Going downstairs the next morning felt like walking through a minefield despite the normalcy of the lobby. Husker laid asleep against the bar, neglecting going to his room in the early hours of the morning as usual, the technicolor swirl of light that poured through the stained windows stretching towards but not quite reaching his dangling claws. Clover decided to forego taking anything from the kitchen for breakfast, instead choosing to move swiftly towards the door so as not to draw anymore attention to herself after the events of the last few days. Being early for work wouldn't be a problem, she'd be able to get inside long before they opened and make herself a drink, maybe actually have a chance of eating a pastry before their display was torn apart by the hungry maw of the morning rush. Maybe she'd actually have a chance to try the hazelnut roll that she'd had her eye on, if she was lucky.

Clover was almost out when a surge of shadows darkened the doorway, its form wavering against the beams that refracted through the front windows for a moment before solidifying into a more recognizable form.

"Alastor!"

"Good morning Clover! And where are we off to so early on this fine day?"

"Uh-"

There was something tense about him, his shoulders squared more sharply than usual as he loomed over her. Clover couldn't quite place her finger on why it made her uneasy, but was comfortable at least that she still felt no fear of him. Realizing that he was waiting for her to answer, she blinked through her speculation and continued on.

"I'm going to work, it's Cyrus's day to sleep in."

"Ah, right. I should have guessed that you're off to that charming little shop of yours."

He turned almost too fast for her to track, opening the door swiftly before extending an arm to her before Clover could bilink.

"I am heading that direction myself! I shall accompany you."

It was a statement, not an offer, Clover knew that much. She didn't mind Alastor walking her to work, never, but the feeling that something was off itched at the back of her skull until it began to eat away at her. She waited until he seemed to relax into the comfortable monotony of their walk, her ears twitching as he began to hum softly along to his radio. It was a shame she felt the need to interrupt it, Clover pushing fond thoughts sparked the timber of his voice in favor of furthering camaraderie.

"Hey Al-"

"Are you still dealing with those pesky phone calls?"

She blinked, looking up at him as trepidation tightened in her chest. Unless his own shadow was keeping secrets, he had to know about the conversation with Lollie and Angel the night before. So why was he being so evasive in approaching the topic? Realizing she had been silent for too long when his eyes flicked towards her, Clover cleared her voice of the squeaks that had surely developed before replying.

"Kinda, I left my phone back at the hotel. I have it turned off so it can just function as my alarm clock."

"I'm sure that Miss Morningstar and I could arrange for a wake up call on your working days!"

"I don't want to bother anyway, really."

"It's just another hospitality of the Hazbin Hotel, I can assure you! Now-"

Alastor stopped suddenly, turning on his heel to smile down at her.

"How would you like to join Husker and I at the bar tonight, like old times? We could give that personal computing device of yours a rest."

"Sure, sounds like fun."

They'd stopped in front of the cafe, she realized, Clover pulling her set of keys from her pocket. Her skin tingled as Alastor watched her unlock the door, hearing the flicker of his radio as she struggled for the right key. She turned towards him as she stepped inside, barely catching the sharp return of his attention to her, his hair barely swinging against his cheeks as his smile relaxed once again. Her stomach fluttered, but now she was unsure whether it was because of nervousness at his odd behavior or because of the soft tilt of his head when she remained silent, Clover clearing her throat moments later.

"See you later, Al."

The ringing of the bell hung in the silence that followed, its pitch causing an irritated twitch to shift her ears as she moved towards the bar. She felt the weight of crimson on her for long after the tail of Alastor's coat disappeared around the corner into the Cannibal Colony, the feeling clawing at the back of her neck while she busied herself with opening preparation. It persevered through all of the morning rush, further distracting her from her work. While normally the thought of Alastor watching her would have led to a rampant run of romanticism, the gray area that they'd seemed to have stepped into soured any of her sentimental musings. Cyrus's addition to her day did not help, the reptilian demon wandering in shortly after noon with a lazy grin that turned downwards when he recognized her mild distress.

"Aye', you okay?"

"Yeah, just- Have a lot on my mind, it's okay."

"Fightin' with ya' boyfriend?"

Cyrus sighed at the steely glare she sent him, Clover not feeling up to his teasing today.

"Okay, I get it, jus-s-st let me know if ya' need any-Fuck. Hold on, don't s-s-say anythin'. Fuckin' Overlordsss…"

Looking up, Clover expected to once again be greeted by the charming smile of Alastor to be the source of his agitation, but instead what occupied the opening of the cafe was a different grin entirely. The woman seemed mostly normal to Clover, as normal demons went, at least. Marred dark skin twisted into a stitched smile as she dropped the arm of the bear-like demon beside her, the woman taking her place in line with a short skip. Clover wasn't entirely sure what Cyrus was making a fuss about, but she supposed that her familiarity with Alastor might be warping her judgment. Checking the clock, she decided to begin making her beverage to take home between customers, distracting herself from whatever threat had entered their cafe by concocting herself a combination sure to cause cavities.

"Don't say anything, just s-s-smile when you hand this-s-s out."

Clover only nodded as Cyrus slid the odd customer's order towards her, focusing her attention on mixing the thick layer of swirling chocolates into hot milk and dusting the top of the intricate drink with extra cocoa powder as asked before passing it on to the waiting marionette.

"Thanks dolly."

The bell chiming again distracted her from the odd nickname, Clover quickly turning back to her post-shift beverage as the shots finished so she could grab it after taking care of one last customer before she passed service onto Cyrus entirely and went home. Sealing the syrup loaded sugar bomb that was her comfort drink for the day and tucking it beneath the counter, Clover looked up to an intensely familiar set of yellowed teeth as she stepped behind the register.

"Hi Al."

Alastor's head turned sharply at her greeting, radio dials flickering back to their normal scarlet state as a cheerful melody screamed to life. She barely had time to register the threatening twist to his demeanor before he was talking.

"Good afternoon Clover! I was just on my way back from my business in the Colony and thought I would stop by."

"You're lucky," She paused, leaning sideways to peer around sharp shoulders. All she found was the tall, frilly demon standing near the end of the counter sipping her drink. Dark pigtails swung as she turned on her heel to leave, the bell swinging violently as the door slammed behind her. She'd never seen the woman before, but from the way Alastor bristled, she assumed they were acquainted. Her vision went red again as he moved in front of her, leaning against the back of the espresso machine just as white irises turned back to look at her through the front windows, Alastor capturing her attention as she fumbled to finish her prior sentence. "-you caught me just as I was about to leave."

"I apologize, I do not wish to keep you."

"It's okay, do you want what I made you last time?"

"That would be appreciated, thank you."

She nodded, reaching for a ceramic mug on top of the warming plates. Alastor raised a hand, payment still folded between his fingers, to stop her.

"I will be taking it to go, I should have said so before."

"Busy, huh?"

"I have some business back at the hotel, a meeting with Miss Morningstar, and I believe we agreed to a drink." Alastor seemed more at ease as she took his tender and moved to follow her as she made him his coffee as their conversation continued. "How lucky that our departures should coincide, I could escort you home, if you'd like."

"How lucky indeed."

Clover rarely distrusted Alastors word, but his motives, that was another story entirely.

She did her best to hide her suspicions, even as this seemingly random meeting quickly turned into a pattern that painted the entirety of the hotel's inhabitants as the week went on. With Angel attempting to keep her entertained with records and retellings, and Husker's offers of cards after almost every meal, Clover's access to personal space became scarce. Each time she attempted to access her computer was spoiled by another barrage of pop-ups, Clover unable to get through the credits of any film from her own collection without her computer beginning to glitch, even with the Wifi disconnected. Luckily, the computer's camera had been covered with tape shortly after she'd received it, her worries of being watched thankfully not dying when she did.

By the end of the week, she was tired of being continuously monitored, deciding to give up on her hopes that Alastor would cease his odd behavior and bring up what his shadow had undoubtedly shared with him by now. It all became too much when he'd offered her his arm while walking her towards work one afternoon, the constant unnerving static that buzzed beneath her fingertips as she held onto him finally pushing her over the edge.

"Al, I need to tell you something."

"I believe we both are already aware of what is going on, cher."

His answer was too quick, too calm aside the tenseness of his arm against hers. Maybe he wasn't being as uncommunicative as she thought, simply waiting for her to come to him of her own accord.

"Why haven't you said anything?"

"I was wondering just the same! I was beginning to believe that you'd finally come to the same realization as the masses and gone back on your word."

"Wha-"

Clover's heart sank, stopping her in their tracks in the center of the sidewalk. She hated how calm he seemed despite effectively admitting that he'd resigned himself to accepting that she'd given into fear and lost trust in him, the notion bubbling what she could only describe as anger towards her friend into her throat. She sighed, closing her eyes briefly to calm herself before continuing.

"No, Al, I just don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Alastors smile softened, the facade he'd withheld so far dropping into something far more sincere as the frantic buzzing static settled into a more normal temperament. He stepped closer, tugging them into a sidestreet to stand in the shadows of a scalloped awning as his voice dropped to a volume more acceptable for private conversation.

"Well, it seems to me that you've somehow caught the attention of the thorn in my side. How, exactly, he became aware of your presence I have yet to figure out, but if the assumptions of your charming candy companion are correct, then his cohorts are sure to have something to do with it. The question is-"

Alastor's voice came clearly without the aid of his microphone, its radio quality fading with a soft click.

"What do you want to do about it, cher?"

Clover stuttered through the swirl of emotions that continued to overwhelm her with every taste she got of this secret, softer side of the Radio Demon.

"I just- I want him to leave me alone. I don't care about power."

"I'm afraid your involvement with myself would be convincing otherwise. Even more so-"

Alastor leaned down, his breath blowing across he bare skin of her neck as he spoke into her ear.

"Is the fact that I do not own your soul."

She barely had time to recover from the deep burn that the huskier tones of his voice spread through her before he was speaking again with renewed vigor, linking his arm with hers and steering her back on track towards her responsibilities.

"But! Do not fret, my dear. I have already spoken to Rosie about the matter, and we will see that this is handled post-haste!"

Unsure of how to respond, they fell into a silence less awkward than before as they continued to the cafe, Alastor's radio tuning rapidly before it finally settled on something more somber than she would have expected alongside his cheerful appearance. Clover, trying to make sense of the confusing mix of emotions Alastor had managed to unload on her with only a few sentences, barely noticed when he slowed them to a stop. It was only when a familiar chill danced across her calves that she withdrew from the expanses of her mind, barely catching the sharp wink that the shadow sent her as it rushed towards them and disappeared beneath Alastor's heels. With the cafe in sight, Clover went to release herself from Alastor's but was stopped by his hand laying itself over her own, keeping them entangled for a moment longer.

"...I must apologize for my, well, intrusion. My shadow can be unruly, but I cannot say that it is out of my control entirely. It is not proper to invade your privacy."

She couldn't help it, she laughed, her stomach fluttering with fondness as she turned to watch the confused flicking of his ears as her outburst died. Clover's smile stayed as she replied, finding comfort in their forever constant push-and-pull.

"I never really put together what I was seeing until I actually had the chance to talk to it, but I'm pretty sure your shadow has been invading my privacy for longer than we've been friends."

A flicker of uncertainty stained her otherwise rose-colored view of their situation, Clover's voice shaking softly as a question fell between them.

"We are still friends, aren't we?"

"Do you really believe that my opinion of you would change so easily?"

There was no anger in his voice, even as his static rose in volume behind it. Once again, that phantom chocolate color that she saw in her peripherals was lost when she turned, Clover staring up into crimson irises as his brow furrowed. She wanted nothing more than to look away as her sudden uncertainty turned more sorrowful and feeling her voice lose itself all over again, but she couldn't bring herself to look away from his gaze as she gave into desperate honesty.

"I don't know, I just- With the whole Angel thing, and then this, I wasn't sure. I feel like I spoiled something and, well, people have turned on me for less in the past and-"

"Clover,"

Alastor turned to her fully, taking both of her hands in his. Before she could think too much about how casually he was touching her in broad daylight, he distracted her once again, his claws grazing the skin of her wrists as he paused. Seemingly surprised at his own actions, Alastor coughed shortly before he continued.

"I believe I know you well enough to understand that your actions are not driven by anything more than a swiftly bleeding heart, which I might add, is bound to continue to get you into more trouble should you not tend to the wound. Furthermore, if you were to decide to betray me, there is nothing between us that would qualify any action against it, for as priorly stated, there is no contract between us aside from our agreement concerning our personal taste for space."

"Alastor, there is nothing that anyone could offer me that would be enough to compare to time spent with you, you know that don't you?"

It was annoying how easily he wrapped her heart strings around his fingers and tugged. Alastor's explanation was surely meant to soothe her, but the sudden upswing up static as his stations bled together into a mess of noise as she tugged back told a different tale. It was oddly thrilling, to feel as if she was able to push back enough to give him even a taste of what his mere existence did to her, as misguided as she tried to convince herself her odd sense of power was. Clover took pity on the slowly flushing deer demon, hoping to lighten their conversation with some honest humor.

"Except maybe some peace, I will admit that as much as I appreciate your concern, as well as that of Angel and Husker, I would enjoy some "me" time."

"I was under the impression that you enjoyed my company, how heartbreaking."

Clover smiled at the gentle tease, letting his hands slip from hers as he returned them to his normal resting stance, his claws now clasped behind him. His ears twitched in interest as she continued.

"I do, very much so, it's just- It's a lot, with everyone else being so attentive, on top of just being stressed in general and not really being able to wind down the way I usually do."

"I will speak with Husker. Sadly, I am unable to control our spindly friend, as much good as that would do all of us. As for your affinity for the picture show-"

His grin widened, Alastor seeming incredibly pleased with himself as his radio picked up a familiar, theatrical tune.

"I may have a compromise."