Chapter 3

A week had gone by, and Scarlett wasn't any closer to getting answers than when she arrived. Charlie said her father was doing some investigating, but it could take a while. So, in the meantime, Scarlett created a routine in the hotel to keep her sanity. She helped Charlie and Vaggie come up with ideas to bring sinners to the hotel even when she was doubtful it would work. On occasion she would join in on Charlie's 'activities' for the day with the other residents (other than Alastor). She would helped Nifty with some chores or let the strange creature put on roach puppet shows for her. Then in the evening, after dinner, she would sit at the bar with Husk and Angel. She found that she enjoyed Angel's company most of all. He just seemed fun to be around and easy to talk to.

In the week, she also managed to pick up on Alastor's routine. Once she had it down, it made it easier to avoid him. She knew that the more she avoided him, the more likely he would come to her with another attempt to get her soul. The more determined he got, the higher the chance he would accidentally give away information to her. But he wasn't stupid either, he could very well be playing a similar game with her.

Scarlett took another sip of her drink as she sat at the bar after Angel left when he received a call from his boss. The only problem with this hotel was that there was no gym for her to use. She needed to keep in shape, but training would give herself away to the others. She thought about training in her room, but the glimpses of moving shadows she caught following her around the hotel, told her Alastor was always watching her. He could easily hide his shadow in her room and discover her training. But she still needed to be active in some way. Nifty had made her some exercise clothes, all the tops having long sleeves, but Scarlett wasn't sure where she could work out.

"Something troubling you?" husk asked as he cleaned a glass.

"Just thinking of how to work out." She admitted and he raised in eyebrow.

"There's a pool," he said, "you could swim. Or just run laps around the terrace. But probably not a good idea for you to go running around outside the hotel."

"Ya I figured." She muttered before hopping off the barstool, "welp I guess I gotta work with what I have." she waved bye to Husk before returning to her room. After dressing into her exercise clothes and making sure her weapons were strapped to her and well hidden. She left for the terrace.

Even though her phone didn't work, she was still able to use her air pods to listen to music and Charlie managed to get her chargers for her phone and airpods. Scarlett put on some music and started running laps around the terrace, she wanted to jump over the objects around her to train but knew she would be caught doing that. Hell's air was much thicker than Earth's, it was a strange feeling to her to be a little out of breath after thirty laps.

"Damn air." She muttered after forty laps and stopped, placing her hands on her hips and taking a few deep breaths.

"Having a little trouble there?" Scarlett looked over her shoulder to see Alastor sitting at the table they had tea at a week ago. His legs were crossed as he watched her, sipping on some coffee with that smile on his face, clearing mocking her. She had picked up a while ago that he was watching her, but pretended like she didn't notice him.

"The air is thick down here." She admitted as she paused her music and removed her airpods, turning to face him.

"Quite suffocating, isn't it?" he said conversely and snapped his fingers. A teacup appeared in front of the empty chair across from him. He gestured to the chair, his eyes never leaving hers. Scarlett let out a sigh before walking over to the chair and taking a seat, stretching her arms above her head as she walked over. Doing stuff like that would usually distract men, but Alastor only smiled at her, appearing to be immune. It didn't surprise her though, she picked up early on that using a sexual allure on him probably wouldn't work. He was very well controlled, probably not even interested in such things.

"So do you enjoy watching women work out," she asked after taking a sip of tea, "or do you just see something you like?" she gave a smirk as she crossed her legs, and he tilted his head.

"Just thought you finally lost your sanity," he brushed off her flirt, "running around in circles like that."

"Well, there's no gym here," she shrugged, "I need to stay in shape somehow."

"I don't see why," she stiffened when his eyes roamed over her body. It was clear he did this deliberately to make her uncomfortable, "you seem to be in exquisite shape. I didn't expect a journalist to be so strong looking." He was clearly referring to her muscles and she shifted. He was digging for information; she didn't like it. Did he catch on to the fact that she was lying about being a full time journalist?

"I do a lot of walking and exploring in my profession." She said as his eyes moved up to meet hers, he was analyzing her words. She had to watch what she said around him.

"Here I thought journalists just sat down and talked to people," Alastor said, and she shrugged.

"Most do," she replied, "I like to explore areas to get a better feel of crime scenes. It makes writing easier and helps me to write more in depth to give my readers more than a boring 'this happened' article." Alastor chuckled as he rested his chin on his intwined fingers.

"And what crime stories have you written about?" he asked, "I bet I could introduce you to the culprits. Wouldn't that be a fascinating thing to write about? An interview with the killers themselves."

"Oh ya!" she smiled slapping one hand down on the table, "and then be admitted to a mental institution for claiming to be able to talk to dead killers. That sounds like a great idea!" Alastor let out a loud laugh, a crowd laughing soundtrack playing around him as well. Scarlett had to admit, she found it fascinating how he could play these soundtracks and music like a radio.

"You are quick witted my dear," he smiled, "I must say I'm enjoying our conversations." Scarlett took a sip of her tea, not bothering to respond to that.

"So, I have a question," she asked, and Alastor tilted his head, resting his chin back on his entwined fingers and leaning forward to be a little closer to her, showing that he was listening.

"Why animals?" she asked, "I've noticed the sinners down here are all in some animal form. Or just unusual form in general." Alastor's smile brightened. He could simply try to make a deal with her again to answer her questions. She was too smart for that, he decided that answering some questions here and there would make her trust him more. She'll eventually let her guard down around him.

"We take on the form of the thing we hate most." He said, "a form of Hell's punishment."

"And you hate deer?" she raised an eyebrow while he only smiled at her. It made sense to her that he would hate deer. If he really was the bayou serial killer, he died because a hunter mistook him for a deer. Although according to Roger, it was the hunter's dog that found the supposed killer.

"Hm," Alastor shrugged, "I do have a small grievance with them." Scarlett raised an eyebrow, a little surprised he admitted to it.

"I would hope to be reborn as a dog," Scarlett lied to see how he would react, "they're such loyal creatures good at tracking things down. Smart too." Scarlett pretended to not see Alastor's eye twitch in annoyance.

"Dogs are annoying creatures." Alastor said flatly.

"You have something against dogs?" Scarlett asked, "they are man's best friend."

"Hm," was the only response she got from Alastor as they sat in silence. She took another sip of her tea while he leaned back in his chair, resting his staff in his lap. Scarlett stood up when she finished her tea and Alastor watched her move away.

"Thanks for the tea," she said politely, "good night."

"Sweet dreams dear," Alastor said. It almost sounded threatening, but she ignored him and walked back to her room.

A few days later, Scarlett was stretching by the pool after her workout while Alastor sat at the table on the terrace reading a book. He was making it a habit to appear towards the end of exercise and they would have short conversations over tea. Today, he decided to make his appearance at the beginning of her exercise. She ignored him as she ran but could feel him watching her even though his eyes would always be on his book when she looked over at him. He was trying to make her nervous, had she not been well trained, it would probably work.

"Damn I hate how thick the air is down here." Scarlett muttered as she sat at the table with Alastor.

"You seem to adapt rather well for a mortal though," Alastor replied as he snapped the book he was reading shut in one hand. The book disappeared and tea appeared on the table in front of her while his red coffee cup appeared in front of him.

"To the air or this whole Hell thing?" she asked, and he smiled more, picking up his cup.

"Both." He said before taking a sip.

"So, are you friends with any of the other overlords down here?" Scarlett asked and Alastor showed his sharp teeth in a big smile.

"Of course," he said, "it's always good to keep your enemies close." Scarlett smirked a little at this before taking a sip of tea.

"And what about you dear?" he asked, setting his cup down and resting his elbows on the table, leaning his cheek on one hand as he lightly tapped is claws on his cup.

"What about me?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Any friends up above?" he asked, and she looked up at the red sky before looking down at her drink.

"Just one." She muttered and he tilted his head.

"Only one friend?" he asked, "I would expect a journalist to have more than that."

"Only one really good friend," she replied, covering her mistake. He only smiled.

"Well my dear," he said, "you're going to need friends down here if you want to survive." Scarlett smiled and rested her arms on the table, leaning closer to him.

"Let me guess," she smiled, "you're offering to be my friend." His smile got bigger as he leaned back in his seat, crossing his legs and holding his arms out a little.

"Well not to brag," he said, flexing his claw as he raised his shoulder, his hands still hovering in the air, "but I am an overlord of Hell. I would be a very valuable friend."

"I think Charlie has you beat on that one there." She smiled and his eyebrows raised as his smile grew. He laughed a couple times before crossing his arms on the table and leaning forward.

"Yes, she is a wise choice for a friend," he raised one arm and rested his cheek against his knuckles, tilting his head a little. "But no demon in Hell is afraid of her, she's too nice. Down here fear is what keeps you alive. Being friends with a demon that is feared will keep you alive longer."

"I'll keep that in mind." she smiled as she stood up. "Good night." She walked away from him before he could respond.

She needed a change. Scarlett decided at dinner a few nights later. She decided that instead of running tonight, she would swim some laps. She didn't really care about the idea because she would have to leave her weapons in her room. The swimsuit Nifty made her covered her completely with long sleeves. She pulled the front zipper up before tying her hair back into a bun and getting into the pool

It felt nice to be gliding across water as she swam laps. She easily spun around in the water and kicked off the end of the pool when she reached it. She kept to the free style strokes, taking three to four strokes before coming up for air. Running these past few weeks has helped her to get used to Hell's thin air.

Alastor had yet to make his usual appearance. In fact, she didn't see much of him today. Normally she would catch glimpses of him wandering around the hotel. But today he was pretty much absent for the most part. She wondered if he would make an appearance tonight. She hated how she was growing accustomed to their nightly routine. She knew why he was doing it. Create a habit to get her to be comfortable with him. She had to admit, he is an excellent hunter. He missed his prey once, and now he is patiently waiting for an opening.

Scarlett stopped after her 20th lap and swam over to the ladder. Just as she pulled herself up one step, her towel was being held in front of her face. She looked up to see Alastor bending over a little with a smile, the towel dangling from one hand as he rested the other on his staff. Scarlett resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she pulled herself out of the pool and grabbed the towel. She pulled her hair out of the bun and patted it dry a little as she sat on one of the lounge chairs. Alastor stood in front of her, his hands resting on his staff as he watched her, clearly trying to make her nervous.

"A change in routine tonight, hm?" he finally said as she dried off her legs and pulled a light cover over herself.

"Need to try something different every once in a while." She shrugged and he smiled a little.

"Indeed," he said tapping his claws on the red metal of his staff a couple times.

"You didn't eat much dinner tonight," he said, "was my Crawfish Ettouffee not good?" Scarlett glanced up at him as he smiled down at her, he hid it well, but she could tell he was annoyed. Scarlett shrugged as she brushed her fingers though her damp hair.

"No it was good," she said truthfully, "I've personally never really cared for crawfish." He tapped his claws on his staff, before picking it up and lightly tapping the top of her head with it.

"Well, my dear, you should've said something while I was cooking." Scarlett raised her eyebrow at this and gave another shrug as she brushed the staff away from her head.

"Food is food," she said, "I'm not going to complain, I'll eat it even if I don't care for it."

"Well, still." Alastor placed his hands behind his back and moved around her, his arm lightly brushing her shoulder as he walked by her towards the table. He certainly enjoyed invading her personal space, would give her just the lightest touches to remind her he was there. He sat on the chair at the table, crossed his legs, and snapped his fingers. A plate appeared in his and he set it in front of her as she took a seat.

"We can't let you starve," he continued, "it may not be my specialty, but this blackened Tilapia with Cajun Remoulade should do." Scarlett picked up a fork and took a bite of the food.

"It's good," she said, and his smile got bigger, "thank you."

"You're quite welcome my dear." He waved his hand, and his red coffee mug appeared in front of him. He took a sip of the coffee, looking up at the hotel as she ate, twisting his staff between his fingers as it rested on the ground. When she was done eating, she leaned back in the chair, stretching her arms above her head, her muscles flexing beneath the tight sleeves of the suit. Alastor's eyes had moved to her at her movement as he took another sip of his coffee.

"Well then," she stood up, "thank you for the dinner." She started to walk away then, but he spoke up.

"You do have such exquisite skin my dear," he said, and she stopped, not turning around to look at him. "most young women these days do so enjoy showing off their body, why don't you?" Scarlett bit her lip before looking over her shoulder with a smile.

"I suppose I'm just a modest woman." She replied and he smiled, not showing his teeth as he set his coffee cup down on the table to rest his cheek against the knuckles of his hand, twisting his staff in a slow circle with his free hand.

"Oh I doubt that my dear." He said and she had stopped her body from stiffening, he was too observant for her liking. She looked away from him, grabbed her damp towel off the lounge chair and walked back into the hotel without another word.