Author's Note: Another day and another installment of Drifters. So welcome one and all, and thank you for tuning into the eighteenth chapter of the story! Not too much news to report this week, as this chapter is on the shorter end, so let's head right on over to the Review Section!

Gamer of Action 44D: It'll be interesting to see how much I get wrong about Odette's character when the future seasons of the show drop. But as of right now, you are very much correct. For her personality and character is based purely on her design. Which, if nothing else, makes her another pseudo OC. And those types of characters are always fun to write in fanfics given the freedom of direction they offer.

As for Odette's role in the dad off… spoilers once again prevent me from saying anything. But do know when I read the last sentence, a smile began to creep up on my face ;)

Now without further adieu, besides my traditional apology revolving around any grammatical mistakes that may pop up along the way, I welcome you back too….

Drifters

A Hazbin Hotel Fanfic

Chapter 18:

Eyes of the Storm

The moment Velvette heard footsteps echo across the hall she rose from her bed, counted to seven, then swung her door open. Adding her own quiet thunder to the floor to observe the smaller horned storm she was set to pass.

Of course, Odette hardly carried herself with the awe of a hurricane. Much like how the Carmine heiress went about Charlie's nightly activities, or frankly any interaction over the last two weeks, she strolled about in silence. Eyes straight ahead in analytical boredom. Unwilling to voice what the gears in her mind grinded into thought.

Velvette would say the behavior was rude, but that would merely make hers hypocritical. As one of the many reasons she camped out by the hallway door was to increase the number of these silent acts of espionage.

Not that the pale blonde revealed enough during these brief encounters to make the effort worth it. But tonight, she needed to pretend for Vox's sake, if not her own, that she was keeping an eye on the new player in the hotel. For as little as she knew about Odette's, or more accurately Odette's mother's, intention for this place, everyone but the owner was aware it wasn't for what was written in the brochure.

"It's a bit late to be wrapping up a work day." Velvette un empathetically grumbled as she whisked herself past the pale faced blonde.

"Rather early to be starting yours." the robot in all but name crisply stated back.

Before the Vee could form a counter response, her own feet had carried her too far down the hall. And any more information, or lack there off, from Odette was lost beyond the horizon of the third floor.

'He can be annoying as he wants, but at least idiots like Pentious are easy to read.' Velvette grumbled, and decided she'd use her travel downstairs to hit the makeshift pub.

She'd have to limit herself to one glass now that she had to worry about the round Carmilla had in the chamber. But considering bed meant putting up with a mental breakdown from the poltergeist infesting her watch, she'd need fire in her belly to change the TV's rant into a egotistical documentary about his own greatness.

'This place.' Velvette's annoyance grumbled inside the walls of her skull. A simple sigh, that would sooner be mistaken for exhaustion rather than vex, the sole expression of her true emotions. 'Even in the midst of nothing, it's always something.'

If it had been any other Overlord syndicate, Velvette would have happily taken an open drum of oil camping next to her slow lit fuse as an exciting challenge. Unfortunately, for all she knew, or rather what Vox had shown her, the Carmine brand of petrol had the unique property of making any explosion that blew up in her face actually stick.

'Hope Sergeant Señirita's sweeps labcoat's room for unwanted toys as much as she does mine.' Velvette grudged, and gripped the stairs railing before her hands could themselves into her temples, 'For all our sake-'

A shadow hissed past her.

"Ah, un approximately two minutes behind schedule~"

She nearly ran into the wall of static that followed.

'Almost all our sakes, that is.' the Vee tried to holster herself to the frustration in her mind.

Yet below the high beams of Alastor's toothy grin, her knuckles leaked pigment onto the guardrail.

"A performance worthy of appeasing any critic." the pin striped man's splintered tone sharpened to the cracks of his spine, "Except when directed beneath the eyes of a true connoisseur~"

In the past, Velvette had always held a relatively ignorant view on intimation achieved through physical power. She had certainly never shied away from it before. Merely became so accustomed to having the upper hand in it against most demons, that she felt showcasing her strength through societal manipulation was more effective.

Upon meeting Alastor, that worldview had been shattered to a million pieces. For within the first two minutes of conversing with the rival Overlord, he had shown the youngest Vee exactly what it was like to be a pawn before a queen.

Even a month later, the Radio Demon's worth over her had remained constant. Her only saving grace being that, for the moment, the deer's need to keep Charlie happy meant he was playing on a different chess board.

Which kept their interactions to a minimum. But in moments like these, Velvette couldn't help but worry just what would happen if, and inevitably when, he jumped tables.

"My call with Vox is in an hour." the Vee tried to use knowledge he no doubt knew, and hopefully couldn't change, to brush his words away.

"An hour and eleven minutes actually." the radio hummed, and took a sidestep towards the wall to allow her to pass. Something her legs found all too easy to do. "Which makes my old friend's impulsive tantrums punctually pinned."

"You must be so relieved." the pinkette moved forward, not letting the radio's words drag her back by the ear.

"More than you know, and less than you think."

Velvette was gonna have to fight the urge for a second drink. Seriously, what did people born before the internet have against getting to the point? Tell the truth or lie, she didn't care, so long as the statement was absolute and not some riddle even the user didn't understand.

"I'm not making what I'm doing here a secret."

"And you've done a marvelous job of making that obvious to your two adversaries." Alastor sang his answer.

"Thanks for the compliment." The influencer rolled her eyes.

"Anytime!" the Wendigo's closed lids shifted his smile higher, "So long as it fits into your schedule."

Velvette had quite enough of this mental joust. Walking towards the stairs, she decided to make things easier for both of them. And leave him with a point she'd lecture to Vox later.

"Don't you mean Odette's?" the doll muttered. Just loud enough to give her position and trap away, yet far enough behind that the only casualty would be the bomb.

"I suppose so~" and the match who just struck himself.

A fact that would make Vel smile… but Alastor's already seemed to have that cover.

And whether her tell to the queen one board over helped clear the pieces in front of her or not, she honestly didn't care enough to predict until after she reached the counter.

XxxxxxX

"No, it was Vaggie again. The others have yet to inspect the resources in my quarter."

'Only because you are kind enough to give them away.' Alastor hummed thankfully in his head, as Odette's echoed words entered his ear.

Nestled in his studio, the Radio Demon picked up the hidden conversation half a dozen floors down with all the clarity of a cup and string. Which given the stations he listened to in his youth, sounded smoother than live jazz.

"All that proves is Vaggie hasn't performed well in her raids, not that the other two haven't attempted any."

Alastor bobbled his head, and granted the stern accent demeaning Odette its fair point.

Out of all the Overlords, Alastor's history with Carmilla was the least studied. That wasn't to say he had blindly ignored her influence or power, he just never had any need to be trapped by it. He was a weapon in and of himself, and was the only Overlord in Hell who didn't have an army he needed armed.

Sure, pre angel decapitation, that meant he had little to lose if a confrontation arose between them, but it also meant he had nothing to really gain from it either. And since his true goals had always been larger than the Pride Ring, he had never bothered pissing her off.

'How quickly Vox's Cold War has changed that.' the Wendigo mused.

And much like the Vee who had 'encouraged' tonight's ease-drop, he wondered just how long a confrontation with the powerful weapon dealer could be avoided. Especially since his previous interaction with her had nearly tipped the scale between them onto a detonator.

"Of course mother. Although, there remains little for them to find in there."

He leaned into his microphone, as he supposed the next speaker would be the one to determine that fact.

"Then tell me what you have?"

"My written report should be a sufficient update-"

"No, no it will not." Carmilla's voice sharply cut her daughter's caution off.

'You're right about that.' Alastor mused his smile up.

"For security reasons I must disagree, besides, my analysis for today will be the same as all the others. No changes in Velvette's behavior in the hotel… And until we break the Vees' wireless encryption, that will remain unlikely to change."

Alastor rolled his eyes, pitying his own wants for the Carmine's to have a breakthrough on that front.

"As should be our policy to limit our own wireless transmission. Surely whatever you have to say can wait until I've returned to the office tomorrow-"

"Did Velvette leave the hotel at any point this evening?"

The obviousness of the answer, made the curiosity of the question quite appealing. Nearly as much as the quickness in which Carmilla used it to derail the conversation onto a new track.

"… no, she was on the premises prior to Charlie's afternoon activity, and remained here till I passed her in the hall at the start of the hour." Odette's voice did the opposite. As it betrayed itself by slowing down.

"Good, that's good." the mother's crisp response was breathed out instead of stated.

"… why?" Odette asked what Alastor's thoughts hummed.

"That is something that can wait till tomorrow."

"Based on the simplicity of my answer, it could have as well. I want to know what reason there is for an exception?" Odette did not wield her concern well.

"I want to know why my daughter has chosen now of all times to question her mother." Carmilla sharpened her reply till her narrowed eyes could be deciphered orally.

"Because I have yet to hear my sister's voice on this call."

Alastor did not dare treat the conversation happening below as a stage performance. But if he did, he would be relaxing in his seat for the level of drama Odette added to the program.

"…" the long moment of silence that followed proved to be the elder Carmine's loaded breath when she released a sigh, "You're sister was attacked on her way back from a delivery."

Another absence of noise washed over the room. As Odette no doubt was fighting the need to hear all the information with the desire to bolt out the door. Just as much as Alastor had to fight to keep his focus on the speaker instead of directing a shadow to fetch him some popcorn.

"She made it home, and is safe in her room as we speak." Carmilla ushered words out to keep her daughter put.

"Is she hurt?" The blonde's worried tone traded her educated vocabulary for the speed and directness of the layman's tongue.

Alastor rolled his eyes around his studio as he heard Odette's untrained emotions get the better of her.

If she truly cared about her sister, then Carmilla stating she was safely sheltered should have been the end of the discussion. In a realm where all wounds, from vexing paper cuts to fatal gunshots, healed just as quickly, the question of the other Carmine's health became second to who had tried to harm her.

Not that he was one to give pointers to an opponent for free. But if Alastor even had one percent of Charlie's innocence, he might have been inclined to tell the worried sister that focusing on the ladder point would actually prevent the former from occurring again.

"She is fine."

As it stood now, he'd simply sit through the filler while the other Overlord wasted time explaining the obvious in a motherly way.

"Physically that is… mentally the whole situation has left her rather shell shocked."

Now that was a piece of information worth narrowing his pupils on. Carmilla's daughters may have had the privilege of being related to an Overlord, but given their line of work, one would think they'd have built some numbness to the daily violence of Hell.

"Did the assailant escape?" Odette tried and, from what the Radio Demon heard from her uneven harmony, failed to return to some level of professionalism.

"No, he's dead." Carmilla's tone dove down in the opposite direction, as did Alastor's sense of humor when the whisper entered his twin set of ears.

"Then you can capture the body, when he regenerates we can-"

"No we cannot…"

The bovine receptors straightened up into antennas atop his head. As he strained them to pick up a signal spoken on ever quieter lips he couldn't read.

"Because he was slain by the very weapon he was trying to steal."

Alastor shot upwards, and the chair he sat on crashed into the panels behind him. All logic within his body was transferred into grip strength, as his claws sank into the frame of his metallic studio. Keeping him locked in place. If it weren't for the effort of ten digits, war with Carmilla would be achieved within the next ten seconds. As the Radio Demon fought the urge to tear up everything in Odette's room.

"…" said Carmine's breath hitched, and for her sake, and the Wendigo, she had the wherewithal to not reveal even a syllable of a slip up, "Was the perpetrator acting alone?"

"I must answer, the same way you did." Carmilla's statement was absolute, as was her unspoken declaration this conversation was to end as well, "We will talk more tomorrow Odette. For now, please stay vigilant and safe… I've sent patrols near the hotel."

They wouldn't do much in terms of actual protection, not from the threats Carmilla spoke of. But loosening his grip though, Alastor would treat it as a well placed deterrence.

"If danger should arise, they will protect you." Carmilla disguised her use of the first person through the second, "Even from yourself."

"Very well…" Odette's stuttered breath almost covered the slight wrinkle of fabric Alastor picked up, "thank you for the update mother."

A half second of silence preceded the dial tone that followed. If it indicated a twice unseen head nod from the weapons manufacturer or a mutual understanding of a worsening situation between mother and daughter, for the sake of information gathering, Alastor struggled to care.

Far more unnerving was the fact that if he was to go down and pry the true answers of the conversation from Odette, he'd unveil something worse than a conflict with Carmilla.

To his concern- No, even worse, to his embarrassment, he feared what he'd find on the woman would be Vox's own competence. That the Cold War between Overlords the Electronic Demon had orchestrated, had a necessary justification. And one that benefited, but did not actually lead back to, the TV.

Alastor's guarantee faltered between a closed mouth grin of professionalism, and the shark toothed smile of a deranged lunatic.

'And you used your little devil to drag me away from the actual path I need to follow.' his thoughts verged on the point of leaking out angered words.

He'd been so pleased with the knowledge Vel had let slip to him in the hall, Alastor hadn't even bothered asking himself how she knew an emergency meeting between Carmilla and Odette was going to take place in the first place.

The influencer knew the attack on Odette's sister was going to happen. And she hadn't surrendered it to him in the hopes he'd leave her alone as quickly as possible. She did it so he'd stay locked in his room instead of going out for his nightly stroll. Where he foolishly waited to listen to a partial answer he could have fully seen on the one night the Vees and Carmines goons came out to tussle.

And as a result, he was just left with more questions of this mysterious treasure the Carmines had then answers.

When he first saw the fallen angel, he feared the hidden weapon Carmilla had used to kill it was an atomic bomb. A tool that was dangerous due to its threat, yet resource intensive enough that, if he played his cards right, Alastor would have time to convince the other Overlords the few that could be produced weren't worth fighting over.

That theory had been officially debunked and, in a rare moment for any of his hypotheses', violently so. No matter how powerful a parent was, and no matter how much they loved their child, if Carmilla was worried about her children's safety, she'd be smart enough to know not to give them her most powerful weapon for self defense.

Which meant Alastor was left with two very much unwanted conclusions. The first being Carmilla had enough of these weapons that they should be treated more like repeaters than bombs. And the second, and remarkably far more concerning, was that she had given these weapons to her daughters. Even if only as a last resort then, no matter how small a chance it may be, that meant Carmilla wasn't positive she had the only arsenal in town.

'A leak from a worker? No, if Vox had paid for the stolen formula, he'd be marketing his off brand recipe for it by now.' Alastor's thoughts feverishly back tracked, 'A rival inventor perhaps?'

The Radio Demon shook his head at the idea the moment he actually considered asking Pentious what he knew on the subject.

'Doubtful. Any idiotic upstart Carmilla runs into is squashed, and the intelligent ones are hired.' Alastor's teeth began to show fault lines, 'But if nobody else could make it, then why would she be worried others could produce their own. Sure they can try to steal hers like Vox's poor goon, but if she thought theft would be the only way the others could get theirs hands on the weapon, she would never have built any to begin with. Let alone a large enough stockpile that it could arm her non combative daughters.'

The Radio's claws dug crimson streams down his temples.

'God only knows she'd be the first to understand that producing enough Demon Slaying weapons for an army, would only ensure all of Hell would be wiped out. Its inhabitants slain by the mystery in their own hand before the Exorcist came to do it-'

Alastor's pupils dilated, and to keep his show aloft the Radio's face had to freeze a broken screen.

'How idiotic can we all be!' His thought was hardly a panicked one. But his realization of an obviousness he, the Vees, and the Carmines all overlooked ushered in a feeling that was close enough to the foreign emotion. 'To be so blinded by the fear of one of us having a golden weapon, that we've forgotten who wields the silver one above!'

The deer's eyes nearly shattered glass.

'Whatever tool Carmine used to kill that Angel is an unknown. The Exorcist's death is a certainty!' Alastor's ears cut off the noise from down below, as his eyes narrowed in rage upward, 'One that Heaven knew about long before that corpse was thrown on the table! No wonder they decreased the interludes between Exterminations! They too want to know what this shrouded weapon the Carmine's have is. But unlike me, in place of an actual answer, they can simply kill the problem!

The Wendigo bones cracked. He had been so preoccupied with the other Overlords, with preventing a war he had power to control… that he had forgotten the hurricane in the sky had an eye as well.

XxxxxxX

The demon's body flickered upon the waves of a dulled light. A headless torso of a muscular bull strained to make its presence known. The vile ichor erupting from the bovine's neck played in a loop. The inky geyser melding with the top of the screen each time it reached its apex, becoming lost in the void that surrounded all.

The added security of the darkness was an unfortunate necessity. Officially, it was done to adhere to long established rules. To maintain the order that existed in and outside these closed walls.

However, as the video played over and over again, the two pairs of eyes reflecting the image narrowed in disgust. Convinced that the unspoken second reason light itself was barred from this scene, was because no ray of Heaven should have to carry the unnatural sight of Sinners. Let alone the defeated corpse of one not claimed by their hands.

Even playing the recording felt like a slight against all that was as good. And after the fifth rewind, the projector was ordered to stand down.

The next glow it produced was the golden hue that reflected off its blessed surface. Allowing the screen to finally return back into a pure white marble wall. Whilst the two women inhabiting the room discussed the echoes of the filth shown.

"No other Watchers have returned?" The first occupant spoke low and emotionless.

"Not yet Lieutenant." the second responded dutifully.

The tone of their voices shared the same gemini of their appearances. The duty they spoke mirrored the crisp cuts of their pigment-less hair. The coldness they ordered matched the gray hue of their skin. And even the posture of the commands one enacted and the other received perfectly matched their identical slim builds.

Paired with the rigidness at which they stood, there was little doubt that their black uniforms, threaded to match the feathered pattern of the ashen wings jutting from their backs, signaled them as Exorcists.

If not for the slightest of slight differences, it would almost be impossible to tell the two angels apart. And honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that the hair of the person providing answers stopped halfway down her back, while the cut of the other asking the questions hovered at her chin, one would think they themselves would get confused over whose who.

"They're all programmed to report back at 0:600 hours." the long haired occupant stated, before her pupils drifted back to the drone, "Unless one deems itself to have scanned another… Anomaly."

The commanding inhabitant narrowed her gaze, and the other's eyes straightened back to attention.

"Do you have an issue with that terminology Sergeant?"

"No ma'am." the underling replied, although the quickness betrayed its stoic tone. And the longer haired angel's mind cursed itself, before she surrendered her thoughts beneath the Lieutenant's demanding gaze, "It's just… this is the second incident the Watchers have recorded in the last two months."

"And?" the commanding officer crossed her arms.

"And…" the lower rank took in a deep breath. And fought for her feathers to remain in place rather than ruffle along with the air that filled her lung, "and at what point do they become common enough, that I am no longer reporting Anomalies to you, but patterns."

The woman's muscles seemed to freeze when she saw the Lieutenant's eyes sharpen. And beneath her own weight, her new found icy bones failed to support her. As her stance cracked slightly.

"I'm- I'm proud to man the Watchers, and fulfill my post with steadfast duty," she gulped as she prepared to say the most hated word in any military, "but I've had to analyze the footage of our fallen comrade for days and…"

Saying the picture in her mind out loud, if nothing else, melted the ice inside her to steam.

"It infuriates me that her wounds match that of this lowly Sinner. That the person responsible is not only at large, but taunts us by desecrating our divine purpose with their sadistic ways…" the Sergeant stowed herself a glance towards her leader. And continued when she saw, if not softened then at least, chiseled eyes of understanding, "and I just…"

Formality disappeared for a moment, and the long haired angel's shoulders dropped.

"We've lost two Sisters already, Lute. I won't, I can't, sit around and do nothing while I watch those animals practice how to kill a third."

Silence entered the room, with almost more chill than the void that had preceded the conversation.

Lute, above all her other siblings, lived up to their status as the embodiments of justice the most. Yet even the pinnacle Exorcist eyes flickered to the side when the short list of the fallen was mentioned.

"Rift and Vaggie… fell in the line of duty and gave their life for the cause." Lute trailed off, but when she refound the path she did so with a vengeance. And her tone all but snapped the Sergeant's stance back into place, "As we all must be willing to do for the cause. And right now the cause dictates you keep our Watchers operational as Hell remains under 24/7 surveillance. You will continue to make sure the drones rotation leaves no temporal gap."

"Yes ma'am." the Sergeant replied, curiosity quickly pressed out.

"You will keep these reports classified."

"Yes ma'am." replaced by the duty she needed to maintain.

"And you will announce any and all Anomalies directly to Adam or myself without hesitation."

"Yes ma'am." To ensure the safety of Heaven her anger, no matter how justified, could not jeopardize.

"Back to work then soldier, for time is not our alley. The next Extermination draws closer with each passing breath." the Lieutenant marched across the room, her response to the salute that followed being a pause when she opened the door, "And when it arrives…"

The Sergeant looked over confused, only growing more so when she saw Lute's lips produce a rare grin.

"Our sisters will have their justice Amp."

And just like that, Lute's smile left the room… but in its echo, Amp adopted her own.

XxxxxxX

Thank you to all those who have read through the eighteenth chapter of Drifters!

I will try my best to upload a chapter every Friday. But until next week, please feel free to leave a comment! Criticism is always welcomed, so long as there's an attempt for it to be constructive.

As of this moment I am still looking for a beta reader, so to anyone interested please feel free to shoot me a PM.