"Aye, bartender', honey! Anotha' round! Surprise us!"

"Mimzy dear, pace yourself."

Clover couldn't help but giggle at the exasperated tone of Alastor's voice, but the events of the past hour probably had something to do with it all. The trio had fallen into idle conversation quickly, Mimzy and Alastor's speech falling farther into their time with every sip of liquor. Explaining the slang she wasn't already aware of seemed to tickle Mimzy, the bubbly blonde taking the liberty to pause every few minutes to catch her up on what Clover might have missed. Another round of shots was set in front of them by the bartender, the gilled demon sighing fondly as Mimzy sweet talked her way through gratitude and knocked hers back with a hiccup and a giggle. Alastor slid his glass to the side, eyeing the clear liquid suspiciously and returning to nursing his third drink of the night. A small, crisply painted set of fingernails slid in front of Clover to point a finger at the red demon as Mimzy spoke.

"I know what you're doin' mister, does she not know that you're a lightweight or what?"

"You are?"

Turning towards Alastor, Clover couldn't help but smile up at the still-grinning demon. The more her liquor fogged mind thought about it, the more sense it made. He'd set up his drinking game to suit himself, and ever since she'd met him, she'd not seen him drink more than a single in one sitting. Mimzy didn't give him a moment to speak, continuing before Alastor could, the prior sipping his drink with a sigh and a small smile.

"He's adorable! He get's all sortsa' giggly and honest, ya' can hardly recognize him!"

"Cute."

Clover froze, her mind buzzing alongside the radio feedback that filled the air around them. What had meant to be a thought to herself slipped out loose lips, and she instantly cursed her own honesty that came from lowered inhibitions. She spared a look to Alastor, finding him blinking in confusion as he spoke slowly.

"I'm- Pardon? I don't think that word is correct in describing someone such as myself."

"Aw! Al, ya' gettin' a little more red than usual, hot stuff!"

"Yes, I believe it's another side effect of liquor, dear, much like your amplified ability to embarrass."

Thankful that the attention was being pulled away from her by Mimzy, Clover attempted to cure her nerves by taking the shot that Mimzy had gotten for her. The second the mouthful hit her throat she sputtered, clamping a hand over her lips to keep herself from coughing as she swallowed around the burn that threatened to push its way into her nose. She recognized the feeling instantly, allowing herself to cough before sipping on her other, sweeter drink to chase the burn away before turning to Mimzy.

"Did you just straight shoot fuckin' moonshine? A warning would be nice!"

"The fact that ya' recognize it speaks volumes, dollface, I hope ya' know that."

Both demons beside her laughed, the rough radio-altered chuckle beside her causing her ears to twitch. Clover sighed, sipping her drink to quell her embarrassment but deciding to let her mouth run to further appease the vintage entertainers beside her.

"Listen, just because I'm from far beyond the bootlegging era doesn't mean I haven't had my fair share of illegal liquor, I just haven't had unflavored moonshine since I was like, sixteen."

Mimzy perked up, waiting until Clover hesitantly downed the rest of her shot to prove her point before asking questions.

"Now I know that still isn't legal, ya' bad girl! Seems you're not all suga', huh' sweetheart?"

"It isn't, and definitely looked down upon in that particular circumstance, but knowing the people down here, I don't think much of it."

"Are ya' gonna tell us about it, or…"

"We brought it to school and drank it in history class. Our teacher put vodka in her morning coffee, so it wasn't like anyone would notice."

"Huh, ya' know, no matter how many years pass by, some 'tings neva' really change, right Al?"

"No passage of time can truly change the vices of humanity."

Clover turned, feeling the tell-tale tingle of static that came alongside his radio frequency rising. She caught him setting down the empty shot glass, his smile distorted into a grimace with a curl of his lip and a crinkling of his nose. Something in the nasal drag of his warped voice raised her intrigue, her brow furrowing as he stood and straightened himself with purpose. He turned to the clock above the bar before looking down at the two women, holding a hand out to Clover with a small smile.

"Would you mind another dance, I believe it's about time for dear Mimzy to prepare herself."

The flapper stood up with a gasp, picking up her martini quickly.

"Oh hell, is that really the time? I gotta' go get changed!"

Mimzy took two steps away before turning back, laying a hand on Clover's arm with a smile.

"It was a pleasure to meet ya' sweetheart, have fun wit' this one, maybe he'll start sweet talkin' ya' if he gets a few more drinks in 'im."

She took off in a flash of blonde curls and fringe, heels clicking loudly against the hardwood as she disappeared into the crowd and reappeared again by the piano player, leaning down into his ear with a flirtatious smile before disappearing behind dark stage curtains. Alastor still stood beside Clover, hand extended patiently while she blinked at the situation. She took another sip of liquid courage, getting to the bottom of the glass before she stood and slid her hand into his. Whether the growing heat burning beneath her skin was the alcohol or the man leading her towards the dance floor once again, she wasn't sure, but it made her legs feel like jelly as he pulled her towards him and began the familiar movement once again.

They both stumbled when the music abruptly stopped, heads turning to the shifting band. Clover had to grasp onto Alastor's shoulders to keep herself from falling entirely, feeling long arms curl around her waist as she attempted to regain her balance. The music picked up again a moment later, humming slowly to life and falling into a sweet, heartfelt melody. Those around them instantly fell into rhythm, falling together and swaying to the intimate tune. Clover let go of him like he was a live wire, becoming aware of how close they were as her hands left their place twisted into the fabric of his jacket.

"I'm sorry Al, I didn't mean to-"

"It's quite alright, you don't need to apologize."

He hadn't let go of her, even as he spoke, turning to look down at her as the music surrounded them above the soft fizzle of static. Finally, Alastor cleared his throat, letting go of her completely and allowing his hands to hover between them. She watched as his claws twitched, looking up to find an equally anxious shifting gaze moving between her and their exit off the dance floor. Finally his ears flattened, Alastor huffing softly before he spoke, quiet enough for her alone.

"Would you, uh, care to leave or-"

"Do you want to? We don't have to dance to this if you're uncomfortable."

"Me? Why, this is nothing for someone such as myself!"

"Then, what are we waiting for? I don't mind another excuse to be close to you."

"...It seems honesty is a symptom of intoxication for you as well."

"Is it? Then I've obviously had far more than you have."

She couldn't help but smile as his eye twitched, his ears giving away what was going on behind his unamused expression. After a moment of thought, he moved towards her, placing one hand on her waist and holding the other out towards her. Anxious fluttering renewed, she quickly placed her hand against his shoulder and slid her fingers between his, breathing slowly through her nose as her head began to spin.

The steps were too simple to distract her, the soft sway only making her more aware of their proximity. She chanced a glance up at Alastor, her breath stalling in her throat when she found him looking down at her. His smile tightened, and she felt him exhale beneath her fingertips. Breaking the eye contact didn't help at all, their situation's intimacy weighing on her liquor hazed mind and willing her to give in. Despite the better judgment of the rational part of her mind, she allowed her heavy head to fall against his shoulder, allowing the alcohol to take over her nervousness. When Alastor stiffened, she turned her gaze upward, watching the bob of his throat as he swallowed. Clover couldn't help but smile, speaking loud enough for only him to hear.

"Is that okay? We can stop."

A hum resonated through his chest, the sound sinking into her stomach. Claws tightened around her hip, and she cursed the shiver that rolled down her spine in response. If Alastor had noticed, he said nothing about it as he continued to lead her in the slow sway of their dance. Despite the heaviness that had settled into her muscles and outdone her anxious nature, her heart rate continued to accelerate, blood rushing beneath her skin as she pressed against him. It was so odd, being this close to him in public, she was sure she was getting away with it due to the lowered inhibitions that came from their consumption of alcohol, Alastor having had more drinks than she'd ever seen him consume in one sitting since they'd arrived. Being able to feel the breath that raised his chest beneath her cheek felt nearly overwhelming, Clover still couldn't entirely believe that she'd been able to become close to the famed shadowed killer that graced hell's airwaves, but honestly it fit her character.

It didn't help that Alastor was painfully her type, as old-fashioned as he was. He was charismatic, charming, quick-witted, all the traits you would expect out of someone who had gained their power through manipulation and murder, but there existed a smaller part of him beneath the smiles and radio theatrics that fell into a mess of a good-humored and well-mannered man that lured her in. There was something there, she could feel it, Alastor was far more complicated of a person than he let on to the average viewer, and everything in her wanted to know it intimately.

The song sank into silence, the people around them stopping their dance to politely applaud the band. Alastor let go of her quickly, Clover looking up to him as he stepped back away from her. For a moment, a sharp flash of hurt tightened her nerves, but it faded away as saw the look that had settled across his face. His normally muted skin was flushed slightly, ears flicking back and forth rapidly before they laid flat back against his head. Claws clicked together as his hands fluttered at his sides before he held one out to her, his smile strained as he tried to hold his composure.

"How about another drink?"

Clover slid her hand into his with a nod, letting Alastor walk her back towards the table they'd sat at upon arriving and finding that it had remained empty for them. Whether this was because it had been Alastor's table or just out of luck, she wasn't sure, but from the way people looked at them as they passed, she could assume it was because of the Radio Demon. He pulled out her chair before disappearing towards the bar, leaving her alone. Well, briefly alone, the familiar smell of marijuana turned her head towards the source, thick against the cigarette smoke and bright citrus that filled the bar. Mimzy was once again flitting through the crowd, holding a smoking joint in a delicate cigarette ring as she flirted with a couple sitting next to her. She noticed Clover after a moment, a bright smile breaking out across freshly painted lips.

"Hi'ya suga'! Ya' get to pettin' our dear deer yet?"

Feeling herself heat up all over again, recognizing the slang and reeling from the implication, Clover struggled for a reply. She didn't have time to respond, Mimzy falling into giggles before continuing.

"Don't worry doll, I know he's not that kinda' guy, he's too much'a gentleman to cash that check on the first date! I did see ya' two gettin' sweet on each otha' out there. Ya' need'a smoke after that, honey?"

Mimzy held the joint out to her, balancing it between dainty painted fingers with a wiggle of her brow. Clover thought for a moment, glancing over her shoulder to see if Alastor had made his way back yet before reaching for the burning roll of paper. She was right, taking a hit might calm her aching nerves, or it might ramp up her desire to an unbearable point, it was a gamble with her tolerance, but one she was willing to take. Mimzy's grin widened, pulling a compact from the pocket of her intricately beaded robe and sliding the cigarette holder back into it.

"Daddy's not gonna mind, stop worryin' honey. Now, if you can get him to take a hop, then you'll be in business."

Clover did her best to ignore what Mimzy was implying, instead focusing on the engraving on the golden compact she'd slid back into her pocket, sighing almost-fondly when the image of the lizard clicked together with the sweet tasting herb she was currently inhaling into her lungs. That was a conversation for work one morning.

"Well, you're quite full of surprises."

Coughing through the leap of her heart into her throat, Clover turned to look up at the voice beside them. Alastor stood with one brow raised, setting their drinks on the table before tilting his head at Mimzy.

"Aren't you due, Mimzy dear?"

"I sure am Alastor dear! Would'ja do a girl a favor?"

Wiggling fingers extended towards him as a drum began to roll, Alastor taking her hand and leading her through the parting crowd. Clover watched as he bowed politely at the waist, gesturing an arm wide towards her before turning on his heel and swiftly returning to their table, shaking his head with an exasperated smile. Clover took a long drag, content with the fact that the last third of the joint had landed in her possession. She watched the smoke curl upwards as she spoke.

"She's something else."

Alastor hummed beside her, both of them watching as Mimzy slid the robe from her shoulders and tossed it to the nearest unexpecting man, shimmying as her fringed and bedazzled dress beneath caught the spotlight that flickered on from the balcony above. It wasn't until she began to dance that Clover turned her gaze, looking at Alastor beside her. He was watching with mild interest, pulling the stemmed glass of his latest beverage towards him and swirling the liquid slightly as he spoke.

"Mimzy is quite a character."

"She's very sweet, how'd she get down here? I'd hate for it to be something stupid like bootlegging alchohol during prohibition or-"

The short chuckle beside her stopped her before the thought even finished, Alastor turning at her silence and taking in her curious expression with a small raise of his brow.

"She killed her husband."

"Oh."

"And her husband's girlfriend."

"Double oh."

Alastor truly laughed then, a loud melodic tune that sunk deep into her chest and turned the heads around them. The red demon continued without missing another beat.

"She was quite the skirt in her day I believe, before she met her untimely demise. He deserved as much, being a two-timing snake and an ignorant one at that."

"A what?"

His smile broadened, taking pause as he took a long sip of his drink before learning his forearms on the table.

"It means flapper, darling. I apologize, Mimzy seems to have rubbed off on me."

"It's alright, I follow most of the slang, I just didn't know that one."

Clover thought for a second, taking another drag before offering the shrinking joint to Alastor, who waved it off politely. Slowly breathing out the smoke that filled her lungs and warmed her mind to mush, she pushed her luck.

"What does 'cash a check' mean, then?"

Alastor froze, staring down into his drink as his ears twitched and his radio flickered. He came back to life with a sharp intake of breath, setting down his drink and folding his hands on the table as he prepared to speak. The squeal of radio feedback was drowned out by the booming voice that rang through the club.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your host and entertainment for tonight, Miss Mimzy!"

Attention thoroughly torn from their conversation, both turned towards the stage as their now mutual acquaintance stepped up to the microphone. Clover barely listened to her as she talked excitedly, thanking everyone for coming and introducing her song, instead turning her gaze to watch Alastor out of the corner of her eye. He was listening, ears tilted towards the sound. He seemed more relaxed now, possibly from alcohol, his smile seeming more natural in the soft candlelight. If she looked hard enough his eyes seemed to glow, warm like lights inside of a vintage radio, a fact she would have to investigate further at a later date. He seemed invested in the performance in front of him, legs stretched out underneath the table and his head tilted in interest. Clover became vaguely aware of the words echoing through the dim room.

"He's not so good in a crowd, but when you get him alone

You'd be surprised.

He isn't much at a dance, but then when he takes you home,

You'd be surprised."

Her heart ached the longer she looked at him, wondering why a man like him would be so willing to spend time with someone like her. Clover's opinion of herself had never been positive, if it had been she probably wouldn't have ended up in hell this early in her life, and she took another long hit before her mental state plummeted and allowed herself to listen to Mimzy sing.

"He doesn't look like much of a lover,

Don't judge a book by its cover

He's got the face of an angel, but there's a devil in his eyes."

The pointed look in her direction from their entertainer paired with a wink pulled a roll of Clover's eyes as she took the last draw of smoke and put out the collection of ashes in the decorative tray in the center of the table. The shiver that ran through her promised the potency of Cyrus's product, her drop in body temperature a common symptom of her relaxed state. The shift of body weight beside her drew her attention back to the demon beside her, finding Alastor standing up from his seat and sliding his tailcoat off of his shoulders. The red fabric was draped across her own, surprisingly heavy around her but doing little to quell the shudder that ran through her when the claws of leather gloves brushed against the bare skin of her spine. Clover pulled the coat around her, smiling softly to herself at the gentle gentlemanly gesture.

"He's such a delicate thing, but when he starts into squeeze,

You'd be surprised.

He doesn't look very strong, but when you sit on his knee,

You'd be surprised."

The coat barely fit around her waist as she pulled it around her, unsurprising as she glanced back at the thin demon that was settling back into his seat beside her. The silk lining was only marginally warmer against her skin than the air around her before it began to hold her own body heat, her blood rushing beneath her skin at being surrounded by an extension of her object of affections, the scent that clung to the crimson fabric slowly overwhelming her senses. She tried to ignore the sharp metallic sting that settled below the hearty spices and musk, refusing to jump to conclusions.

"At a party or at a ball, I've got to admit

He's nothing at all, but in a morris chair,

You'd be surprised."

"Are you having fun?'

Clover tore her gaze away from the lesser-clothed Radio Demon, catching his gaze and finding a brow raised in question. She nodded shortly, picking up her drink and taking a long sip, humming quietly at the pleasant mix of mint and simple syrup that met her tongue. Alastor didn't seem convinced, leaning into her while planting an arm on the table between them.

"Tell the truth, ma Cherie, I will not take offense."

The flash of what she assumed was skin distracted her for a moment, unable to look away from the blackened wrist that appeared between Alastor's gloves and the cuff of his shirt. The term of endearment unleashed butterflies into her stomach, fluttering through her lower half as she struggled to speak around them. Another long sip of her drink stalled her enough time to find an answer, settling on the nagging honesty that the alcohol fueled.

"I am, everything here is so different to anything I've experienced before, but…"

"But?"

The soft echo of radio frequency was almost calming to her nerves, turning to look up at the man that was slowly invading her personal space in interest.

"I like being here because I'm here with you, I would never do something like this alone. Mimzy's great, this place is beautiful, but my energy for stuff like this only goes so far, I wouldn't have lasted more than an hour without you with me."

"I see."

Alastor paused for a moment, smile shifting slightly as he thought before speaking again.

"Mimzy will be heartbroken, I think she'd take you home if she could ."

Clover laughed, quickly covering her mouth as giggled. The pressure on her wrist stopped her suddenly, her giggles dying to a slight hiccup as she realized what exactly was pulling her hand away from her lips. The temperate leather against her skin was too familiar to ignore, her gaze dropping to find the hand slowly releasing it's grip on her as soon as she noticed it. Alastor's voice was quiet, heavily influenced with static as he spoke.

"I'm sorry I-"

He sat back in his chair, placing his hands into his lap.

"It's a shame to hide a smile."

Silence fell over them, Clover feeling her ears twitch nervously as her head spun. Finally, she pulled herself out the spiral of questions she was falling into, deciding to discuss with her subconscious if that had been a compliment or just Alastor's aggressive positivity another time.

"He doesn't look like much of a lover.

Don't judge a book by its cover

'cause he's got the face of an angel, but there's a devil in his eyes."

"Do you want to get out of here?"

Alastor blinked at her for a moment, tilting his head at her sharply before a wide smile broke out across his face. He took one last sip of his drink, not breaking their eye contact from over the rim of his glass. A bubble of excitement rose in her chest as he quickly stood, pushing in his chair behind him before stepping to pull out hers, helping her to stand politely before nodding towards the door.

"Shall we, as they say, get a wiggle on?"

Clover snorted, linking her arm with the one offered to her and following his lead. Alastor patiently helped her wobbling knees up the stairs, hopefully unaware that her faltering footsteps were caused by his presence beside her and not due to her insobriety. The door was opened for her, Alastor allowing her to go first with a swing of his arm and a smile, the first breath of fresh air shocking her enough to claw back some of her rational thought. This whole encounter was strange to her, as strange as things went down here. Nothing in her wildest fantasies could have predicted this, not with her as the focus of it all. She was not the main character, she never had been.

"Where to now, the night is still young, or would you rather return to the hotel?"

Looking up, she found Alastor standing beside her once again with a question in his eyes, smile pulled wide enough to reveal black gums and sharp teeth that made her woozy all over again. Clover couldn't give up on this right now, not when she could wring out a few more hours of this dream before she woke up again and Alastor finally decided that he'd grown tired of her. She shrugged, pulling his coat closer around as she turned to face him.

"I don't care, let's just… go, together."

His brow furrowed slightly at the laugh in her voice, tilting his head again in that damned way that made her want to take his face between her palms and give him as much affection as her heart would allow before it gave out entirely. A decision was made, Alastor straightening his back before holding an arm out to her once again with a lopsided smile.

"Shall we?"

"On a streetcar or in a train, you'd think he was born without any brain.

But in a taxicab, And when he starts to grab,

I said a taxicab, you'd be surprised."

"This one's a real danger."