"Husker, are you in?" Alastor called as he knocked on Husk's door, "Husker!?" "Dude, what the fuck are you yelling about?" Alastor turned to see Angel walking towards him, "He's probably on the toilet, Al. What do you need?" Alastor sighed, about to snap at Angel when an idea came to him and brought a smile to his face.
"Ah, Angel," Alastor crooned, "I have Husker's… supplies, but seeing as he's busy right now," Angel yelped as Alastor shoved the two bags of ingredients into his hands, "I trust you can get them to him. Ta-ta for now." "W-wait, what!?" Angel gasped and looked around, seeing that Alastor had seemingly vanished, letting out a groan as he reached up and knocked on Husk's door. "Husky, are you in there? Come on, babe, open the door! This shit is heavy!"
Angel sighed, quietly cracked the door open and took a peek inside; Husk didn't appear to be in, but Angel could see light through the crack under the bathroom door. Angel quickly brought the bags over to Husk's kitchenette and sat them down on the counter with a thud and a groan, rubbing his back as he backed away and walked over to the bathroom door. Angel gave the door a few knocks and said, "Husk, what the fuck are you doing in there?" "Angel!?" Husk shouted, "D-don't come in! I'm not decent!"
"Pfft, like it's anything I haven't seen before." Angel scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning up against the wall next to the door. "You okay, pal? You, uh… need a hand?" "No! No, no, no, I… I've got it." Angel chuckled as he heard the toilet flush, followed by the sound of running water for a few minutes before Husk came out of the bathroom, groaning as he fixed his suspenders.
"You sure you're okay, Husk?" Angel asked, "Your cheeks are flushed, and you look like you just went a few rounds with a crocodile." "More like a fucking harpy." Husk grumbled, "Look, it's not important right now. What can I do for you?" Angel eyed Husk curiously, he wanted to ask but he knew the older man would just shut him down if he pushed. Angel just decided to let it go for now and pointed over to the bags of supplies over on the countertop.
"Ah, I see Alastor made good on his offer." Husk chuckled, walking over and started pulling out the various ingredients to look them over. "Yep, it's all here. Everything else I'll need I can bum off the kitchen over at the Jackpot." "The Jackpot? Wait, so I'm finally going to get to see the Jackpot? Your casino?"
"Of course," Husk smiled, "I mean… if you want, I could give you a quick tour tomorrow before we head down to the kitchens." Husk gasped as Angel leaned down and pressed his lips against Husk's, earning a content hum from the cat demon as they embraced each other and savored each other's lips for a few moments before slowly pulling away. Angel smiled, gently running his fingers through Husk's cheek fur and said softly, "I can't wait, baby."
Angel gazed up, feeling a sense of awe as he took in the sight of the Jackpot hotel and casino. The word 'Jackpot' flashed in a massive neon sign above the hotel; it featured four large Poker cards and an arrow pointing down towards the shorter building attached to it. "Well?" Husk asked as he walked up behind Angel, "What do you think, Angel? Pretty ritzy, huh?"
"It's definitely… something," Angel chuckled, rubbing his neck nervously, "So… you used to live here? Or? I mean, you said your kid grew up here, so where," "I have a private suite up on the top floor. Let me drop these ingredients off and I'll give you a quick tour of the place."
"Sweet!" Angel chuckled, "Maybe we can play a few hands? Or, we could hit the slot machines… maybe shoot some craps," Husk froze up, turning at Angel with a nervous expression as his ears fell back. "Or… maybe just the poker?" "No!" Husk snapped, flinching when he saw the shock on Angel's face. "I'm sorry, Angel. But I just… can't. I don't play my own tables… not anymore. Not since that night."
Angel's eyes widened, realizing what Husk was talking about and feeling his heart ache in his chest; Angel walked over and placed a comforting hand on Husk's shoulder. Husk sighed, reaching up and gently taking Angel's hand in his, giving it a little squeeze before looking back up at the spider demon and giving a little smile. "I'm okay, now. Thanks, Angel." Husk chuckled, "Come on, you doofus. Let's get going."
Angel gasped, smiling as Husk wrapped his arm around his shoulders before reaching up and wrapping his arm around Angel's waist, leading him inside the casino. Angel smiled and gasped in pure astonishment as he looked around the casino's playing room. It looked like something right out of an old movie, complete with roulette tables, two whole rows of slot machines, and a dozen poker tables scattered across the floor. Overhead was a quartet of beautiful crystal chandeliers made up of three smaller ones surrounding a larger one that sat in the middle of the ebony ceiling.
Husk chuckled at the sight of Angel's mesmerized face; he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at seeing Angel completely smitten with the casino. "I take it you approve?" Husk asked. "Approve noting, Husk, this place is a fucking palace!" Husk laughed at that, beaming with pride as he led Angel across the crimson carpet towards the back of the casino where there was a thick metal utility door labeled 'staff only.'
"Follow me," Husk said, pushing the door open and urging Angel on through, "This is the fastest way to the cookhouse." "The what?" Angel asked. "Uh, err, I mean the kitchens." Husk corrected, "Come on, let's make this fast. This shit's getting heavy." Angel chuckled. grabbed one of the bags and gestured for Husk to lead the way. As they made their way down the hall, Angel noticed there were a number of doors that led to other areas of the facility, including a shower area for the staff, a laundry room, and a boiler room. One door in particular caught Angel's eye; the sign next to the door had been scratched up, making it illegible and the door itself had been chained and boarded up to ensure nobody could enter.
"What the hell is that?" Angel asked, pointing over to the blocked-off door. Husk looked at it and shivered, shaking his head and said, "Let it be, Angel. In fact, pretend like you never even saw it. Just… forget about it. Satan knows I wish I could." "Uh… okay," Angel droned, looking around and spotting another door, "'The Yasmine Theatre'?" Angel asked, "Is that where you're having the party?"
"Yep," Husk nodded, "Oh, I can't wait for you to see it. It's no exaggeration to call it the crown jewel of the Jackpot." "I figured that'd be the casino." Angel pondered. "Oh no," Husk chuckled, "Don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of love for every inch of this whole place. But the theatre… oh, she is something truly special. Hell, I had a hand in building most of this place, but the Yasmine Theatre truly was my passion project."
"Yeah, but the name, 'Yasmine Theatre'?" Angel chuckled, "What kind of crazy name is Yasmine?" "That would be my wife's name." Husk explained. Angel froze, turning to Husk as he let out a heavy sigh and said, "When I got to Hell, I searched everywhere… scoured the whole fucking pentagram looking for her. But, I… we never found her. So either Yasmine wound up in Heaven. Or… or she's already gone; lost in an Extermination long ago. I… I just," As the cat demon's voice started to break, Angel cut Husk off with a gentle squeeze of his shoulder and pulling him a little bit closer as they came to a stop. "I'm sorry, Husk." Angel whispered, "You don't have to say any more if you don't want to."
Husk sighed, wiped the tears from his eyes before turning and pulling Angel down for a quick kiss on the cheek, saying in a hushed whisper, "Thank you." Husk pointed down to the end of the hallway and said, "The main lobby to the hotel is just down this hall. Wait for me there; I'll be right out, okay?" "Oh, uh… okay, Husk." Angel nodded, watching Husk as he dashed down the hall before taking a left and vanished through the entrance to another hallway.
Angel headed out into the lobby and spotted a couple of small L-shaped sofas; the spider demon let out a sigh as he walked over and sat down, humming softly along to the soft jazz music playing over the stereo. Angel smiled as he looked around and took in the scenery; it was pretty simple, like the front desk area of a hospital, but with much nicer furniture and some classy, Vegas-themed décor. About twenty minutes later, Husk came dashing through the lobby, plopping down on the sofa with a heavy sigh. "Ugh… sorry about the wait, Angel," Husk panted, "It's a… a bit busy down in the kitchens right now. Something about a big family reunion ordering catering service, or… whatever. It's… it's a whole thing right now."
"Hehehe, it's fine, Husky," Angel chuckled, "So, where do we go first?" "Hmmm… not sure. Let me think," Husk hummed, laughing as Angel's stomach growled, "How about we start with the mess hall? Err, uh, I mean the café? We've got good coffee and doughnuts. Not to mention great sandwiches, a salad bar… and Harold makes a mean Knish."
Angel Dust gave a happy hum, licked his lips and nodded. "Sounds great." Angel smiled, "I'm probably going to need the coffee. I have baked a cake before, and while some parts are fun, a good chunk of it is just so boring! I'm gonna need the caffeine." "Oh, come on, it won't be that bad." Husk chuckled, "Sure, the preparation can feel a bit tedious and cleanup is never fun. But, once we get the ball rolling, I know we'll have a blast. You'll see. You're gonna love this cake, too. There's a reason it's an old favorite."