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As Charlie dropped Vox off at his cell. The blonde entered his cell and as Charlie prepared to close the cell gate he called out to her,"Wait, don't go yet…"
"Is there something you need, Vox?" She asked, her voice laced with concern.
"I just want to thank you for letting me out today. Even though it didn't end on a positive note, I at least got the answers I was looking for despite them not being the ones I was hoping for," He admitted,"Regardless, I don't quite understand why you're helping me but I do appreciate your concern. You've been a real help, Charlie, and I just wanted you to know that since we kind of got off on the wrong foot earlier."
"Anything for a friend, Vox…"
"Still, I have one last thing to ask before you leave. I'm not entirely sure when you'll be back and since you've got more freedom than I do, I figured you'd be able to do this for me…" He then reached into his satchel and gave her the soaps Mammon had handed to him,"I wanted to give Velvet one but considering she won't talk to me, I think it'd be better off if you gave them to her. Feel free to give them to the others, just about everyone except Angel and the girls don't have anything to clean themselves with."
Charlie took the soaps and nodded,"I'll pay them a visit as well. Don't worry, Vox, I'll act in your stead since the others still brand you as a traitor…"
"I can hardly blame them," He admitted, shrugging his shoulders,"Just be sure to keep the whole…thing about Mammon a secret. I know Husk was trying to help me but I'd prefer if Velvet wasn't aware of what happened between Mammon and I. No doubt she'd do something stupid like trying to charge at him head-first just to try and get back at him to no avail."
"I understand," She said,"Though what should I tell her if she asks?"
"Just say that Mammon was just being a stereotypical asshole. Don't mention anything about the sex. She'll still be mad but I know she'll fly into a blind rage if she finds out he touched me that way. She may not believe you but she'll at least keep what remains of her sanity intact.."
"Fair enough," She said,"Don't worry, Vox, I won't let Mammon have you. We're going to get you out of this, I promise…"
"I hope you're right, Charlie. And be careful, there are many people who are out to stab you in the back while you least expect it…"
"I'm well aware,"She admitted,"I can handle myself, Vox. I'll be fine. I'll see you later when I can…"
She took her leave and headed off to the female section of the prison ward. She came across Vaggie's cell first, the former moth demon boredly leaning back on the straw bed. She was still in her 'trader' disguise just like the others. The cell was fairly cramped and with only a small source of sunlight peeking through the crevice, it was hard to see her features.
"Vaggie?" She called out,"Are you alright?"
"Charlie?" The former sinner turned around, her singular eye wide in amazement,"is that really you, Hon? You look so…so feminine…"
"I know…it's been a while since I've worn a dress like this,"She admitted as she pulled on the tips of her outfit and did a little twirl,"It's really beautiful isn't it?"
"Yeah…it is.." Vaggie then took a deep breath,"So…how have things been going in the political world? We don't exactly have any sources of news down here so it'd be nice to hear things out for a change…"
"A lot has happened. It's been pretty rough, especially with Vox…"
"Ugh, what did that traitor do this time?" She growled hatefully.
"Vaggie, he's not a traitor…"
"Bullshit," She snapped,"That bastard sold us out and he didn't even bother telling us why, just threw us all under the bus without any sort of explanation. I swear to god when I get my hands on him I am going to make him wish the Exterminators got to him years ago.."
Charlie winced at her friend's vicious tone, Vaggie was always aggressive but she hadn't seen her this angry in a very long time and it was rather unnerving to witness her friend's true fury.
"Vaggie, I understand your anger, however I can't just let you spout false accusations about someone. As hard as it may seem to believe,Vox didn't betray us…"
"Then why did he sell himself to Mammon and neglect to tell us the entire time he was with us? It's one thing to make a deal with someone who may as well be the Devil but it's another to keep it a secret from your allies!"
"Vaggie, he was scared we'd shun him out if he revealed the truth…"
"So? He could've at least said something!" She hissed,"It would've been easier if he had just told us the goddamn truth! We probably wouldn't have even been in this mess if Vox had just opened his mouth instead of holding his tongue! Quit defending that bastard, Charlie, there's no need to stand up for that corrupt excuse of a human being!"
"I'm not denying it was the wrong choice, but I understand why he did it…" She said,"He made a mistake, Vaggie, and while I'm not asking you to forgive Vox, I am asking that you hear me out and understand his side of the story, because like it or not, he's still on our team…"
"Do you really believe what he's telling you, Charlie? He's probably just trying to make you pity him so that he can betray us again…"
"I know you don't trust him, Vag, but please hear me out on this,"The Princess pleaded,"Because while I know you don't believe Vox is anything other than a heartless and cruel man, I know from speaking with him that he's capable of compassion. You may doubt my words but if he was as cruel as you thought he was, then he wouldn't have sold himself to save Helsa."
"He sold himself to save the sea-bitch?" Vaggie retorted,"Considering where we are, I'd say that didn't end too well, now did it? Did she even like him?"
Charlie shook her head, recalling the heartbreak on Vox's face when he met her at Seviathan's cell,"No…she didn't. It's a shame too, I was hoping that maybe Helsa was warming up to him but it seems like it was nothing more than another lie. She's always been like this but the fact she toyed with him this long, made him think she cared only to crush his hope for her in an instant for our entertainment is just depressing.."
"What did he expect again?" Vaggie asked,"It's kind of well known that Helsa's a massive bitch. That woman has a heart colder than ice and harder than stone. I'm shocked someone like Vox actually thought she gave a damn about him, how did he not see the signs that she was feigning affection for him…"
Charlie sighed,"Helsa's a master manipulator. I"ve known her for a long time, she knows what makes people tick the moment she lays her eyes on them. She can deconstruct a person's weaknesses in seconds if you are not careful. I've seen her do this sort of thing since she was young would always have a boyfriend one week and a different boyfriend the next. She has tons of admirers but she doesn't truly care for any of them, at most she'll play along, act as if she's interested in them, let them think they are the one before dumping them once they grow a bit boring."
It was always a thing with Helsa to do this with her toys, she had known the woman since they were in diapers, she was always selfish, from when she hogged the toys in the toy box and never shared, even when she grew bored of the ones she wasn't using.
Eventually Helsa grew up and was sent to a private elite school throughout her years and over that time, she grew an interest in boys right off the bat.
Even as a little girl, Helsa was well aware of her charming nature and had countless boyfriends, often picking the most popular and attractive boys and using them for her own purpose, such as carrying her bags and buying her nice things with their parent's money despite her parent's being richer than them.
This habit never changed and it only got worse the older she got. Men particularly worshiped the floor Helsa walked off of, people would always buy her gifts and many would salivate at her as she walked by.
Sometimes Helsa playful winked at them as a way to mess with them and this often caused fights since one boy believed Helsa was looking at him especially while the other got jealous, causing an all out brawl as a result.
The wicked sea-witch of Envy was always aware of her sex-appeal and used it to her advantage. She never bothered to study and while Helsa was a far cry from stupid and more than capable of getting passing grades, she simply found it beneath her to spend her time studying, espically for classes she could care less about.
Which was why whenever a major test came along that Helsa foresaw herself getting a less than stellar grade on, she targeted the smart kids in the class and flirted with them in order to get them to share the answers with her, leading her to pass with flying colors.
Hell, there was actually a rumor that Helsa was sleeping with some of the teacher's in the classes she struggled in during senior year in order to pass without difficulty.
She wasn't sure if they were true or not since Helsa never confirmed it but considering Charlie never saw Helsa concerning herself with her grades that year, she was leaning on it being true until proven otherwise.
"She's always been like this,"She admitted,"Even after all these centuries, Helsa's never truly grown up out of that mindset of seeing people as pretty toys that she can break down piece by piece for her own amusement. All the guys in her life are just tools at the end of the day and she'll always move onto the next one. She didn't even have to break up with the other guy to move on, they could've just started dating and Helsa would be cat-calling another guy who just happened to catch her eye. It didn't matter if they were dating another person at the time, it didn't matter who they were, she'd always find someone new to play with once she grew bored. Vox was just her latest victim in her grand scheme…"
"So what's the point then?" Vaggie asked,"I don't get the point in dating all these guys if she's just going to dump them. That sounds like such a waste of energy. Why put all that time ruining these people's lives only to throw them out a week later?"
"She enjoys seeing people suffer, I don't know why to be exact but Helsa's always had a sadistic streak about her, sometimes ripping the heads of dolls who were 'ugly' in her words. She doesn't care for men for their personality or who they are, but for their appearance. She acts like she cares but deep down, Helsa never cared for them and only saw them as a tool to exploit for her own benefit. Even without her voice, she still finds ways of ripping people's hearts out despite everything they do for her…"
"So she's a superficial bitch? No surprise there…" Vaggie scoffed,"God..what a bitch…"
"Believe me, that's really just scratching the surface. Helsa's always been a cruel person but she's gotten worse as she's aged and I honestly kind of feel bad."
"You feel bad for that bitch? Why? She clearly doesn't care about the people she hurts, Charlie. There's no need to pity someone like her…"
"I know…but I've known Helsa for so long and I've always wanted to be friends but she's never given me the chance. She refuses to have a true connection to someone unless it's based on fear or exploitation of some kind to where she can benefit off of. It doesn't help that people worshiped her back at home, she had guys falling for her based on her looks and she thinks every guy who's interested in her wants her body. And for the vast majority of them, that's probably true. But she thinks every guy is like that and doesn't believe any man can truly love her and that's probably why she refused to believe Vox liked her despite everything they went through."
Vaggie looked at Charlie comfortingly,"Charlie…I know you want to help Helsa…but in order to
help someone, they need to be willing to change. Helsa hasn't shown any willingness to change her behavior and refuses to believe that any man can truly love her. Until she shows willingness to change, the best you can do is talk to her and hope maybe one day she understands despite how unlikely it is. People like Helsa are incredibly resistant to change, Charlie, so don't beat yourself up if you're unable to help her…"
"I know…it's just that I want to help people, it's in my nature to do so. Even if they are as cruel and ruthless as Helsa because I know that even someone as wicked as her has a small shred of good inside of her. Whether she's aware of it or wants to acknowledge it is another thing entirely…" Charlie then sighed,"I know it's foolish to want to help her, but I really do want Helsa to get better despite our differences. We really could've been friends had she not been so competitive and I hope for a chance for all three of us to be friends again…"
"Three of us?" Vaggie paused,"Are you talking about your ex, Charlie? Don't tell me you're trying to rekindle an old flame, Hon, you know how that tends to work out. You broke up for a reason, don't try rekindling that relationship…"
"I know, Charlie. I don't want to date, Seviathan, I just want to be friends again. We used to be really close before the breakup and things have never been the same. After that day, whenever I saw him at parties that the Sins threw every few years, his eyes were always filled with hate and disdain. We never spoke during those times but I could always tell he wanted to spit venom at me for what happened all those years ago."
"Charlie, don't let Seviathan's bitterness cloud your mind. He should've gotten over the breakup by now and you're not responsible for how he feels. Besides, it's not like it's your fault you two broke up, he mocked your beliefs, that man has no justified reason to be mad at you."
The Princess tensed up, guilt washing over her face as the memories came flooding back to her. Vaggie had never seen Charlie so guilt-ridden before and it made the former moth wince seeing her friend so tense.
"Hon? Are you alright? Is something bothering you?"
She made a face,"Actually Vaggie…that's not entirely true…"
"What do you mean? What's not entirely true? That is why you two broke up, isn't it? Don't tell me you were lying to me now were you?"
"Of course not, that is the reason why we broke up…but Seviathan does have a valid reason to not like me…"
"What'd you do, Hon?" She asked uneasily.
"I…I may have accidentally caused my Father to nearly kill him under false pretenses…"
"You what!?" Vaggie snapped,"Why would you do that!?"
"It was an accident!" She exclaimed,"I swear, I hadn't meant for it to happen. I was just…really angry and I may have said some things to my Father about Seviathan that weren't true…and the things that were true were rather exaggerated. I was a dumb teenager and I didn't think anything would happen if I told him this..As you can see now, I was wrong."
"Have you at least apologized for it?"
"I tried…" She admitted,"I was scared to talk to Seviathan after that day and never got the chance to apologize to his face until now. I tried to get through to him when I visited his cell but he refused to listen to me…"'
Vaggie pinched the bridge of her forehead,"Oh my god…Hon, you really got yourself into a bad situation. I know you didn't intend for it to get this bad, but the consequences of your immaturity still linger to this day and it's clear Seviathan has not forgotten nor forgiven you for your actions. I don't know what exactly you lied about to get Lucifer to attack him, but you should watch your back, Charlie, because there's not a doubt in my mind that Seviathan wishes to get revenge on what you did to him all those years ago. He may not be able to act on it now, but the moment he's able to, you are going to be in a lot of trouble, especially since you don't have any powers…"
"I know, Vaggie…" She admitted,"I won't deny I made a mistake with Seviathan, a grievous one at that. But I won't let this mistake potentially cost me my life. I may not have my powers but I still have my wit. I won't let the one thing I have taken away from me so easily."
"There's a difference between thinking you know and actually knowing. You don't know what Seviathan is planning and if I know anything about vengeful exes, they always plan on hitting you twice as hard as you hit them."
"I'll be on my guard,"She assured before stumbling,"Oh my god, I'm such an idiot.I'm sorry for bombarding you with everything, Vaggie You probably have enough stress in your life as it is. I shouldn't have told you-'
"It's alright. Besides, it's not like anything really happens down here. This jail is boring and there's really nothing to do outside of chores. Most of the time we're either cleaning the floors, washing the dishes or doing the laundry. Maybe once in a while they'll let the females do outside labor but it's pretty rare since 'women are supposed to clean' or whatever other sexist justification those assholes use to keep us cooped up in here."
Charlie shook her head,"Don't pay any mind to their remarks, Vaggie. This place is rather old fashioned so it's to be expected they don't regard us females as much unless we have some sort of title. Doesn't mean it's true of course, but it's not all too surprising."
"It's still bullshit..I swear, those sexist guards are the worst. Not only are they sexist but they are perverts as well. I caught one peeking inside the showers and he didn't even try pretending it was an accident. Probably bragged to his asshole friends about seeing a bunch of girl's naked bodies like the sick freak he is…"
"I'll talk with Zestial about this…" Charlie said,"Don't worry, Vaggie. I may not be able to bust you guys out of here, but I can at least make your stay here a little easier…"
"I appreciate that, Hon. It's nice seeing you again, the circumstances not exactly ideal but I suppose it could be worse. We could be dead after all…"
"Yeah…we could…Oh, and before I forget, Vox asked me to hand this to all the girls in our group since he didn't get the chance to do so," She handed out a bar of soap
Vaggie took it reluctantly, smelling it for a moment. It smelled like…roses. Not bad or anything but it was a little unexpected.
"Where did he get these from?"
"Mammon handed him soaps to keep himself clean and he had plenty to spare. He would've given them to you himself but due to…complications he was unable to do so and instead he asked me to do it for him."
Vaggie made a face,"Are you sure you didn't guilt trip him into handing these over?"
"I'm more than certain, I didn't even know he had these on him," Charlie assured,"Trust me, Vaggie, Vox made this decision on his own. I know you don't really trust him but I promise he's not pure evil. Just give him a chance…"
Vaggie sighed,"I don't know, Hon…I'll try keeping an open mind but I'm not sure how much I'm willing to believe until I see it for myself."
"That's fair…Just try and give him a chance. I understand it's hard to trust him but things are a lot more complicated than they seem. I'd tell you more but out of respect for Vox's privacy I can't afford to tell you more.."
The former Sinner narrowed her eyes at this statement, she was tempted to question Charlie more but doubted she'd get more answers if she pried. Her friend was refusing to disclose the full truth for whatever reason about the current situations and she wasn't certain if Charlie was ready to come out with the uneasy truth.
Whatever it was, Vaggie decided it was best to push the subject aside until further notice. Instead she said,"I don't fully understand…But I'll respect your decision regardless. Just be careful, Charlie. You have many enemies and few allies. This world is out to get you and if you're not careful, it will get the better of you…"
"I know. Just you wait, Vaggie, I'm going to get you guys out of this, no matter how long it takes. Don't worry about me, I'm going to be fine. Just keep yourselves safe. I'm not sure when I'll be allowed to visit you all again but I'll try to see you as soon as possible. Farewell…"
Charlie took her leave and decided to head to the next cell. She pondered who to visit next as she still had a fair few people she hadn't spoken to in quite some time.
She should probably go to Velvet…after all, she deserved some sort of explanation and Vox probably wanted her to speak to her the most out of everyone given their strained relationship….
Velvet laid on her bed made of straw, a frown stuck to her face. The bed was about as comfortable as you could imagine it being but it was the only source of relief she could find in this cramped cage.
To put it bluntly, jail was many things, but fun wasn't one of them. She had been doing chores non-stop and the place was more of a punishment than Hell ever was. The showers were godawful, the guards were perverted sicko's and the chores were exhausting.
By the end of the day the former Doll Demon wanted nothing more than to lay in bed and not wake up. Because really, there wasn't much else to do other than work, the only sort of break they had was lunch but time seemed to fly and once it was over they had to go back to work until it was time to go to bed.
The routine was emotionally and physically draining and being in her cell was hardly that much better. The cell she called home was pretty much a small room with a bed stuffed with straw and a small cabinet.
Even then, it was hardly anything fantastic given there wasn't anything Velvet had to put inside was that fan she bought when they first fell(somehow the guards hadn't confiscated it) and while it wasn't much, it did keep her cool when the heat ramped up throughout the day.
'God this place is so hot…wish we had some fucking air conditioning here…' She thought bitterly to herself as she fanned herself, sweat trickling down her face. Her cell was so damn hot and she wanted nothing more than for a large gust of wind to hit her.
Times like this made her wish they put men and women together in the same cell so there was a chance she could use Husk as a human air conditioner…
"Velvet…"
"Hm? What now? I thought we didn't have to work now…"The pigtailed woman turned around, slightly bemused to see Charlie standing there,"Oh…it's you. Charlie…or should I say, Princess Charlotte Morningstar?"
"It's still Charlie to you, Velvet. I may be a Princess but I still prefer my nickname over my full title."
"Why? Because you could pretend to be like the rest of us with it?" She inquired,"Without your disguise and masculine name, it's actually easier to see who you truly are. I gotta say, I expected Lucifer's daughter to be a bit taller…"
"Reality can be disappointing…"
"So, whatcha here for? You can't tell me you're here just for me, right? Surely you've got better things to do than converse with a prisoner, don't ya? I'm sure there are a bunch of royal snobs up there who'd just love being in your presence."
"I could, but I prefer being with people I actually like, Velvet."
"You like me?" She asked in disbelief, balking at the Princess's statement,"Ha! Don't make me laugh, Charlie! You're crazier than me if you actually like me after all we've gone through!"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't 'what do you mean' me, Charlie!" She exclaimed,"Don't lie to me, I know you don't like me, none of you fuckers do. There's no need to lie, it's pretty obvious the only reason you kept me around was out of pity. You don't have to pretend otherwise."
"Velvet, that's not true…"
"That's a lie and you know it,"She scoffed,"It's been pretty obvious you were all scared of me. You were waiting for a chance to throw me away the second you could. Why are you now pretending we're friends now, you know I tried killing you right? Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be talking to your actual friends, Charlie?"
"Velvet, I know we've had our differences but you are a friend of mine just like everyone else. We had a rough start and I won't deny I was and still am a bit uncomfortable with you but if we work together a bit more we can overcome our differences and become the best of friends…"
Velvet scoffed,"Did you hit your head real hard when you fell down here or were you always this kind towards every twisted soul you've met?"
"For the most part I've always been this way, though I've gotten better over time…"
"Good grief…" She grumbled,"You really don't know when to quit on someone do ya? You think you can help me? That I can be saved? If so, you're wasting your time, ya can't help a demon. There's no point in trying to save the damned, Charlie…"
"Vel, you're far from the first person who told me that. Pretty much every person I've told about my beliefs has said the same thing, even Vox said it-"
"Don't speak of his name to me. I want nothing to do with that lying bastard!"
"You don't mean that, do you, Velvet?" She asked, still a bit uncertain,"I mean, Vox is your friend. You can't think about him like that now can you?"
"But he lied!" She snapped,"He always said he was 'fine' and that it was 'just a headache'. Just a headache my fucking ass, he made a deal with the greediest bastard known to mankind and he couldn't even tell me about it! Had we not been found out by Lucifer he would've never come clean, he would've just continued lying through his teeth just to avoid confronting the truth!"
Charlie tensed up,"Velvet, I understand your anger. You're hurt and justifiably so. Vox hasn't been honest with you and you resent him for his dishonesty. I cannot blame you for how you're feeling and I can't say I wouldn't be feeling the same way if I were in your shoes, however you need to understand that Vox had his reasons for not speaking up."
"Oh yeah?" She spat,"And what are those reasons exactly?"
"I…I can't fully disclose his reasons out of respect for Vox's wishes, however I will say that Vox's reason for selling himself to Mammon had to do with rescuing Helsa from his grasp. He had grown feelings for her and sacrificed his all just to save her…" She then took a deep breath,"Unfortunately for Vox, he was unaware of the type of person Helsa was. He hadn't realized she was using him until it was too late and by then, he was in too deep to turn back…"
Velvet hissed,"Ugh…typical Vox. I'd say I'm surprised…but that would require me not to know who Vox is. Should've known he'd do something stupid while I was away, he always does these sort of things when he's got his head in the clouds…"
"What do you mean?"
"Vox has always been like this when it comes to love. If he finds himself in love with someone, he falls in love real hard and will do everything in his power to make this person like him. I think that's why he put up with Val for so long, even when they bickered and fought like wild animals, Vox never had the heart to end the relationship. Didn't matter how hard Val cracked his screen or how their arguing could be heard all across the Studio because it always ended the same. Vox would eventually come crawling back to Val and we'd go back to being friends again, just like in the old days…until it happened…"
"Until what happened?" Charlie asked.
"It happened months ago, before any of this ever happened. Val and Vox were fighting again. They always bickered, it was nothing out of the ordinary. I've seen them fight countless times though this one was more violent and emotional than before. I think Val missed out on a date again and Vox was pissed about it. I tried to break it up because their arguing got annoying but they didn't listen to me and it only got worse. I could tell it was gonna get violent and Val was gonna hit Vox. I..I don't really know what came over me to get in the way of his attack, but I just did and he hit me, hit me real hard. After that, something in Vox snapped and started screaming at Val and being hostile before ultimately taking me out of the Studio with all of his belongings…"
"Did Vox regret it?"
"Of course he did. He loves Val. It's why he put up with him for so long. It's why despite how many fights they have, he always came back with a gift to ease Val's mood in hopes of rebuilding what was broken. It never lasted though, because they'd always find something to fight about and the cycle would repeat over and over again."
"Why did he ever love someone like him?"
"Beats me, if I had to guess, it was because of Val's charm. That, and I heard Vox was single for decades before he met Val. I love Val but I don't believe for a second that he was Vox's first choice. He probably tried dating people but the relationships simply never worked out. And Val, well, he was charming, handsome and had lots of money so that's probably why he even bothered staying with him. You know, I always wanted them to get married one day, like in those movies where couples get their happily ever after? I wanted that for them, though whenever I asked if he'd marry him, Vox always seemed reluctant to answer."
"I can see why," Charlie sighed,"I know it's hard to hear, Velvet, but Valentino isn't boyfriend material, let alone husband material. The fact even Vox can acknowledge this shows just how warped this relationship is."
"I know the relationship isn't perfect…but I just hoped maybe if they got married, they'd love each other just like a normal couple would…"
"That's not how it works, Velvet. Being married doesn't mean your problems as a couple magically disappear. Especially since Valentino had countless chances to change himself for the better but refused to do so. He'd be a horrible husband and nothing would truly change and it's for the best that Vox and Val aren't together anymore…"
"I know Val and Vox's relationship ain't the healthiest but I just want them to be happy…"
"You can't fix their relationship, Velvet. That is out of your power. But, what is in your power is to help Vox now. I know it'll be hard to trust him again, but I assure you this is hurting Vox just as much as it's hurting you. And I know deep down, you just want to be friends again, don't you?"
Velvet reluctantly nodded,"Of course I do. He's the only friend I actually got…But how can I know he won't lie to me again? How do I know he's not hiding anything else from me?"
"I can't promise anything but Vox really does want to connect with you and I doubt he'd intentionally sabotage this by lying again. Besides, I know he may not say it, but Vox really does need your help. Because right now, he's scared, alone and in desperate need of some friends to help him get back on his feet. He really needs you, Velvet, and while he may not admit it, you know he needs you too…"
The dark skinned woman narrowed her eyes, her gaze averting.
"Velvet, Vox needs you, and you know that. I understand it's hard to trust after having your faith in someone you deeply respected shattered. I know you want to know more about what Mammon's done, but out of respect for Vox's wishes, this is all I can tell you.."
"And why is that? Why can't you tell me what that Greedy Bastard did?" She hissed,"Why can't ya tell me? What did he do to him? Come on, spit it out! I deserve to know!"
"I'm sorry, Velvet…but I can't…"
"Gee, you're a big help,"She growled,"Seriously, is this because I look like a kid or something? Because I'm not, I may have died at eighteen but I've been dead for so long that I may as well be in my thirties. I'm probably the same age as Vox at his biological death and I've been around the block. It's not like I was born yesterday, Charlie, I've seen a lot of gruesome shit in my time. You can lay it out on me without fearing I'll break and cry."
Charlie winced,"It's not that, Velvet. It's just that Vox told me that he'd rather not talk about it with anyone and as his friend, I must respect his decision. I know it's hard not having all the details but this is what Vox wants."
The former Doll Overlord seemed upset by this, biting her lip a bit before saying,"Ugh,fine. Whatever it is, it better not be anything awful else I'll fucking murder that sorry excuse of a jester when I get my damn hands on him."
"As much as I understand the sentiment, it'd be best to avoid any sort of confrontation with Mammon, Velvet. Especially since he's far stronger than you…"
"I know…doesn't make the urge to pummel him any weaker…"
"I know the feeling. That man is I'm not in the position to do anything about him."
"Can you do something? You're the Princess for fuck's sake!"
"Being Princess doesn't mean I have infinite power. Besides, Mammon is a good friend of my parents, they won't hurt him unless he hurts me physically. I can't hurt him without drawing suspicion. I know it's now what you want to hear but it's the truth…"
"Figures,"She grumbled,"Course it ain't that easy…"
"It never is unfortunately," The Princess said,"I know you and I are far from the greatest pair of friends, and we've got a long way to go before we're BFF's, but I do want you to know that I'm one your side and that we're all in this together. You just have to trust me…"
"And how will I know this won't lead us to another dead end?"
"You don't, but I won't intentionally lead you astray. I understand your skepticism and that you don't believe things can get better, but I believe that you can improve yourself if you just give yourself a chance."
Velvet seemed skeptical about Charlie's words, examining the Princess closely. Charlie's bright and brown eyes met with her magenta ones that were filled with despair for the future, as if she was uncertain what would happen next.
She most certainly didn't trust Charlie's word completely, though it didn't seem like she had much of a choice in the matter. The Princess was the only one who cared about their well-being and she was probably the only reason they were still alive.
It was rather pathetic to have to rely on another person to get you out of a situation and Velvet hated being so helpless, this cage preventing her from doing anything meaningful. Charlie was the only one who could do anything and the fact she had to put her faith in Lucifer's daughter wasn't easing her mind…
"Whatever you do, you better make sure that Mammon's deal with Vox is broken sooner or later, cuz I don't wanna deal with that clown's bullshit any longer than you do."
"I'll do my best….I'll see you soon, Velvet.."
Velvet didn't respond, merely sitting back in her cell and curling up into a ball. She wasn't as lively as social media made her out to be(then again that was probably the isolation and betrayal talking).
Charlie had to admit, when she first met Velvet, she had a hard time believing that this was the social media pop-star everyone talked about. She seemed more like a teenage girl who was in over her head than a terrifying threat.
Not that she was saying Velvet was harmless(she was anything but) but she seemed a lot less volatile once you stripped her of her demonic form. She looked human…a helpless and terrified human who was unable to defend herself within this godforsaken cell…
Charlie swore she'd get her out eventually. Not today or tomorrow, but one day…
When Charlie went to Niffty's cell, she noticed something very off about her cell. There were a lot of spiderwebs. Normally she'd dismiss it as Niffty's cell being old and not being cleaned, however she noticed that Niffty was allowing a spider to crawl on her hand.
"Uh…Niffty, what are you doing?"
"Huh?" Niffty turned around before noticing Charlie and smiling,"Oh, hey, Charlie. That's a pretty dress you've got there. Must be nice being the King's daughter, you've got the nicest of things up in the palace…"
"It's not all rainbows and sunshine,"Charlie admitted,"Especially with my friends behind bars…"
"Aw, were you worried about us?" Niffty asked sweetly,"That's rather sweet of you, Charlie. It's nice to know someone still cares about us. I would've thought with your royal duties you would've forgotten about us."
"I would never…" She said,"Though…I have to ask, are you alright? Has the prison been treating you alright?"
Niffty shrugged,"It could be worse I suppose. Though the cleanliness standards are truly what's bothering me. This prison is filthy and I despise the conditions we are kept in. Especially the showers, the lack of soap and the grime…it's just horrible.."
"I can imagine…"She said,"I'll try seeing if I can improve these conditions. But can I ask why you have a spider with you? I thought you hated bugs…"
"Oh this little fella? He's my friend!" She exclaimed,"You see, it's been getting pretty lonely down here and there's not a lot to do other than stare at the walls. I would've cleaned this place up had I had any tools and when I saw the spiderweb I was tempted to take it down…yet something stopped me.."
"Something?"
"I can't quite explain it but I feel…at ease when I'm around spiders. Maybe I'm just going crazy but it feels like these little critters are my friends and I feel a special sort of bond between them when they're near…"
Charlie was a little unsure what to think, she was tempted to believe Niffty was growing delirious from prolonged exposure to the prison though she couldn't help but feel something was wrong. It was one thing for NIffty to view these spiders as friends to feel a connection towards them was unnerving.
"Can you explain this feeling?"
"I don't know what the feeling is exactly, but it feels like they understand me. I've never felt this way about any of the other insects I've seen and perhaps it's my imagination running wild, but I do believe I have something with these creatures as crazy as it may sound. Isn't that right Harry?"
"Does it have a name?"
"Of course he has a name, Charlie. Don't be so rude, Harry is a feeling and sentient being just like the rest of us. He deserves to be referred to as a person, not as some sort of object. That could hurt his feelings.``
Charlie blanked, she was certain Niffty had lost it at that point but decided it was best to play along as she stammered out an apology,"Oh sorry…Didn't mean to offend…him.."
"It's alright, Harry understands a very understanding spider…" Niffty explained as she pat him on the head,"Isn't that right, Harry? You understand don't you?" There was a pause before Niffty began rubbing her head up against him comfortingly,"Aw, see? You're such a sweetheart, always eager to forgive…"
Charlie sweat dropped, perhaps being in prison for so long was taking its toll on Niffty's mental health and she couldn't help but find herself disturbed as Niffty treated that spider like it was a pet.
"By the way, there is a reason you're here isn't it?"
"I…I just wanted to tell you that I'm not giving up on you guys and that despite all the changes, we're all still friends. I know it's a lot to take in, but I need you to trust Vox…"
"Are you certain about that?" Nifft asked wearily,"Trusting that man cost us our freedom. Alastor always said he was a scoundrel and I always had a bad feeling about that TV Demon. You should know better than to fall for his lies. No doubt Mammon promised him a big prize if he sold himself to him. He did this to himself and there's no reason to feel pity on someone who brought misfortune onto themselves."
"It's not true though, Vox only made the deal to rescue Helsa. It didn't quite go as planned since Helsa never loved him, but he only wanted to save her."
"Aw…what a sad thing to say. That's quite unfortunate. Though are you certain he's telling the truth? This could be another lie he made up in order to save himself from judgment. Liars always lie in order to make themselves sympathetic to the rest of the world…"
"I promise he's telling the truth. I know you won't understand, but Vox is on our side and I want you to understand that. Because when I get you guys out of here, he is coming with us…"
"Hmm…I don't quite trust your word, Charlie…This could be another trick, however on the off-chance you are being told the truth by Vox, I still would advise you to be cautious. Deal making is a dangerous game and Vox has made a costly decision on his part and helping him would likely be impossible."
"It wouldn't hurt to try…"
"You're a determined woman, Charlie. I like that. I do wish you the best of luck and I hope that you do find a way to get us out of here because truth-be-told, this cell is getting rather cramped. I'd love to see the world again with Alastor. Oh how I miss him dearly…"
"Do you want me to go see him? I don't have much time but I can tell him that you said hi…"
"That would be nice. I'd prefer seeing him face to face but I suppose I'll take what I can get…"
"Oh…and NIffty?"
"Yes…"
"Do you want some soap? Vox had some to spare and I had the feeling you'd want one before I leave."
"Of course, anything to keep myself clean…" She took the soap that smelled like cherry blossoms. It wasn't much but she figured it'd at least keep her smelling fresh given there was no soap in the prison.
"Niffty missed you, Al…"
Alastor didn't budge from his position much, only tilted his head ever so slightly at Niffty's name,"Aw…so the little darling does miss me. I'm quite thankful for that, I thought I was the only one getting rather lonely," He remarked from the inside of his cage, the blind man's smile unwavering,"How I wish I could see her face again. It would be like Heaven's light itself shining on me if I could see her again.."
"Maybe we can fix your eye-sight later on, Al…"
"In this world? Puh-lease, Charlie," He scoffed,"What wacky nonsense. I doubt there's even a way to fix my blindness in this time period. At least, not one that exists.."
"You still don't believe the Tower exists?"
"Charlie, I hate to burst your bubble but the prospect of some magical Tower all the way out in Holy Wonderland sounds a little farfetched to me. I know you just want to keep your hopes up but I truly believe this is a fruitless venture. Even supposing this Tower even exists, who says it has the power to take us home? What then? Do we just live out our lives in this realm for all eternity?"
"I…I'm not sure. We'll get there when we get there, Al. We don't know for sure if it's real or not. I understand your skeptics but you have to bear with me, especially since we still need to get out of here."
"Still determined to break us out? Interesting. And how do you suppose you do that, Charlie?""
"I'm working on it, Al…" She admitted her uncertainty,"I know it sounds dumb but I still haven't thought everything out yet and I need time to think. Especially since I still have to deal with Mammon's influence over Vox as a factor."
"You still trust that pompous TV? Even after everything he's caused to happen to us?"
"Al, I know you and Vox have a very heated rivalry, but Vox really didn't mean for this to happen. He was trying to save Helsa from Mammon. He really cared for her and unfortunately, his feelings weren't returned and he ended up being used.."
Al rolled his eyes,"Gullible fool. To think he could trust someone so easily. He of all people should know better than to fall for a pretty face. I knew he was superficial but that is just pathetic."
"Al, it wasn't just a crush, he loved her…he really did and Helsa just tossed him out in the garbage. I know you don't care about Vox and you probably enjoy his suffering, but I want to make things clear with you, Al, Vox is not the enemy. He isn't deserving of your ire, Mammon and the other Deadly Sins are, so you should learn who your allies and your enemies really are…"
"I'm well aware of who my friends and enemies are. Vox is still my enemy, Charlie, just because we are on the same side doesn't mean I have to forget that. I hate the bastard with every fiber of my being and nothing will ever change that, Charlie. Do not expect me and Vox to get along longer than necessary. This alliance is temporary and while I understand your intent, you cannot make us be friends with each other."
"I never said you had to be friends, Al. You're the one making accusations. All I'm saying is that you're all in the same situation and that it's best to work to reach a common goal. Your rivalry is truly the least of your worries at the moment and there are far more deadly and dangerous threats to deal with. So please, don't forget who your true enemies are. Because you don't know what your allies are going through, Alastor. Everyone is dealing with demons that they don't want to talk about, yourself included. But we can't let those demons stop us, understand?"
Al remained silent for a moment. If he could actually see Charlie he probably would've looked her straight in the eye and merely said,"Fair enough, Charlie. I see your point. Though I'll make this clear, I frankly don't care what Vox is going through as it is not my problem."
Charlie winced, that was cold. She knew they were rivals but that actually hurt just hearing the hatred in his tone, cutting her like a knife.
"Still, I shall try and do my best to tolerate his presence as fighting will get us nowhere…"
"I'm thankful you've agreed to that, Al. I know you don't have to, but I appreciate you trying to cooperate for everyone else's sake. You're doing us all a massive favor…"
"Don't mention it, Charlie…By the way, you should probably get going. They might notice you hanging out with the prisoners and wonder what you're doing."
"Oh yeah…you're right…I really should get going. Bye, Al. I'll see you later."
Once Charlie was gone, Al sighed and shook his head. The world around him was dark and black. He couldn't see anything other than darkness and he still hadn't adjusted to the loss of his vision. It was terrifying even after all this time and Al wished Charlie had stayed just so he could feel at peace…
At times like this, he wished Niffty were right beside him, cuddling up against him just so he could feel warm and whole again. Because inside of this cramped cell, he felt so alone as his thoughts flooded his mind. He couldn't do anything other than lay in bed and use his dreams as a temporary escape from the hellish nightmare he found himself in every morning. This prison was Hell and he despised every second of it...
Thanks for 10,664 views, tell me what you think below and feel free to ask questions if you want.
Guest: Yeah, but it's mainly HH focused with HB appearing sometimes.
Enigmus-288: A bit like that. It's not impossible but he'd need to be properly trained to do that sort of thing. Well Helsa was being an ice queen bitch as per usual but Seviathan...he has a grudge...a grudge he hasn't gotten over. He's got a bone to pick with Charlie and he's biding his time for a chance to seek retribution...