And we're back. With a touch more angst and a small amount of sweetness.

Melody Dear

Chapter Twenty-One

Alastor returned to the hotel well after the dinner hour, holding his cane behind his back and a couple bags at his side. He had spent a fair bit of time in Cannibal Town, just talking and catching up with Rosie, leaving his fellow overlord to do some shopping and returning to take her to dinner. The day was relaxing, and it allowed for a bit of clarity.

"Have you given any thought to what you're gonna do?" Rosie had asked at one point during their meal.

He nodded. "A talk is in order," he told Rosie as he cut into his food. "And if it goes in half of the ways I think it will, an apology as well," he said calmly.

Rosie smiled at him. "I hope it works out well for you, my friend."

It was after nine when he opened the door, and Alastor was greeted by the sound of light and fast footsteps approaching. The Radio Demon instinctively looked down and saw Niffty jump up to hug him. "Hey Alastor! Where were you?" She asked before pulling back.

"Oh, I just visited a friend and ran a couple errands," Alastor said, tapping his cane on the ground.

Niffty looked down at his bags. "Are those for Melody? You haven't bought anything in a while," she said, blinking at the overlord.

"As a matter of fact, they are," he said, beginning to walk across the lobby. He noticed Charlie and Vaggie sitting in the parlor while Pentious was at the bar with Husk. Angel and Melody were nowhere to be seen. "The Wither starts in a few weeks, and the Tundra is coming up in the months after, so I grabbed her some warmer clothes, as well as some flower seeds that should better withstand the seasons," Alastor told her as they walked by the bar area.

He heard Husk grunt. "Since when did you start caring about the kid again?" He asked, glaring at the overlord.

Alastor turned to him, the static of changing a station playing as he narrowed his eyes at him. "Whoever said I stopped caring, Husker?" He asked, shaking his head at the former overlord. Pentious stared between the two with wide eyes, and Alastor could feel the women staring at his back.

Husk rolled his eyes. "This said by the guy who's been avoiding her for a month straight. What? You've changed your mind and decided to manipulate her feelings for you?"

Alastor's eyes widened and the lights flickered. Normally this would make Husk reconsider what he was saying, but the old cat was standing his ground. But, even if Charlie weren't present, Alastor still would have calmed himself, passing a relaxed smile to the bartender. "Now, now, Husker," Alastor said, walking towards the bar with a casual stride. "I was raised better than that. A true gentleman would never trifle with a woman's affections. It's far too cruel," he said, passing his bags to Niffty.

The maid took them and hopped down, standing between the men and watching with a shimmering eye. Husk just scoffed at him. "If that were true, you wouldn't be trying to lure her back to you," he said, grabbing the cloth he had over his shoulder to wipe down a glass.

"Hah!" Alastor said. "Even if that was my true intention, I wouldn't need gifts for Melody to come back to me," he said, tapping his cane on the ground and resting both hands on top of it. "But you're mistaken, my good man. Melody will need these to be able to do her job. As for my avoidance, it would be much crueler to interact with her as if our conversation never happened, don't you think?" He said more than asked, tilting his head.

"What conversation?" Charlie asked from behind them.

Alastor's eyes widened before he turned around. "Hm? Strange. I thought Melody had told everyone about that night," he said, slightly bewildered.

"What night?" Vaggie asked, crossing her arms.

"Um...the night Melody told Alastor that she has feelings for him," Pentious said, tugging at the collar of his shirt.

"Wait, what?" The girls both said in unison, staring at Alastor with wide eyes. The men and the maid nodded at them.

"And you didn't try to take advantage of her?" Vaggie said, more to clarify. "Why?"

Alastor rolled his eyes. "I believe I've already explained that, My Dear," he said. Besides, even if the overlord could fake romantic interest, he wouldn't. The image of his mother's disappointment would haunt him if he did.

Charlie stepped forward a little, fidgeting with her hands a little. "She just confessed and you turned her down?" She asked gently. Alastor nodded, but said nothing else. "But, she's been-"

"Sweet, patient, unbelievably understanding towards me?" Alastor said, counting his points on his free hand.

"Yeah. Is she really okay after that?" Charlie asked, frowning.

Alastor hummed and shifted his gaze towards the other men. "I think our pals here would be more informed on that than I," he said, narrowing his gaze a little and pointing his cane towards Pentious and Husk. "But, I needed some time and space to sort out things. In truth, I've grown to miss her," he admitted, more to put Charlie's mind at ease than out of any trust he had for the girl.

Everyone stared at him with wide eyes, taken aback by the statement. Charlie's eyes then began to sparkle. "Does that mean you're gonna talk to her?" She asked, folding her hands together.

"I do, actually." Charlie started squealing, making everyone but Niffty and Alastor to cringe. The overlord then looked around, half expecting the bat to come rushing down the stairs at the noise. "Now that you mention it, Charlie, where is Melody? I was hoping to speak to her when I returned," Alastor said, giving the princess a raised eyebrow.

Charlie stopped, giving Alastor a more sheepish smile. "Oh, Angel and his friend Cherri took her out for the night. They said not to expect them home until after midnight," she said.

Well, that was inconvenient, and the overlord said as much. However, he thanked Charlie and went to his room, resigning himself to wait until tomorrow. It was only fair, he supposed. After all, Melody had been quite giving about the whole ordeal. It was only right that she took some time to enjoy herself. Besides, her being gone allowed Alastor to get a head start on things he needed done for tomorrow. Useless paperwork and going over hotel costs, nothing too serious. Getting it done tonight would give him more time to do his more physically demanding tasks, and would hopefully offer him a night in the piano room. Perhaps with Melody...

Alastor finished the document he was on with a sigh. His talk with Rosie cleared the air in his head a little. Yes, he'd grown fond of Melody's company. To the point where he felt a possessiveness towards her, as well as something else he couldn't quite name. He knew it wasn't lust, but it also wasn't amusement like with so many others. Friendship felt closer, but it also felt wrong. And where Alastor didn't reciprocate her feelings towards him, the thought of her expressing them to another made him agitated.

The clock struck three in the morning, making Alastor get up and stretch. Normally he permitted himself a nap before now, but it was enduring. Besides, it wasn't like he slept normally anyways. Between his deer fur, Hell's wretched weather conditions, lack of any real fabric options for his clothes and bed sheets, as well as the hotel's need to keep everyone else comfortable, Alastor could only sleep a few hours at a time. Sometimes, he didn't sleep at all. He was used to it, but he did have days where he wished he could sleep in like the others, and he could tell today would be one of those days.

The sound of the hotel door bursting open reached his ears, making them twitch ever so slightly. Alastor hummed then dipped into the shadows, deciding to greet the drunken souls and make sure they got to their rooms. He manifested at the top of the balcony stairs in the lobby, but before any words could leave his lips, his voice disappeared as he watched the three souls in the lobby.

In three of Angel's arms was Melody, wrapped up in several coats, and held close to the spider. The bat was squeaking, chirping, and more importantly, sobbing uncontrollably. Melody was pressing her face into Angel's chest fur. The porn star was patting her head in silence while the other woman, Cherri he recalled, was speaking to Melody softly, and making sure none of the coats that covered her fell off. Both of the demons tending to her wore expressions mixed with worry, sadness and guilt, and only bore smiles if Melody opened her eyes to look at them. One of Melody's heels were missing, and Cherri was holding the necklace Alastor had bought her. The chain to which was broken.

Alastor's eyes changed to radio dials, his antlers grew, and the lights to the lobby flickered. He growled at the scene before him. "WHAT? HAPPENED?!" He yelled, his distorted voice echoing through the entire hotel. The two standing souls froze, looking up at him in nothing short of terror. They only looked away at the sound of Melody's chirped cries, the young soul starting to shake in Angel's arms.

"Hey! It's okay, Mels. It's just Alastor," Angel said, trying to soothe the girl. "We're home now!"

The Radio Demon stood rigid, one eye squinting, not sure how to proceed. He wanted to tear the two to shreds, but Melody's broken sobs made him stop. Was he really scaring her right now?

He forced himself to relax and joined the two on the main level. "Angel," Alastor addressed more calmly, his eyes never leaving Melody. "Explain."

Angel grimaced at the overlord, but turned his attention back to Melody. "We were about to head home," he said softly, still petting the bat's head. "I went to the bar to grab one last round of shots when a few fuckers grabbed me. Cherri helped me beat the shit out of 'em so we could go-"

"And one of 'em said they weren't paid enough for an ass kicking," Cherri finished, her soft gaze turning into a glare. She and Alastor faced each other. "That's when we realized Mel was gone! We stepped outside, we heard muffled screaming, and found some dark trees growing in an alley. And Mel was under one of them. Some fucking pigs grabbed her and shredded her clothes," she said.

Alastor's eyes widened. "Was she injured?" He asked, looking back at the spider.

"They hit her a few times," Angel said, meeting the overlord's gaze. "But nothing below the waist. And when I asked if they got that far, Melody shook her head," he added.

"Well, that's certainly a more favorable outcome compared to some of the alternatives," Alastor said, refusing to show relief. He instead looked to Melody's face, noticing that the cracks had spread and were pulsating, just as they had done in Cannibal Town the previous month. Perhaps worse. "How long ago did this happen?" Alastor asked, his eyes narrowing again.

"Not even half an hour ago," Cherri said.

"Oh, that's grand. She's in for a rough morning," Alastor said, tapping his cane to the floor. "Well, let's get her back to her room. Would you mind helping her into her nightgown, My Dear?" He asked, looking at Cherri. The tall cyclops agreed and they made their way up.

The two men waited outside while Cherri helped Melody get dressed. Once clothed, Alastor and Angel entered, the former holding a first aid kit. Melody was lying down on her side, curled into the fetus position, breathing quick and hard, stray tears falling onto her pillows. The branches and roots that from the black lines on her limbs were shifting, spreading and receding, only this time more sporadically. Cherri was behind her, rubbing circles on the girl's back with one hand, while the other kept her sitting up.

Angel sat at the foot of the bed while Alastor approached the head of it, the familiar clack of his shoes making Melody's ears twitch. Lavender eyes opened, their vision blurry from all the crying. Melody blinked a few times, letting her vision clear as Alastor manifested a chair to sit in. She didn't know what it was, but somehow having him in the room, in the same spot he always took when he watched over her before, allowed her breathing to calm a little.

Then her eyes widened. "Alastor?" Melody said, not believing what she was seeing. She had barely been paying attention to anything after Angel and Cherri found her. He nodded at her, but said nothing. "I...I'm sorry," Melody whispered, looking away from him. "They destroyed the dress you got me. They broke the necklace. I-I didn't want them to," she said, tears welling up in her eyes, and using one of her hands to grab her pillow.

Alastor's eyes widened at her, a small amount of static coming out of him. It made Melody flinch, sputtering out another apology. Cherri and Angel watched him as Alastor just stared at Melody, eyes narrowing slightly and seeming conflicted for a moment. Then he set the first aid kit down on the chair he conjured, then leaned his cane up against it. Alastor walked back over to the bed, sat next to Melody, and with a hooked finger, wiped her tears.

"Melody Dear, listen to what I have to say," he said, waiting for the bat to look at him again. It took a moment before she opened her eyes again, her tears coming out in full swing. Anger swelled in Alastor's chest but he forced it down. He'd have opportunities to vent later. "You have nothing to apologize for. None of this was your fault. Those vulgarians were responsible for all of this."

Her eyes widened, and the two friends were taken aback by Alastor's sincerity. The Radio Demon was aware of this, but he ignored it. Instead, he continued by saying: "Your necklace can get repaired, and your dress is replaceable. You are far more precious than both of them, and you've done nothing to deserve this pain."

The emotions that swirled in her eyes. Relief, joy, gratitude and adoration, all things that were directed at Alastor, and all of them made his chest feel warm. Then her frown returned, as did the tears. "Vox would disagree with you," she admitted, looking away. There was embarrassment, shame, disgust, and fear.

Everyone stared at her with wide eyes, but Alastor calmed first, wiping her tears again. "He can think what he likes," Alastor said, gently grabbing Melody's face. "You're more important than he is, anyways."

The bat's eyes widened, her tears rolling down her cheeks more freely. Alastor grabbed her free hand and Melody curled her body more towards him. The other two demons just stared and Alastor closed his eyes, not wishing for Melody to see how much rage had built up from this. Vox was going to pay for this. Alastor didn't know how yet, but the picture box would pay.

And done. Man, I'm on a roll with these. Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next chapter.