We are slowly diving more into the secrets of Cattaleya's previous life. And her search for a job in Hell... Disclaimer for coming chapter: Magical Asian headrubs to not make headaches/hangsovers dissapear in real life (sad sobbing)
After arriving back from their shopping trip, Cattaleya went up to her room to pack away the bags Angel had flung onto her bed unceremoniously. Alone, she has the headspace to mull over some things she had come to realize here and there. First of all, the biggest one, in death she is free. Free to roam. Free to do whatever she wants. Free to not listen to demands. Free to not kill. A strange feeling to have. Because now that means she is also free to do what she wants. To smile. To feel. To make choices on her own. But what choices would those be? All she had ever known was to… Well, get a target and kill. Though even if she is sure there might be jobs down here that she would be qualified for, like indeed killings, she is not sure she wants to do that anymore now that she doesn't have to. On the other hand, what else can she do?
She suppose she can play music, being taught a wide variety of musical instruments. And she could sing when alive, not knowing if she can sing in this form. But does she want to be a performer? Live her life on a stage? Hmm, probably not. From the shadows to the bright lights might be too big of a leap for her comfort zone. But then what else? Perhaps she could ask Charlie for a job around the hotel for the time being. But Alastor takes care of the cooking and she honestly doesn't want to be a cleaning maid. Beggars can't be chooser though. Perhaps she should head out into town soon to see what else might be there. If today has been any indication, she is good to roam.
Thinking about that, no demon had even remotely come close to attacking her or advancing on her. So that is a positive thing. Though she keeps in mind that not all days will be this non confrontational. Perhaps she should purchase a weapon or something of that sort to keep on her. It would make her feel more at ease even if she could easily kill without if necessary. Wait. How does killing actually work when one is dead…
She will ask Charlie later.
When Cattaleya is done putting away her new clothes she decides to head back downstairs as there is not much else to do on her own alone in her room. The lobby is quiet, almost empty, except for the barkeep laying on the counter out of sheer boredom. "May I join?"
"The fuck I care."
Even if the comment is rude, she can't help but crack a grin as she sits down. Husker might not be in for a conversation as the poor guy seems to be having a hangover, rubbing his temples in annoyance and discomfort. "Do you have a headache?"
"How shitting observant."
Cattaleya scrunches her nose a bit up because of his vulgar mouth. "I am not going to help you if you continue being this rude."
This rubs him the wrong way so he glares at her. "Did I ask for help? No."
She shrugs. "Fine by me. I just thought you would have liked to have a remedy for your pain. I could make it disappear within ten minutes."
This seems to pique his interest as he raises one eyebrow but then he huffs an unbelieving laugh. "If that was true, if there was some magical fucking remedy for hangovers, I would have known already."
"Again, suit yourself. But believe me when I say that Western medicine and methods are rather uninspired compared to Asian ones."
Husker seems to hesitate for a second before he sits up with narrowed eyes. "Fine. Try it. But if you do some weird voodoo shit on me I will smack you blue, kid." Apparently the nuisance of having that headache over screams the skepticism he feels.
"You may." Cattaleya says with a light chuckle. "Lay down on the ground."
"Why?"
"Keep an open mind. It'll only work when you're literally grounded." With some grumbling and wondering out loud why he was doing it he obeys. Arms folded, on the ground. "Arms relaxed by your side and eyes closed." More grumbling but he does as she says. She sits down on her knees behind his head. "Now, I will be touching some pressure points on your head, neck and shoulders. Don't talk. Don't think. Only concentrate on my hands."
With that being said, she starts her treatment of his headache, putting pressure on certain point of his scalp, massaging, opening some streams of negative energy in his body, letting it flow down by applying touch to the right spots. When she starts going down to his neck she can actually see his face relax more and more. She was working on him for a good fifteen minutes when she finally puts her index and middle finger at the bridge of his nose, rubbing softly up and down from his forehead to between his eyes. "And we're done." She says softly as she takes her hand away. "Stay done for a few more seconds to connect back with your body and then you can sit back up slowly."
When he does, Husker puts his hand on his head as if trying to physically feel the evidence of his headache being gone. "Holy shit, Kid. That actually worked." But then he seems to catch his smile. "Don't think this makes us friendly."
"Of course. But it does make me useful, doesn't it." She challenges with a big grin and he can't deny that. "In return I only ask for one thing.-" He narrows his eyes immediately, knowing he should have suspected some ulterior motives but her words surprise him. "- Some light polite conversation at times instead of an immediate 'fuck off'?"
Husker's mouth turns into a grinnish smile. "Could do that from time to time for you. If you help me out with that."
With a shared smile, they have come to an understanding. Making friends in a place like this isn't that bad she suppose.
With the headache gone, the cat is visibly more likely to chat. Showing her some card tricks and telling her his sin. Gambling. Having drunk himself to death. Which is no surprise. If booze could kill in Hell he would have probably been dead more than a few times.
"How about you, kid? What's your deal?"
Her deal? She ponders as she sips the water he had given her. She wonders if she should dive into the true depths of… her deal. But perhaps this is indeed a new start. A clean slate. And for that seed to come to fruit, she needn't dwell on the past. How she was shaped into what she came to be, she could and should leave it behind. She didn't need the scrutinizing, nor the sympathy. So she will keep it simple for as long as she is able. "Assassinations. Ordered to kill." Clear enough.
Husker whistles as he lowers his booze. "No way. You are some strange Japanese ninja shit?"
"You can call me that." Cattaleya has always hated the term ninja. She is not. But it is best to not correct him on it.
"Call Feathers what?" Angel walks in, sucking on a lollipop as he takes a seat, which he now does a lot more seductively in Husker's direction.
"Ninja. Lady here was an assassin."
"No fucking way!" Angel says with a big grin. "That does explain how she was able to kick Mister Creepy Grin to the curb."
"That was on instinct." Cattaleya says in her defense behind her glass. "I do feel slightly bad for doing that."
"Ha! Don't." Husker takes a big swing from his booze. "Fucker deserves every punch to his face, body or dick he gets. Be glad though that he hasn't peeled your skin off of your flesh yet and count the lucky blow as a win."
"Oh come on. Don't make him look that bad." She says with a chuckle. He may be threatening but overall he has been a gentleman after their first initial meeting.
Angel and Husker share a glance, wondering if they should warn her before Angel speaks. "Yeah about that. He is bad shit, Feathers. Like real bad. The biggest evil among demons." Cattaleya rolls her eyes a bit but Angel puts a hand on her shoulder, actually looking worried. "I am serious, Toots. Stay away from him as much as you can if you want to see more of your afterlife."
Her smile drops a bit, remembering the initial sense of evil that had radiated off of him. "Care to explain more instead of keeping me in the vague?"
"No one knows where he actually came from-" Husker takes over. "- or how his powers came to be. But the second he arrived he began killing and overthrowing Overlords left and right. Ancient demons who had been ruling for decades. With ease he carnaged his way through them, broadcasting it all on his sick radio show for all Hell to hear. Since then he became known as the Radio demon, one of the most powerful Overlords hell has ever seen. Everyone knows damn well to stay clear of him and never make a deal with him. And if he is being kind to you, if he has his eyes set on you for whatever sick game he is playing, you should be very careful."
Cattaleya stocks that information in the back of her mind. Perhaps she should indeed be more mindful of her… Company. "That does explain why no one dared approach on our trip." She says, remembering his words, back then thinking it had been an egocentric joke. It had not been. He just knew no one would even dare come into his range.
"Just hang low. Be boring to him. Then he'll leave you alone eventually. You are too fresh and new now. But he is like an adult toddler who will drop his toy once he is done playing with it."
Cattaleya smiles at them. "Thank you for your concerns." Angel in reply just shrugs and Husker waives the gratitude off but she knows that some part of them must have warned her out of some form of worry.
Speaking off the Radio Demon, he comes out of the kitchen humming as he adjusts his bowtie. "Dinner is ready. Angel, be a dear and go fetch the others." Without waiting for so much as a reply he heads back into the kitchen. Angel begrudgingly obeys, knowing better than to go against the demon and soon everyone is seated.
Alastor, once again, helping Cattaleya into the chair seated next to him and serving her a piping hot bowl with for her unknown content. "What have you prepared?"
"Jambalaya, my mother's famed recipe. Talking about her this morning stirred a nostalgic need to make one of my favorite dishes."
Cattaleya can't help but think the affection he openly has for his mother is quite adoring. Nonetheless, she should not forget the lurking danger underneath. She claps her hands together, thanking him for the food, before digging in. Just as breakfast, an explosion of flavors and she bites back a moan. When she glances to her left, his predatory gaze is still on her, seizing up her reaction. She can't help offer him a soft smile before she continues eating, trying not to show how much she actually enjoys it. Though the satisfied nod of his head before he starts eating as well says enough.
Before she realizes, her bowl is empty, the table being cleared.
"Charlie, could I speak with you for a minute?" Cattaleya asks before she has the chance to leave the lobby.
"Oh sure! Did you have fun today?" She asks with her regular enthusiasm and care. The sweetheart of Hell. How did she even end up here?
"More than expected."She admits which makes Charlie grin more. "But that also leads a bit to my question. Like I already said before, I want to pay you back. That means I will need something akin to a job. As I am not sure yet what I could do outside this hotel, I was wondering if you have any work you need to have done around the Hotel?"
"Well-"
"What a lovely work ethic you have, my dear!" Alastor suddenly pops up out of the shadows, having possibly been eavesdropping, before he wraps an arm around her waist and once again pulls her flush against him. He has the weird tendency of being touchy. "One that I would personally be able to put to good use! I could always use an assistant as lovely as yourself. What do you say?" He holds out his hand for her to shake and something in the back of her mind warns her to definitely NOT shake it.
"I politely decline."
His laughing is more sarcastic than anything else. "And what reason would you have to decline? Is there a better offer on the table?" She glances at Charlie but she gives her an apologetic smile, not knowing anything she could be doing either. "And did you not say you were in need of finances as you so dearly nobelly want to repay our sweet Charlotte?"
"I do. But I also realize that dancing with a devil might not serve me well at the end of the line."
Cattaleya says steadily, unblinking, not honeying her words to show him that she is wiser than he would think. That she is no lamb awaiting the slaughter. The look in his eyes shift, they narrow, that hidden predatory gleam shimmering through as his teethy grin widens. "Oh, but if you do you'll find out that I am rather sublime at dancing. You might even enjoy it."
"I have been dancing with devils enough. I am not going to in my afterlife."
His grin widens more, if that is even possible. "And here I was thinking we were sharing an enjoyable day together."
"We did. So how about-" She puts her fingers over his outstretched ones and closes them. "- we keep this friendly instead of professional."
"How about I keep it in mind, think about it and let you know when something pops up!" Charlie chimes in to push through the rising tension between the two.
Cattaleya shoots her a smile and takes a step forward to take her hands, effectively stepping out of the demon's grasp. "That would be splendid. Thank you. I'll be retiring to my room now. It has been a long day. Good night." She gives a small bow and leaves. Feeling the eyes on her till she rounds the corner of the hallway.
Classic jazz music plays while Alastor paces his room in rhythm with the sounds of times long forgotten. He humms as he takes his jacket off and neatly hangs it, not to be wrinkled, thinking about the enigma of a woman that is in his claws. She smiles with angelic lips and talks with a melody of heavens. While her eyes blaze fire like a demon's wrath when provoked. Her tongue serenading polite songs while also spewing sharp cuts. Innocent looking because of the white surrounding her but blushingly sinful when clad in black.
What an enigma indeed. Such contradictions.
One of his shadows forms into the shape of her. His hand places in the curve of her waist while the other takes a hold of her hand, guiding her, gliding over the floor in a slow waltz. No one can outrun the dance for long. And he wants to dance with her. For a long long time.
"How lovely you will be to break, my dear."
Will he break her? Who knows! Sharing thoughts, what you liked/disliked and reviews is nice :3. Knowing what you all think makes me happy and giddy.