!" Charlie hissed,"Not only are you being rude but you're being completely unfair to Velvet. She's done nothing to us since she's joined our band yet you and Vaggie have been constantly making comments about her and what she might do without any evidence."
Angel scoffed,"I don't need evidence, I know what type of person she is, Charlie. Don't let that innocent face fool ya, she's got wickedness in her heart and she's just waiting for an opportunity to fuck us over..."
"Then why didn't she do it earlier?" Charlie shot back,"Back when the guards nearly caught us, if Velvet really wanted to get us all in trouble she would've given away our position but she kept quiet. I know you and Vaggie don't trust her and I can't blame you but you guys gotta stop with the accusations because like it or not, Velvet is in the same boat as the rest of us. She's just as trapped as we are and you know it. Besides, if we throw her out, what would that do for us as a whole? It would just leave us with one less person on our team."
"One less mouth to feed for one," Angel muttered.
"Yeah and in the process we lose manpower and a valuable ally. It's not worth tossing her out, especially when she hasn't done anything to us since she's joined our party. I get your distrust of her but we should at least give Velvet a chance instead of recklessly tossing her to the wayside because of your personal dislike of her. I don't like Velvet that much either, I'm well aware that she's not a nice person but it isn't about who we like anymore. It's about finding allies in the least likely people and getting back home because I doubt Velvet wants to be in this world anymore than we do. Right Velvet?"
When Charlie asked for Velvet's opinion, there was a moment of silence before the young woman finally spoke.
"I don't wanna be in this world either…"
"See guys? I told you she didn't want to be here. She wants to go back to Hell just like the rest of us…"
Velvet shook her head before clarifying her stance,"No…I don't wanna go to Hell either…"
Charlie blanked,"W-What do you mean? That's your home…"
"No it isn't…Earth is my home…or it was anyway…"
She tensed,"I…I'm sorry, Velvet. I doubt we'll ever be able to get you to Earth but I can promise that if we find a way out of this, we'll be able to find you friends in Hell who will make you happy again…"
Velvet scowled before stomping her foot like a child,"No! I don't want new friends…I want Vox…I want him back…"
"Velvet…you know that's not possible…Vox is…gone… "She refrained from using the word 'dead' purely because she didn't want to rub more salt on the wound,"I get that you're still coming to terms with his death but you need to understand there's nothing we can do for him anymore. But just because you can't help him doesn't mean you can't help yourself…."
"Why should I even try? What's the point?" She whined,"Helping myself isn't gonna bring him back…"
"You're right…it won't. But that doesn't mean you can't try. Think about it, would Vox want you to give up just because he's not here?"
"N-No…" She mumbled.
"Exactly. Which is why you need to keep going, Velvet. You can't give up, it's too soon and you still have a long way ahead of you before your journey ends. This is your second chance at life, you can't just blow it now. Vox's chance may have been cut short but you still have yours. Don't waste it by moping around and feeling sorry for yourself. Instead, you should strive to be better and prove them all wrong and that you can change…"
"You…you actually think I can do that?"
"I know you can…but you gotta give yourself a shot, Velvet. We're all here for you…well, I'm here for you. Angel and Vaggie..are still skeptical of you and honestly, they have every right to be. But I promise, if you prove them wrong, they'll learn to trust you. You just have to show them that you're truly on our side because I promise you they'll gladly change their tune once you prove yourself, right guys?"
Angel and Vaggie made faces, glancing at each other uneasily at the notion of trusting the former Overlord. They both knew what she was capable of and Charlie asking them to trust her was really asking a lot…
"Right guys?"
"Eh…" Angel mumbled,"Still not sure I can ever fully trust her honestly. Learned not to trust overlords and those close to Val aren't people I like being around. Though I suppose if she doesn't get us in trouble I'll tolerate her. At least until we get back home, can't say I'll promise to put up with her then…"
"I dunno Hun…I still don't trust her…but since you're willing to give her a chance, I suppose the least I can do is put up with her for the time being," She then sent Velvet a look,"But if I for a moment see you plotting against us, you'll have wished that Asmodeus had ended your pathetic life, you hear me? I don't have mercy for traitors and I'll gladly toss you if it means the rest of us can be spared…"
"Gee thanks for having a high opinion of me…" Velvet replied sarcastically, eyes rolling at the threat Vaggie had just given to her,"I'll be sure to keep that in mind…"
Charlie patted her on the shoulder,"Don't take it personally…they're just slow to trust. Give them time and I'm certain they'll warm up to you sooner or later…"
"You sound too confident about that one…"
"I know what I'm talking about, Velvet..At least, I think I do," She admitted,"Regardless, I promise that it's going to get better. I'm not sure how, but I know that every road has its ups and downs and we'll find our ups eventually," Charlie then felt her stomach growl and awkwardly paused,"Speaking of which…we should probably focus on finding some food. It's been a while since we ate and food is a first priority if we ever want to get through this…"
The quartet moved onward in search of food to fill their empty stomachs, eyes scouting out for any available sources of sustenance. As they were searching, they stumbled across a dirt road and saw three figures up ahead.
"Oh god, who are those people? Don't tell me there are more of Asmodeus's henchmen…" Vaggie growled,"That's the last thing we need…"
Angel squinted his eyes for a second, examining them closely before making an observation,"I dunno toots. They look like common people to me. Though they must be on the upper end of the spectrum if they got that horse on them. Other than that they seem pretty normal. Doubt they're any threat to us…"
"That's what they want you to think. This could be a trap to lure us into safety before they strike…"
"Will ya quit being paranoid?" Velvet asked flatly,"Sheesh, you're such a drama queen. And I thought Val was over-dramatic…"
"Don't you dare compare me to your partners in crime, Velvet. I'm not anything you or your overlord pals…"
"Vaggie, calm down," Charlie said,"I understand your distrust of strangers, however we should give them the benefit of the doubt. They don't appear to be here to cause any harm. We shouldn't assume everyone is our enemy in this world and being hostile towards someone who could be an ally wouldn't do us any favors."
"Still, we should be careful…Just in case they aren't friendly, we should prepare for a fight…"
"Only if they aren't friendly, Vaggie," Charlie reminded,"We don't know if they are. We need to be certain who they are first before we make assumptions. It's better to be safe than sorry and we'd look pretty bad getting on random people's cases. For all we know they are just passersbys…"
"I'm still keeping my guard on, Charlie…You can never be too careful," Vaggie huffed, hostility flaring up in her fiery eyes.
"There's only one way to find out which one of us is right…" She said before approaching the two. Upon closer inspection they managed to get a good look of the strangers up close.
One of them was male and the other was female. The male appeared to be in his early to mid thirties(though his youthful face would make you think he was younger) while the woman seemed to be in her early twenties.
The girl was wearing a white-yellow seamstress dress with traces of red. She had a pair of laced boots. She had a rose in her hair and wore a small amount of makeup and eye-shadow with a red scarf around her neck.
The male wore a white and brown uniform with black pants. His eyes were a seafoam color and he lacked shoes.
They were ready to approach but the male's head suddenly whipped around in their direction. It was rather unsettling as it looked like he hadn't even noticed them prior yet his neck spun around at an unnatural pace to meet their 'gaze'(and by meet their gaze I mean turn to face the 'direction' they were in). The fact he was smiling(and not in a genuine manner) all the time wasn't helping make her comfortable.
'Holy shit…' Charlie winced, trying to pretend she wasn't somewhat creeped out by his movements. She cleared her throat and put on her masculine persona as she spoke,"Uh…Hey sir…ma'am. I hope we didn't startle you, we were just passing through and we were wondering why you were here…"
There was a moment of silence before the female spoke,"Oh. We were just letting our horse take a break for a little. He needed to rest up and we don't want to risk overworking him and we were trying to find some food for him."
"Aw…what a cute horse…" Charlie said before attempting to pet him. The horse didn't appreciate this gesture and moved away."Did I do something wrong? Why is he so distant with me?"
"He doesn't like strangers," Niffty informed,"Nothing against you, he just isn't used to people he doesn't know laying their hands on him. By the way, my name is Niffty and my friend over here is Alastor. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The ends of Vaggie's hair immediately rose as she looked at Alastor, her worst suspicions having come true.
She already had a bad feeling about these two and being told his name made something click within her mind, finally recognizing him for who he is. She grabbed Charlie and excused herself to ward off suspicion,"Excuse us, one moment. I need to talk with my friend first…"
"Vaggie, what are you doing?" Charlie asked, confused by the sudden movement."Is there something wrong?"
The former moth tensed, grabbing Charlie's shoulders frantically,"Hon, we need to get out of here…"
"What do you mean? We just got here, Vaggie. Besides, we just met up with these people and they seem nice. What's the problem?"
"Charlie, don't you know who he is? That's Alastor! The Radio Demon! You know, that guy who overthrew several overlords and caused Hell to fall under an even greater reign of terror when he fell down!?" She whispered.
Charlie's gaze shifted to Alastor for a moment before realizing who he was. She thought Vaggie was being paranoid of the man but soon saw that her friend was right.
It was him. The feared Radio Demon in the flesh.
Though he wasn't as demonic as she remembered. All his deer-like features were stripped from him and it was as if he were just like any other mortal you'd see walking around the block. Without his demonic form you'd mistake Al for just a normal man with a distaste for proper footwear.
Normally she'd dismiss this as him losing his demonic features just like the rest of them upon falling into this world but there was something else she noticed about him that just didn't feel right. She looked into his eyes for a moment, squinting as she noticed the 'glassy' look they had.
Charlie didn't understand why at first until she noticed that Alastor hadn't really 'looked' at anyone. He was just…staring in their direction but not looking at anyone in particular, as if he couldn't physically see them….
Then it hit her…He was blind. She didn't know why as to her knowledge, Alastor always had his vision in Hell but apparently the plunge to this world must've taken a bit more from him than just his demonic powers, now rendering him unable to see the world around him.
Vaggie then tugged on her sleeve,"Charlie, we need to leave. This could be a trap, they could be trying to lead us somewhere so they can eat our flesh. You know Alastor's history just like I do, we can't take the risk…"
Normally Charlie would be inclined to agree but something in her told her not to go. Not yet. After all, if Alastor was in this world, he had been here for as long as they had. It had been several months and something, or someone had brought them all into this world for one reason or another.
She wasn't sure what that reason was per-say, but she knew that they needed all the help they could get.
"Vaggie…I know who he is…but I think we should at least give him and his friend a chance…"
"Are you crazy? He's a serial killer for crying out loud! This could be a trap and we're walking right into it."
"I know Vaggie….but something about this feels like we were supposed to meet here. It feels like we're all connected in this world…"
"What do you mean?"
"Vaggie, think about everyone we've encountered. Angel Dust, Velvet, Vox, they were all in this world around the same time we were. They fell down here just like we did and Alastor and Niffty are probably no exception. We learned a long time ago that we aren't the only ones who fell down here and Alastor and his friend are probably in the same boat as we are. They're just as trapped as we are and if that's the case, then they need our help."
"But Charlie-"
"I understand your skepticism but you have to trust me on this. Everyone deserves a second chance until proven otherwise and we're in no position to reject help from those in the same situation as us. So let's give them a chance, I see no reason to reject someone just because they are an Overlord. We have Velvet with us and she's been helpful to our cause so I see no need not to give Alastor a chance as well…"
Vaggie groaned,"Ugh…fine…I'll let you propose to him an alliance but if he blows it, he's out. Got it?"
"Yeah…I know…"
Charlie then returned back to the group with Vaggie, Angel nudging her shoulder playfully,"What were you two talking about back there? You know if you wanted to gossip you should've brought me along right? I'm into that sort of thing…"
"It wasn't gossip, Angel," Charlie assured,"Vaggie and I were just conversing about something important. Speaking of which, Alastor? I…I have a proposition for you…"
"What type of proposition?" Alastor asked curiously, cocking his head to the side with interest. Despite not being able to see her physically she could tell that he was hanging off every word she said to him.
"A proposition that fits both of our interests because I'm assuming that you being in this world wasn't a choice you made out of your own volition just like the rest of us…"
"The rest of us? I thought Niffty and I were the only ones not of this world…"
"Well you're not. We're from Hell just like you are, Al. And believe me when I say that it was none of our choices to be in this world. We all just…fell out of the sky and ended up here. Though for you, it seems that you lost a bit more than your demon form if your blindness is anything to consider."
"I…I noticed I lost my sight when I fell," Al mumbled, still not fully used to his blindness,"It's not something I'm proud of but I've been managing so far. Regardless, what is it to you?"
"I was..hoping that perhaps we could join forces so that we could escape this world…"
Al raised an eyebrow skeptically,"You know a way out of this world?"
"Well, I..have a hunch…" She admitted, not entirely certain.
Al..didn't seem to like that response and if he still had his monocle on him no doubt he would've adjusted it over his eye at that very moment."I don't like hunches, darling. Nothing against you but I prefer to put my faith in things that are set in stone.."
"Al, don't be like that," Niffty said,"Let's give this man a chance. He sounds like he's being genuine in wanting to help us, let's not turn him down just because his idea sounds silly…"
"Fine, I'll hear him out…Just don't expect me to take it seriously…" He grumbled, still not sounding all too thrilled about the idea.
Charlie sighed,"I understand your skepticism and to be frank, I'm not entirely sure of it either but there's this book I found earlier and it hints at a possible escape. There Are rumors of a mysterious Tower that can greet whatever you desire…"
"A Tower that grants wishes you say?" Al cackled cruelly, his voice filled with mockery,"Sounds like wacky you certain you didn't pick up a children's book of fables? Because that's about as likely as Hell itself freezing over in winter…"
"I'm beyond certain, Alastor," Charlie said, remaining adamant and deepening her voice to showcase how serious she was,"I understand your skepticism but there's no need to be mocking my views…"
"Pardon my lack of manners, erm…What was your name again? I'm afraid I didn't catch it…"
"Charles…But you can call me Charlie…"
"Charlie hm? Haven't heard that one before," He remarked sarcastically, his ever-present smile returning to his face,"Well then, Charlie, tell me, what other evidence do you have that this so-called Tower exists? Because if you truly expect me to take your word for it then you are sorely mistaken. Are there any records of anyone who has visited the place? Pictures? Drawings even?"
"There aren't any…at least that were recorded anyway. I…I don't really know all that much about the Tower Al but what I do know is that it's likely the only chance we have at getting out of the world. That is, unless you want to stay here…"
Al scoffed,"Of course I don't want to stay here. Believe me, Charlie, if there was a proven way to get out of this world Niffty and I would've taken it by now. It's just that this Tower seems rather sketchy and without any records we can't prove if it even exists or not…"
"Are you certain there aren't any others?" Niffty asked,"Because this lead sounds rather risky. It doesn't sound like something we should pursue."
"I wish there was an alternative," Charlie said,"But considering we couldn't find any, this Tower is our best bet of getting out of this place. And the more allies we have, the better chance we have at getting there."
"Do you even know where the Tower is, Charlie?" Alastor asked.
"The Book said it was located in the Holy Lands. I'm not quite sure where that is but if I had to guess…the only way to travel there is by sea and it's no doubt a long way from here. I understand your skepticism but I promise that if we work together, Al, we can get through this. What do you say? Do you want to join us?"
Charlie offered her hand towards him, hoping that Al would move forward and accept her friendship for the sake of the cause.
The former Overlord reached for her hand slowly albeit but surely and Charlie took that opportunity to shake on it,"Thank you, Al! We really do need all the help we can get so it's nice for you to come and join us!"
"Gah!" Al gasped before hissing,"Please refrain from touching me so casually!"
Charlie retracted her hand and shrunk a little,"Oh…uh…sorry. Did I do something wrong?"
"Yes you did. You touched me without giving me a warning," He remarked, dusting off his hand momentarily,"Please refrain from laying your hands on me without asking. I don't like strangers touching me…"
"Oh sorry, Alastor. I didn't know that…"
He sighed,"It's fine. Just don't repeat it. If you're going to initiate touch please give a verbal warning before you touch me. It's very much appreciated…"
"I didn't mean to invade your personal space, Alastor. I promise it won't happen again…"
"Thanks…" Al said, his mood improving somewhat,"I'm still not certain about this Tower you speak of. It sounds too good to be true…"
"I know it's a long-shot but it's really all we can go off for now…"
Al then paused,"By the way…who are the rest of the people with you? I can sense them through the ground but I cannot see them…"
Well that certainly explained how Al knew where they were…Creepy but she wasn't going to judge a blind man for how he kept up with the world around him.
"Oh. I forgot to introduce them. Guys, why don't you go introduce yourselves to Alastor and Nifty? I'm sure that they'd appreciate it…"
"Fine…" Vaggie groaned,"I'm Vagatha…Though I go by Vaggie nowadays. For some damn reason I can control fire…have no idea why but that's a thing. I'd say it's nice to meet you two but I think we all know that I'd be lying…"
Al and Niffty both raised their eyebrows at this response. Definitely wasn't the most friendly welcoming they had received and they couldn't say they were too big of a fan of Vaggie if this intro was any indication.
Charlie elbowed her,"Vaggie!"
She huffed,"What? It's true…"
The Princess tensed before nervously laughing,"H-hey, don't mind her. She's just…in a bad mood. We've had a lot going on and she's just being a little grouchy. I promise she's just being a little moody. She's really a sweet person when you get to know her…"
Al and Niffty were skeptical of Charlie's claim and were about to question it but thankfully for Charlie and Vaggie, Angel was quick to introduce himself.
"My name is Anthony but I go by Angel Dust now. Can control plants and shit, it's pretty cool and all but I prefer engaging in my other talents…"
"What other talents? Is there something else you can do?"
"Yeah, I can suck your dick!"
Alastor's expression fell through, taken aback by the sudden offer. He remained silent for a few seconds before letting out a firm,"Ha! No."
"Eh, your loss," Angel retorted.
"My name is Vanessa…but you probably know me as Velvet and I can control spirits. Can't say I expected to see you here, Alastor…."
"Oh..it's you, Velvet…" Al said, now somewhat weary,"If you're here…does that mean your partners in crime are here as well? Where are Vox and Valentino? Did you bring them along?"
"Val…didn't come with me. Vox did but…he…he…" She struggled to finish her sentence.
"He what?"
"He died," Charlie intervened,"We're not too sure what happened to Vox exactly but we're fairly certain that he either drowned or died of starvation/dehydration. That is assuming he didn't die from falling down into the water…"
"How did that happen?" Al asked, bemused at the notion of his rival dying.
"The other version of Valentino pulled him down with him. I tried to grab him but I was too late…." Charlie admitted with a sigh,"It was such a shame too, we could've really used another ally on our side…"
Alastor seemed…upset? It was hard to tell given his ever-present smile made it hard to read his expression but he did look disappointed that Vox had met his end prior to their meeting.
"Why? What's it to you? I thought you two hated each other," Velvet spat,"Is it because your latest piece of entertainment died or something? Is that why you're upset? Because now that he's gone Vox can't entertain you anymore?"
"Well…that's part of it," Al admitted,"It's just a bit shocking given how long we've known each other. I always hated the bastard but I never believed he'd actually die, not at someone else's hand anyway…"
"What do you mean? I thought you always wanted Vox gone…" Niffty asked, recalling how often Al complained to her about Vox's mere existence. Not a day went by in the Radio Tower where Al did not find a way to trash on Vox. It could've been about anything, his personality, his looks, his control over the media, anything Al could think of to complain about.
"I did want him gone, more than you could imagine. It's just that…I wanted to be the one to end it. The rivalry was between the two of us, no one else and it should've ended that way too. For him to die by someone else's hand leaves me no satisfaction. You want to know why? Because it should've been me. I should've been the one to kill him, not Valentino. It should've been me, not him, not Lucifer, not even God himself. That glory belonged to me and to have it stolen out from under my nose…it leaves me with nothing but anger…"
There was stillness in the atmosphere.
No one knew how to react. It was truly a spectacle to hear a man who hated another so much that upon hearing the other's death, he wasn't filled with satisfaction that the person he considered a nuisance wasn't around anymore. No, he was burning with anger and resentment, not because he cared about the man, but because he hated Vox so much that he believed that his life should've been his claim and his alone.
It was like a twisted obsession of entitlement and sadism, where Alastor believed that he was the only one allowed to kill Vox and anyone who dared to take that from him deserved nothing but scorn and hatred.
"Well…if it makes you feel any better, Valentino probably died too," Charlie piped up,"So that's something, right?"
It was a pitiful attempt to cheer Alastor up and one that seemed to have little effect. If anything, he seemed more angry upon hearing this.
"That doesn't make it any better," He growled,"That just means I can't get any proper closure. Not only is he dead but the person who ended jim is dead as well. There's no satisfaction in that. Having no role in that bastard's demise leaves me filled to the brim with bitterness. With no closure, I feel beside myself."
As crazy as it was, Charlie couldn't help but feel bad. It was sort of sad that Alastor was at such a loss that he didn't know what to do with himself. If you were so used to someone's presence the idea they would be gone was unfathomable, especially when you were a sinner in Hell.
Because if you were 'lucky' enough to live through the exterminations, you could live forever and time seemed to pass rather slowly when you couldn't age. Whether Al wanted to admit it, Vox used to take up a portion of his life as he had been obsessed with hating the man and everything he stood for, engaging in a rivalry for decades…
For it to end like this must've been a major blow. There was no triumph, no climatic ending for the two. Someone else had taken Vox out and Alastor was left behind with no sort of closure…
He must've spent so much time hating and despising Vox that he never thought of what would happen if the TV Demon wasn't there and now that he wasn't there…Al wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.
Maybe he could find another rival, but it wouldn't be the same. Vox was irreplaceable and no cheap imitation could ever take his place in Alastor's eyes.
"God…have you ever heard of a hobby?" Velvet asked flatly,"Do you not realize how pathetic that sounds? To hate someone so much that even when they're gone the only thought you have in that twisted skull of yours is how mad you are that you hadn't killed them yourself? You're a sad man, Alastor…"
Al scoffed,"Call it what you may, I still am rather disappointed with the out-come…"
Charlie then cleared her throat,"Well,regardless there's not much we can do about that. But what we can do is try and move forward with our lives. It's better and healthier that way." She was tempted to reach out to Al but refrained upon remembering his reaction to touch earlier only for him to say,
"You may…"
She reached out and cupped his cheek,"I..I don't really understand you, Al. I know what type of person you are, but I'm still determined to help you. I believe that every person has a chance to be better than they think they are. I know it's childish but I think that even you can change if you just try…"
Al stared at her and for a moment, it felt like he could've tried looking into her despite not physically being able to see her face. He chuckled before saying,"That's sweet, Charlie, but people like me don't change..not for the better anyway. Still, I'm flattered you think I can actually be helped…"
"Anyone can be helped if they just try. Even the worst demons can change if they put their mind to it…"
"We'll agree to disagree on that one," He replied,"Regardless,Niffty and I are happy to assist you in any means of getting out of this realm. We are by no means friends, however it is in our best interest to leave this world, especially since we're wanted people…"
"You're wanted too? What for?"
"Disobeying Satan's orders and causing his palace to collapse no doubt placed bounties on our heads. What about you?"
"Vaggie burned down Asmodeus's restaurant and Velvet disobeyed him after failing to capture us so yeah…we're in the same boat. No doubt they're looking for us…I just hope we don't run into another Sin…"
"Well, it won't be as bad since we all have powers," Niffty said,"I control glass, Al can control the ground, Vaggie has fire and Angel can control plants. Wait..Charlie, you never said what you control. What are your powers?"
Charlie cringed for a second, rubbing her arm nervously. It felt a bit embarrassing not to have powers while everyone else did and she struggled to form a response,"I…um..I…"
She didn't seem to get the memo and continued to press her,"What? What are your powers, Charlie? You can tell us, we won't judge…"
"Uh Niffty," Angel coughed,"He doesn't have any powers…"
"What? He doesn't?"
"No…he doesn't, "Angel said,"Not that it makes him any less important. Powers or no powers, Charles is one of the strongest people I know and he's more than capable of holding his own…"
"Aw shucks, Angel. I'm not all that…"
"Don't talk down to yourself, babe. You may lack powers but you have the leadership to back yourself up. We would've torn each other apart by now and you deserve some praise for that," He replied,"Besides, I know you can defend yourself if you need to."
"Yeah he can, I've got the scar on my head to prove it," Velvet muttered as she rubbed her scalp, recalling how Charlie hit her on the head with a rock,"Fuck, I can still feel the pain…"
Alastor then narrowed his eyes,"No matter how strong Charles is as a person, it would be unwise for him not to have something to defend himself. Unlike us, he cannot rely on his powers to get him out of a bind. If we ever find ourselves in a bad situation, he's the one who's likely going to get hurt or worse."
"And your solution to this is what exactly?" Vaggie demanded,"Not like we can just ask to give him powers…"
"No, but we can come up with alternatives," He then pulled out the sword Moxxie had given him and held it out for Charlie to grab,"Here, take this. I never used it anyway…"
Charlie blinked,"Is..is that for me?"
"Of course it is. Who else would it be for?"
"Al, I can't take this..it's yours and-"
"You can and you will. I don't know if you've realized this but I have no use for it. I'm blind and what use does a blind man have for a weapon like this? Besides, it's not like I don't have my own means of defense. You, on the other hand, don't have this sort of luxury. Please take it, I have no use for it."
Charlie took the sword, holding it in her right hand before doing a few practice poses before shouting,"En garde!"
"Charlie, what are you doing?" Vaggie asked with a raised brow, now thinking Charlie had been watching too many movies from Earth if this was how she was behaving.
"Being on my guard? This is how the guys in the movies do it so I'm replicating them!" Course Charlie's imitation didn't look nearly as good as the actual thing and this was made obvious by how clumsy her movements were, nearly tripping over herself several times,"W-Woah! This is a lot harder than those guys make it to be!"
Vaggie pinched the bridge of her nose with frustration, shaking her head side to side,"He looks so ridiculous…"
Angel nudged her before whispering,"Oh come on, toots, let the man have his fun."
"You know Charlie looks dumb doing those poses right?"
"Oh I know…but I like dumb guys. They can be so fun to be around, especially cute ones like him…" He remarked, staring at Charlie in amusement as she continued to try and get the hang of her new weapon.
Vaggie sweat-dropped,'If only he knew the truth…'
"Dammit…" Velvet grumbled sadly,"Wish I had my phone on me. This is Vox-tube worthy material. If only Vox were here to see this...he would've loved this sort of thing..."
"Niffty…what is Charles doing with the sword I gave him?"
"Uh…I think he's trying to fence? Though I don't think he's doing it right…"
He snorted,"Of course he isn't. Such a shame I can't see it, I'm certain it's quite entertaining. Oh well, from what I can hear it does sound like he's having fun with the souvenir. It's better with him than it is with me anyway..."
Al wasn't quite sure how to feel about being part of this posse but a part of him did feel relieved to have someone else by his side. Even though he doubted the Tower's existence and believed Charlie's naivety was foolish, he could use a source of entertainment. That and he was getting a bit lonely, it had only been him and Niffty for sometime. The only other source of company they had was Striker's horse but horse's didn't exactly do well communication wise so it was good to run into some allies this time around. Perhaps this were looking up for them...
How long that would last was another question entirely but he decided to enjoy it while he could.
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Enigmus-288:Thanks. When everyone meets up there is gonna be a huge 'WTF' and 'Holy shit you are here too' moment when the all see each other.