"Another day, another bodyguard." Hazel groaned as she and Vaggie walked down the sidewalk towards Cannibal Town. "Trust me, this isn't exactly what I thought I'd be doing with my day, either," Vaggie sighed, "But, after what happened yesterday, Charlie wants to make sure you two are safe… for Husk's sake. Besides, it was the only way I could get her to keep her lunch date with her dad."
"Ugh, alright," Hazel groaned, "Damn it, why'd Buck have to go back to Wrath? It just feels so… so," "Lonely?" Vaggie asked, "Don't worry, he'll be back soon enough. Hey, maybe when we're done at Rosie's we can swing by Bébé's and grab some more of that cheesecake Husk loves so much. Charlie and I shared a slice and… oh my God, he was right; that stuff is so good."
Hazel laughed and nodded, giving Vaggie a light punch on the shoulder. "Yeah, dad's always had a thing about deserts," Hazel snickered, "It's always struck me as odd; when it comes to regular food, if it's not Italian food it's some sort of shitty bar food. Almost like he's never had a decent meal in his life before he discovered Italian food and actual good booze."
"So, did you grow up eating 'shitty bar food'?" Vaggie asked. Hazel scoffed, shaking her head and said, "No way. He took way better care of me, and pretty much everyone else in his life than he ever did himself. Honestly… I'm not sure if he even knows what it means to take care of himself. Or even how to care for himself beyond just… not dying… I guess? I don't know, does that… does that make sense to you?"
"Uh… yeah, kind of." Vaggie nodded, "It's like he takes care of himself only to the point where he's… functional, you know? Like he spends a lot of his time on autopilot or something. Or, at least that's how he used to be." "What do you mean?" Hazel asked. "Hmm… well," Vaggie took a moment to think and said, "When Husk first came to work at the hotel, he was… just sort of there, you know? If he wasn't serving drinks or trying to make conversation, he was nursing on a bottle or just staring off into space, getting lost in his own head."
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Hazel nodded, "After dad lost to Alastor, he was… different. Angry, depressed… but he never took it out on me, or anyone else at the Jackpot. But, he wasn't nearly so lenient on himself. It's strange, it's like he felt like he had to punish himself. But, I could never understand what he was punishing himself for! For losing the game and his title? For selling his soul to Alastor? For Alastor constantly keeping him away from us… from me? It's the main reason why I hate Al so damn much. Why'd he do that? What did Alastor have against me?"
"Maybe it had more to do with whatever he had against Husk?" Vaggie proposed, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to Husk, and to your family. It really wasn't right. Yeah, Husk had a price to pay for losing the game, but, if Alastor actually cared as much about you as he's said he does, he would've done everything he could to make sure you didn't have to suffer for Husk's mistakes."
"No shit." Hazel huffed, "As far as I'm concerned, Alastor's just a self-important, power-tripping asshole with a god complex so severe that it's a borderline medical issue." Vaggie exploded into laughter at that, patting Hazel on her shoulder and nodding as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"I don't think I've ever heard it put quite like that, but… oh, Christ it's so true. The dude needs some serious fucking therapy." Hazel smiled and laughed along, wrapping her arm around Vaggie's shoulders as they headed towards Rosie's Emporium. As they headed up the walkway, Vaggie noticed a few of the cannibals eyeing her, just like before when she came with Husk. As Vaggie reached back to grab her spear, Hazel squeezed her shoulder and shook her head.
"Relax, sister." Hazel whispered, "You're safe here with me. Trust me, they know better than to fuck with someone Rosie really likes." Vaggie just stared at the imp for a moment, a smile stretching across her face as she nodded and released her grip on her weapon. Hazel chuckled as Vaggie returned her embrace, draping an arm around Hazel's shoulder as they entered the Emporium, looking around and spotting Bernadette sitting behind the booth where Rosie normally sat.
"Hey, Bernadette," Hazel greeted, "Have you seen Rosie around?" "Hazel! Hey, girlie," Bernadette giggled, "It's been a while. No, sorry, Rosie had a meeting with a client today. She's probably over at Bébé's place picking up some eyeball salad for their engagement party next Saturday." "Damn." Hazel groaned, "Well, if we leave now, maybe we can catch up with Rosie before she leaves the Bake Stop."
"Sounds like a plan," Vaggie smiled, "We can get that cheesecake on the way out, too." Hazel chuckled and nodded, waving goodbye and said, "Thanks, Bernadette. Sorry for the hit and run, but… seeing as I'm probably going to be up here for a little while yet… maybe we can catch up over tea next… Thursday? Does that work for you?"
"Sure, Haze; I'd love to!" Bernadette smiled, waving back as the girls headed out the door, "Give your daddy my regards, won't you?" "Of course. Let's go, Vaggie." Hazel gushed as she and Vaggie headed out, "Later, Bernadette."
