Part 38

That afternoon, back at the Hazbin Hotel, regardless of Charlie talking with her dad on the phone as she paced back and forth in the foyer, Vaggie watching over her, Husker tending to his Bar, and Nifty keeping the place clean, Alastor stood by the window, turning his staff over and over and over again in his claws as he was deep in thought. He wasn't listening to anyone, ignoring them, for he was trying to figure out what had happened. Vox had given away the game to all of hell about Alex's holy weapons, and so now, instead of the game being quiet and what was expected in the grand game of Hell politics, it was now out in the open.

There were always political maneuverings, murders, and schemes of one kind or another in hell. As old as it was, and as the seat of his powers was, and despite having been ruling from his place in the palace for so long, even his old warpath of blood and fire wasn't nearly as disruptive to the natural order of things like the invasion of heavenly sutures were.

And so, he needed to change the game.

If plans began to fall apart, he still needed to figure out how to come out on top, or at least higher. All of hell was now looking for Alex for one reason or another. If they found Alex, they would find Angel, and he could not have a bunch of nobodies getting involved in his game. With the risk of heaven and angel magic, perhaps this wasn't the time for him to continue pushing, but that did not sit well with the demon, who despised loss in any form.

Still, there wasn't a clear alternative. He would have to become more directly involved; more brash. It had been three hours since the broadcast, and outside, every now and again, an explosion somewhere in the pentagram would draw his eye as he wondered if that was it, if THAT was the end of the game. He needed to make a move. "Husker, my good man," he side-eyed the cat.

"Yea, boss?"

"I do believe that now is the perfect time for a stroll around the block. Accompany me, would you? Times are perilous, and I could use a little company for the moment. I believe the fine ladies will be able to handle themselves just fine."

The radio static surrounding him continued, as strong as ever. There was little question of what he meant.

"Uh, sure. Don't think we got many drinkin' to worry about anyways." The radio demon gave a small, sensible chuckle, "Give it time, my good Husker, and they will pour in like a fine wine." He opened the door, offering the other a wave of his clawed hand as his head spun to stare forward again. "Why...who knows?" He sighed, a smile, a smile never leaving him, even as his mind twisted in rage, "Maybe the damned television set will even send a few their way when the dust has settled, hmm?"

He chuckled as the door shut, and the feline, pulling a bottle from underneath his bar counter, followed behind him.

With a whistle from the Radio demon, Husker sipped at his drink as his eyes caught the street, "So you can't think Angel had nothin' to do with this shit storm. Some stupid romance with the lizard and all that?"

Alastor continued smiling, his teeth becoming longer as the moments ticked by. He tucked his hands behind his back, his smile as solid and robust as it ever had been. "I believe the stupid boys are playing a little close to the chest. Still, if they had been captured or killed, Vox would have done another broadcast to let all of hell know the reward had been claimed. Since that is not the case and Vox has yet to let us all know how much he loved the sound of his own voice, I give the boys a one-in-twelve chance to succeed at this moment."

With a wink in Husker's direction, he continued his stroll, "This may not be the time to push further. Or it could be exactly when we need to keep pushing. That is my dilemma! Still, hands have been forced, so one must play the cards one is dealt. As a gambling man, I think you would greatly enjoy such a parallel, yes?" The demon laughed.

The streets were filled, demons traveling from one end of The Pentagram to the other, with cars blaring radios and the music drowning the conversations around them as they moved through traffic. While walking by a demon woman selling flowers, another had a tray with meat skewers and beer. The two paid no mind, Husker understanding his position in this more of a guard or bouncer. As long as Alastor had Husker's soul, he was no different than a pet to do as he was told. Husker would do nothing stupid; he knew what Alastor was capable of, but he was thankful the deer had taken to a lighter tone.

Eventually, they stopped outside of the Vees' tower, and Alastor came to a stop, looking up at it. "You stay here, my good man, and I will return shortly. Do try to stay out of trouble in the meantime." He spun his staff around and hooked it under his arm, humming as he walked into the foyer.

Alastor approached the demon behind the reception desk, who glanced up at him and hurried back, "Oh no...Not you again."

"Ah yes, once more and now again." He leaned over the table while the woman shuffled backward to keep her distance from the radio demon. His smile grew wider, "I would like to speak with Valentino, please."

"I...believe he is busy at the moment, Sir."

"Then I suggest you call him and let him know he is about to be interrupted regarding his reward for the lizard boy's capture. I'm sure he will understand." The shadow around him grew thicker, and a sense of doom overcame the women. His eyes glowed with light, his red and black ones widening in her direction. She quickly picked up the receiver with shaking hands and pressed several keys before putting the phone to her ear. It rang. It rang. No one picked up. She swallowed, "I...believe he is-"

"Again...my dear."

The receiver went back up to her ears, and it rang and rang and rang. Still, no one answered, and she felt sweat sliding down the back of her neck.

"Again..."

It rang. It rang. It rang. Then suddenly a click as a deep sigh filled the air on the other end and a raspy voice was heard through the speaker, "The fuck are you calling for, bitch? I am swamped right now!" She swallowed, her eyes never leaving Alastor, "Sir...the...Radio demon is here to s-speak with you regarding the...announcement that was made earlier."

There was a long moment of silence that stretched into eternity. And then... "Let him up."

The woman quickly nodded to Alastor, her voice shaking and her hands nearly dropping the phone back onto its cradle, "Thank you for the assistance, once again, my dear." He reached forward and, using his thumb and middle finger, stretched her twisted lips into a smile, "A receptionist is the first thing people see when they enter a business, my dear. Perhaps a better disposition would welcome guests more warmly. Ta ta."

The Overlord gave a slight nod before beginning his path toward the elevator. The trip to the top was much faster than the last time, which surprised him a little as he looked out the window into the city. He barely had time to clean his monocle before the doors opened, so he stepped onto the floor and entered the filming studio.

The set had changed, as was expected of a business built on the different varieties of the indulgence of the flesh, demons shooting, fucking, sound, and camera, but Valentino wasn't on set directing. The filming seemed to stop momentarily when the rabble noticed who was watching briefly as he stood there, wide smile, relaxed demeanor, "And where is he?" His glowing eyes passed over the heads of many of the workers until one pointed at the doors to his office. Alastor gave them all a slow wave of his clawed hand as he headed through the room, "As you were~."

The doors swung open. Inside, the Overlord was seated behind the large and elaborate wood desk. As one would expect, he was a mess; his wings disheveled, his hat tossed onto the floor. His phone rang constantly, and his desk was covered in papers with little scribbles as he wrote down note after note of call after call, trying to figure out what information was accurate or false and would lead him to his prize. He stared at the door, the cigarette between his teeth stiff as he held it tight, "Alastor," his smile was a grin as broad and wide and deadly as the Radio Demon's own, his gaze sharp and furious and hateful as his arms fell to his desk, "Look at this mess I have made all over my pretty desk. My phone has not stopped ringing."

At that comment, a thrum passed through both demons as a black tentacle withdrew from Alastor's shadow and threw itself down on Valentino's desk, smashing the phone. "And now it has stopped."

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Getting your undivided attention, my good sir." Alastor approached the desk, hopping back onto it like before, a sign of disrespect to the overlord, but it wasn't like Val was going to fight Alastor here. "That was Vox. Quite the mess he's thrown at everyone, hmm? Personally, I wouldn't have told him about the holy weapons either."

"Then I wouldn't have anyone going after it. For FUCK SAKE!" His claw slammed on his desk, his grin as sharp and terrible, "This is a fucking mess now! I could have gotten any piece of shit to handle him but look what's happened." The radio demon picked up a sheet of paper on the desk and read the note aloud, "Lady Nirvana is going to double her reward if I can turn him over?" Alastor glanced around before summoning the sheet to him, "Then this one. Black-Venus? triple the reward." Alastor chuckled, "By the balls, hmm?" His chuckle turned to a laugh, "I'm always stunned by the audacity of youth." The demon licked his lips as Valentino's grimy, clawed hand ran through the papers on his desk. "Can I assume that your job is becoming far more challenging? Now all of hell has found a way to collect his head, money or not?"

Alastor slid off the desk, "Last time I stood in your office, Valentino, you and I disagreed on how to handle the situation of the boy. I said leave him alone, you raped him, and now we are where we are. So!" he bounced his cane off the floor, "I am a forgiving and caring sort, the kind of person who believes in second chances. What if I was to bring you Alex?" He had to laugh as the moth demon stared at him, a cold, deadly, angry stare, "Just imagine! All of the time and trouble could be taken away. You will find it much harder to catch him without me. An overlord like me helping you with a little game of hide and seek? What's to worry? In return..." The eyes of the radio demon lit up, his head tilted a little too far, the red eyes glowing brighter, the shadows dancing, the crackling of static filling the air, "I get eight percent of your territory. ALL the territory." He spun the cane around, "All the people and money and business. They mean nothing to me, but they mean everything to you. Give me three days, eight percent, and I will bring Alex here," he tapped the desk, "to you. And as a bonus, I will include Angel Dust for no extra charge."

There was a pause as the Moth studied the radio demon, his claw clacking away at the desk's surface. He took a few drags of the cigarette. For a while, it seemed neither of them had breathed. The threat hung thick in the air. It wouldn't have been favorable if this deal could go either way. But... "Why?" the word was a bit harsh, but at least they had begun talking business. Alastor took the silver lighter off of Valentino's desk when the demon reached for another cigarette, lighting it for the overlord, "I said from the start I don't care what happens to Angel or the boy. Angel is your property," he snapped the lighter closed and set it back down on the desk, "and you may do what you wish with him. Alex is proving to be more trouble than worth and is far too stupid to make the right move against you. So, you give me eight percent, I clean up this whole mess. No more phone calls, no more demons who will probably kill him or them anyway. You get your property back, and we part on good terms." Alastor stared down the taller demon as the overlord leaned back in his chair.

"How long did you sit out there thinking about how to make this deal?"

Alastor smirked, "Hardly a second, friend. It was simply the right choice."

They looked each other in the eye. Val studied his eyes. Alastor just kept smiling, not hiding or feeling a need to hide anything. In his mind, it was all so simple. "Four percent."

"seven."

"five."

"Five and a half. And I'll buy you a nice new lighter."

Valentino kept his red and white eyes on the Radio demon, puffing on his cigarette. If nothing else, they didn't trust each other. They had been in hell too long, and with those stakes, Valentino knew that this was just business. The best way to do business is always with a bit of risk, and risk is worth it at five and a half percent of the territory. He glanced at the lighter and, with a nod to the demon before him, extended his hand.

The two shook, and Alastor gave another chuckle, "I would have done it for three."

"Shut the FUCK UP and go get them."

"You really can't tell when a con artist has worked you, my friend. I shall see you in three days. TA~TA!"