Voe's attempts were falling flat. Alastor seemed to tolerate her more when she was being mean. These days he just avoided her or watched her from afar. She seemed a bit lost on what she could do next. It took her many days to even consider doing what she chose to do next. The thing she hated most when it came to men, apologizing.
She had to sneak up on him to get close to him without him leaving. "Hi," she spoke from behind
Alastor turns his head 180 degrees again to address who he heard "Oh, it's you," he spoke sounding tired and bored before turning the rest of his body around to face her.
"Yes, it's me. I wanted to tell you something."
He rolls his eyes "Please cease your attempts at false flattery, I can see right through them and it is getting increasingly irritating to hear."
She crosses her arms "If you would let me finish." she sighs deeply "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."
His eyes widen, then squint again, unsure of if this was another attempt at conning him "Whatever for?"
"For messing with you before I even got to know you. I should've waited until we knew each other a lot better before I started messing with you," she smirks at the flat delivery of her joke
"Okay," he rubs his chin "I accept your 'apology'"
She drops her arms "Okay great, now can you stop avoiding me?"
"Oh, I see. You just want attention."
"Is that bad?" She asks, not really expecting an answer
"Why don't you seek attention from your other little friends?"
"I have their attention, I want yours."
"Why?"
"What would I look like not socializing with the only other deer I've seen in Hell? It's criminal!"
"We both know that you don't care that I'm a deer. Why don't you talk to someone that's not a," he gives her a closed-lip smile "Fossil?"
He'd gotten her there, and he could tell too, by the ginormous grin that he gave her after that question. It amused her but also pissed her off. She squints at the potential challenge.
"Well, call me an archeologist." She beams in response
"I get the feeling that you're not actually sorry,"
"Why is that?"
"I don't know if you can tell but your facial expressions tell me that you think this is a joke."
"Well, the last thing I said was a joke." She bats her lashes
He places his hands behind his back "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to get my attention, darling." he walks away, leaving her annoyed yet newly invigorated. She could definitely do this, she was sure of it.
"Hey Angel," She plops down next to the spider
"What?"
"So you've been here a while, right?"
"At the hotel?"
"Yeah,"
He looks off to the side "Uh, I guess so yeah. Is this gonna be another one of your weird questions, cuz I'm not sure if I'm into it today-"
"What do you know about Alastor?"
"Other than him being freaky? And not in a good way, mind you, nothing."
"Really, nothing? You've learned nothing about him?"
"He doesn't open up to anybody. Why? He bother you again?"
She pouts "No," She lays back on the couch "But how are you?"
"Uh, I'm okay,"
"You sure?"
"Yes."
She smiles warmly "Okay. Can I hug you?"
Angel is very confused "Sure?" He embraces her with his four arms and it's a very comfy hug
"You're a soft baby," she says with a cute smile and walks off
Angel looks down at his phone "That chick's weird" and shakes his head
"Hi Luci!" she enters his study, very calmly and quietly
He turns to see her "Oh hey! How are ya, Ducky? I just started working on that rubber duck you asked for."
She sits down and scooches closer to Lucifer "Oh, thank you, Luci! You made it brown, like me!"
He shifts a little in his chair "Oh, yeah. I hope that's not bad."
"Oh no, it's good" she reached up and ran her fingers through his silky hair "It's very good. Good job, Luci," the pitch of her voice getting lower and her strokes getting slower and touching more of his scalp. "I have a question for you Luci, you know all about the denizens of Hell, right?"
"Hahaha no!"
"No?"
"No…"
"Why no?"
"Because I have depression!" he says with a grin "And that makes me dissociate! So I know nothing!"
"Oh, I didn't know that, I'm sorry Luci. Would you like a hug?"
"Aww, of course." he outstretches his arms and embraces the doe. Voe places her chin on his shoulder and scowls, knowing that this is a lost cause.
She thought about asking Niffty but seeing the way she flitted around chasing bugs in the hotel, with her eyes full of manic energy. She knew that while she was lovely, she was probably not the right choice to get information from.
She went up to Husker at the bar when it was empty, taking a seat on a stool, waiting for him to turn around and see her.
"What do you want?" he speaks in a disinterested tone
"I want a fruity drink Husker," She adjusts herself on the stool
"Mhmm, here." he slides her a margarita glass filled with whiskey and plops an apple in it.
They sit there staring at each other with straight faces before Voe speaks again "Okay…" she slides the glass away "Fine I actually wanted to talk to you."
"Alright" he stares without changing his expression
She leans forward on the counter "Can you tell me all the things you know about Alastor?" she whispers
Husk laughs dryly "What that he's an asshole?"
She rolls her eyes "Yeah, but like stuff about him. Like things that you know. I know you know something."
"I know lots of somethings" he crosses his arms "What do you even want to know?"
Voe flashes her eyes "Everything,"
"Oh, I get it. You wanna know if he's seeing someone,"
Voe throws her hands up "What? No!"
"I see the way you look at him and 'bother' him. It's like you're screaming 'screw me'. It's disgusting." He takes a swig of a bottle
Voe shakes her head furiously "NO!"
"Mhmm. Everyone around here thinks that you like him. Maybe you should correct that."
"Wait, who's everyone?"
"Everyone."
"Like, even Charlie and Vaggie?"
"Mhmm"
"How do you know that?"
"If you ever came out your room, you'd know."
"What did they say?"
"They didn't have to. We see you always bickering. That's code for 'I like you'" He takes a long drink
"Why does it have to be romantic? We're just a man and a woman, arguing or debating or whatever."
"Mhmm."
"Wait, does he talk about me?"
"Why?"
"Because I want to know!"
"I ain't gotta tell you shit." he flips her off
"Does anybody talk about me?"
He smiles, as though this is one of the few joys of his day "Why do you wanna know about Alastor?"
"Just cuz! Look I don't know, I just do."
"Mhmm."
"Can you at least tell me one thing?"
"What?"
"Does Alastor talk about me?"
Husker taps his claws on the counter "Once."
Her eyes widen in surprise "Really?"
"Yep."
"You're not bullshittin' me right?"
"When do I ever bullshit?"
"Well, what did he say?"
He rolls his eyes at her "You asked for one thing. And why would I tell you my boss's private info anyway? Thought you were supposed to be smart."
"Ugh!" she drags herself off of the stool, purposefully tipping over and spilling the margarita glass as she goes.
"Hello?"
"Yes hello, love. It's me. I'm calling to see how much info you've gotten so far."
"Umm, not very much. This guy's like a locked box."
"Well, you better find the key or some pliers and unlock it, because Vox wants to interview you on his show next week. Do whatever you need to. Fuck him if you need to!"
"Wait what?"
"We're counting on you!"
Once Velvette hung up the call, Voe lowers her phone and things about the things she said. They were counting on her, this was her job on the line. She has to get something out of him by next week. Something interesting to talk about. She was going to be on TV! She still had no clue of how to get this info though, she thought about Velvette's suggestion.
Fuck him.
She didn't really do that when she was alive, but most men are a lot easier to crack than Alastor was. She leaned on the wall, wondering if it would come down to that. Fucking Alastor. The thought had crossed her mind fleetingly in the past. He was a very attractive man, nice and pleasant to look at. Charming, and graceful with his hands. She closed her eyes, thinking of how that might go. She slid down the wall onto the floor imagining that iron grip that he used on her wrist, being locked around her waist. His sharp teeth biting down on her neck, and him towering over her as he'd lay her down on a bed. He was quite slim, but that never bothered her, and he'd use his hands for much more than just preparing food-
"My dear, what are you doing on the floor?" she heard his voice in front of where she sat
She looked up, seeing his tall frame looming above her, his head facing forward and his eyes on her. She takes a huge breath and stands "What?"
"Why are you on the dirty floor? I thought you had better taste than that." His hands are behind his back, holding his cane as his eyes rise with her
"Just…thinking." her gaze doesn't meet his, in fear of her cheeks turning pink
"About what?" he tilts his head, grin as wide as ever
"Nothing of your concern," she dusts off her dress
Alastor examines his nails "I've heard that you've been asking around about me."
"And how exactly have you heard that."
"You've been asking around. And, my good friend Husker informed me of your latest query."
She huffs "That son of a bitch,"
"If you wanted to know about me, you could just ask."
She scoffs "Right, like you'd tell me anything."
"You don't know what I'd say. You haven't asked. Not every 'grown woman' of you."
She rolls her eyes "Oh please, that's how the adult world works. What did Husk tell you?"
"That you wanted to talk to me,"
"Okay, I did not say that."
"So you do not desire to know anything about me? For your interview with Vox?"
She stares with a blank expression "How do you know about that?"
"It's all over that application that you love so much." he glances up while his head is oriented down towards his nails
"How would you have seen that? You hate phones and computers and all that shit."
"I have my ways," he returns his hand to its original place "So, would you like to know things?"
Voe side-eyes him "Why do you think I want to know things about you for my interview?"
"Because you're going to be on Vox-2-Nite. Do you know anything about me and Vox?
"No,"
He leans forward "Vox is…immature" he twirls his cane in one hand and passes it to the other "And he's certainly using you to get at me."
"Or maybe he's interested in my talent and personality because maybe not everything is about you fucker!" She's sitting forward now, a bit flush. She takes a moment before leaning back
"There she is," his smile seemed more genuine than it had in a while. Voe smiled back a little shy. She supposed that maybe there was a spot in between that she just needed to learn how to strike. "I'm sure Vox wants to hear all about you and your talents." he turns to walk away
"Wait," she steps forward, he stops and turns his head back to look at her "Why would you tell me things about you to tell Vox?"
"Because I just love to help out Wayward sinners,"
"For some reason, I don't believe that." she crosses her arms and smirks
"You don't have to believe me, all you have to do is listen" his smile turning mischievous and evil in the most attractive way possible
"Quiet on set!" Velvette screamed to the camera crew. She turns to Voe "Listen, don't look at the crowd. Anytime Vox asks for your opinion, you say that you agree."
"So I just agree with everything?"
"Yes. Well, unless Vox says something like, 'I'm such a terrible person.'"
"So I would say like, 'oh of course not.'"
"No. That sounds condescending. Say something like 'you could never be a bad person'. Or you could say 'Not as bad as Alastor', and that would bring him into his favorite topic."
"Alastor," she concluedes
"Yes," Velvette adjusts the outfit that her model is wearing. A silk top unbuttoned with a silk crop top mimicking the look of a bra and silk trousers, all in hot pink. "You look delightful. You're welcome. You go on in 1 minute. You've got this okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Of course."
"Are you nervous?"
"Umm.."
"Here, drink this." She hands Voe a flask and she takes a drink from it. She gags at the taste "Liquid courage. Put some hair on your chest." she laughs "Though I prefer yours hairless" she winks at Voe.
She doesn't take the time to register her boss's wink, before hearing the countdown
"And we're live in 5! 4!"
"Okay, get out there honey buns!" Velvette pushes her and simultaneously slaps her butt.
Once Voe gets up to the set, she blushes and waves to Vox, who proceeds to ignore her.
"And we're LIVE!"
"Good evening good denizens of Hell! My name is Vox and welcome to another glorious episode of Vox-2-Nite!" The crowd cheers on cue and Vox accepts the praise "This evening, we have a very special guest, a newer face in Hell, working with my colleague, Velvette! Say a hellish hello to Voe the Beau!"
Voe waves at the audience and the camera "Hello," Velvette signals offset to her to stop talking.
"Ho ho quite the chatterbox, are we?" the audience laughs at Vox'x 'joke. Voe's cheeks turn pink as she returns to silence. "So I hear you're a newcomer, how's Hell treating you?"
She looks toward Velvette who gestures for her to speak "Oh, um. I'm sorry. I am so nervous. I can't believe I'm here being interviewed by the Vox."
"Well, anybody would be lucky to be here."
"I'd say Hell is treating me quite well."
"I see you've made quite a name for yourself. Where did you get such confidence?"
She leans back in her chair "Well, it's hard to not have confidence when you're a bad bitch." the audience laughs and Vox forces a smile
"So, we hear that you've been doing your lives from the 'Hazbin' Hotel. Tell us about that."
She nods "Yes, I've been living there since I dropped into Hell."
"So do tell, are you buying into this redemption nonsense?"
She glances at Velvette "Well, I think that it's quite an ambitious project, but I believe that Princess Morningstar has got her hands full."
"Indeed she does. Haha! You know, our sources have told us that you have a certain guest living there with you. The Radio Demon," the audience 'ohs'
"Well, he's an employee," she speaks with an award-winning grin
"Indeed he is. How's he been treating you?"
"Well, he mostly stands in the back of activities and tries to remain as mysterious as possible,"
"Haha, have you seen this post?" Behind him, Vox displays a post that reads 'Yo the Radio Demon made voetheBeau cry!' Voe's eyes widen, with a tight smile fixed on her face. "What a jerk am I right?" the audience reacts in muted horror "Well, was this the truth or not?"
"I admit that I had a less than pleasant run-in with…the Radio Demon, but to clarify, I did not cry."
"Ladies and gentlemen, as you all heard the Radio Demon is a piece of SHIT! Who deserves to have his HEAD ON A STAKE AND HIS STUPID FUCKING CANE, SHOVED UP HIS DEER A-"
Velvette coughs offset "We're still live."
Vox simmers down "The Radio Demon is for sure a jerk!" He readjusts his tie.
Voe feels as though she has to plaster the grin on her face. She is filled with confusion and slight terror.
"There's been some news that he's been saying some things about me?"
"Well… he did say something about mentioning you in his next broadcast."
"Oh did he?" Vox's grin widens "Well let him know that if he's got a mouthful, then I'm all ears" The audience laughs again, but Voe does not because she doesn't see why that's supposed to be funny
"He says that he'll be taking the time to finally address his relationship with you," Vox laughs evilly
"Finally, the Radio Demon will finally admit his wrongdoings" Vox's laugh gets louder and more intense "FINALLY READY TO ADMIT, HUH ALASTOR?! YOU'RE OBSESSED WITH ME! OBSESSED!"
Voe watches as the TV personality goes feral and in that moment, her face falls, as she realizes that this was clearly a setup. She looks at Velvette to know what to do. Velvette is on her headset, speaking to Vox. "VOX GET IT TOGETHER WE ARE STILL LIVE! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING YOURSELF AND ME!"
Vox throws caution to the wind, as well as his desk. He stands and does a classic evil laugh, practically foaming at the mouth. Voe scoots back and looks at the camera with shock.
"We're drowning, get out of there Voe, NOW!" her boss' voice instructed. Voe stands and is escorted offstage as Vox grabs one of the cameras and laughs into it. "Cut the cameras!"
The curtain lowers as an announcer's voice is heard "That's all for Vox-2-Nite!" and Vox's laughter is drowned out by the audience cheering.
"I never want to do that again," Voe comments as the mic is removed from her person
"You did great!" Velvette raved
"I basically said nothing," she pushes her hair behind her ear
"Exactly! Most greedy bitches try to cut Vox off and make it about themselves. But we're the Vees, we're running the show. It's about us. "
"Huh," Voe takes a moment to take this in
"Besides, you're a model. People don't know you for your thoughts. It's all about your pretty face! All you have to do is be pretty and you're nailing it!" Vox walks backstage as if nothing happened "Vox! You did great! Look, ratings went up!" she shows him her tablet
"Excellent!"
"All because of you Vox!"
"Well, of course. Who else would it be?" he turns to Voe "You did a great job, Doe, next time try a little less chatter. Okay? Okay." and then he walks away
Voe turns back to her boss "Does he do that a lot?"
"Ugh, you don't know that half of it. But, you're done for the night. Drop off the outfit and get your sweet buns outta here!" Velvette slaps her butt again "I'll see you at work," she winks walking off to yell at some cameramen.
Voe gets back to an empty hotel once again, the parlor dark and quiet. She almost walks past it, when she hears a creak in the floor. She turns toward the sound, staring and then sniffing. She puts her hand on her hip and calls out. "Alastor,"
He opens his glowing red eyes and shows off his golden grin before turning on a singular light "Yes, my dear?"
Voe marches over to the demon "You think you're so fucking funny, don't you? Hmm"
"I suppose I find myself a little humorous," he says before his grin takes up 90% of his face
"You had him foaming at the mouth!"
"Oh I know, poor Vox I hope he's okay."
She points at him "You don't give a shit about Vox."
"Nope." he just keeps on grinning
"And what, pray tell do you think will happen to me when he finds out this information is false?"
"When do you plan on telling him?"
She looks at him like he's stupid "Uh never!"
"Okay then. I hope you had a great interview. I loved all your answers."
Her eyes flit up "You watched it?"
"I did indeed, I just had to see his reactions when you told him."
She places both of her hands on her hips "And it has nothing to do with me?"
"Hmm. I think maybe a small piece of me wanted to mess with you," He leans down "Consider your feathers, ruffled."
She tries not to smile "Who says you ruffled my feathers?"
"Oh, the look on your face said it all, my dear."
"I'm going to slap your face,"
He stands back up straight "Take a go, if you can reach."
"You know Vox was right about one thing,"
His eyes light up "What's that darling?"
"You, are a jerk."
"Look at you learning something new every day." He walks past her whistling 'Getting to Know You' from The King and I.
She turns in his direction "Oh fuck you!" she yells after him.