It took about a few weeks, but eventually Ellen managed to talk Alastor into going out for a walk. They still didn't really know why the denizens of Hell thought she was some sort of monster, but Ellen was hoping if she could be seen out more, it may make some realize she wasn't really all that different from them. She was hoping to be out every day, the more exposure, the more people saw her and the less likely they would think of her as odd. Or at least that was her thoughts. Alastor didn't like that idea, but did agree it made some sense.
They avoided the doomsday district for obvious reasons, but the walks through uptown, downtown and the entertainment district were relatively nice. If Alator took her through cannibal town she wanted at least an hour heads up to get herself ready for it. The idea of seeing others eating bodies regardless of what they were, still made her a bit queasy. It did allow her to see Rosie again though, always worth the trip in and out of the district.
The only district she hadn't been through was the industrial one. Alastor mentioned it was one he didn't spend much time in, usually only for overlord meetings. She was a bit surprised there was some sort of hierarchy in Hell that people actually stuck to. It seemed like a place where you did what you wanted.
She had forgotten that she had already met a few other overlords. The Vees and Rosie. Alastor mentioned it wasn't likely she would ever see any of the others, though wandering in others' territories may cause some to be nervous.
"Wait, so who runs the industrial district? Wouldn't they be nervous inviting everyone there for those meetings?"
"Definitely not. No one would be foolish enough to try crossing Carmilla."
"Carmilla? A woman runs the industrial district? Cool." Ellen smiled. She could already tell Carmilla was a badass.
"She is the top weapons dealer in Hell, not that you have a need for such things."
"Okay I have to meet her."
Alastor raised a curious eyebrow. "Should I be concerned? My wife is looking for weapons in lieu of her 'trusty' frying pan?"
Ellen grinned her voice filled with mock pride. "Oh yes, you should be very afraid. You've already seen my knife skills."
Alastor chuckled. "A frightful thing indeed."
She nodded, smiling proudly. "Just wait til you see what a shit shot I am, too."
"Have you really no weapon proficiency? Did you not spot snipers?"
"I know how to shoot, the techniques, the theory. I've even taken some guns apart, cleaned them and put them back together. That doesn't mean I'm a good shot. More of a spray and pray kinda girl."
They continued a few paces in silence. Alastor shook his head. "And yet you still took down the King of Hell. How confounding."
The two fell back into silence as they worked their way to their destination. Ellen was paying a lot of attention to the route they were taking. If she was ever going to be out on her own, she would want to get a proper lay out of the city. She was comfortable enough in uptown, the area the hotel was in, and though she knew she still wouldn't venture it alone, the entertainment district. It was Angel's choice of walking route, not that she minded much.
She liked going out with Angel, he carried less of a…scary persona. With Angel she felt more like a normal citizen of Hell. She still had the rude comments, dirty looks and occasional things thrown at her, but she at least got to converse with people as she passed. Angel would almost always retort back to the mean comments which sometimes lead to them making remarks about him. He always brushed them off like they were nothing, saying they were jealous or had nothing better to do. Ellen wished that was the case for her too, but she doubted it.
Once they passed the sign for Cannibal town, Ellen drew her gaze downward. She would get used to the gruesome sights of people being disemboweled and eaten, it would just take awhile. A long while. Perhaps never. Her stomach lurched at the smell of corpses and she had to resist the urge to bring her hand to her mouth. She was not going to puke, she refused to let it happen. She changed to breathing strictly through her mouth in hopes of eliminating the smells that seemed to be worse than she last remembered. We're going to see Rosie. We're going to see Rosie. She repeated the silent mantra a few times trying to calm the uneasy churning in the stomach.
She knew Alastor stopped by to see Rosie from time to time and now that she had the chance to join in on the tea and gossip, there was no way she was turning this opportunity down. It had also been a fair bit of time since she had seen her and she was dying to sit down and have an actual conversation with the overlord. Alastor said she was the romance expert and even though she didn't feel she necessarily needed the advice, she was welcome to the knowledge.
Alastor pulled her closer to his side to avoid a half eaten body on the sidewalk.
"Chin up my dear, you do not wish to appear meek here, they'll chew you up." He hummed amused. "Pardon the pun."
She slowly pulled her gaze up. Of all the other districts it seemed Cannibal town was the least hectic. She got disapproving looks, a few whispers but aside from that, there was no distinct hate. Alastor mentioned the looks were likely from disappointed bachelorettes. He apparently had quite a few lady suitors, now upset he had taken the middle aisle. Whether or not it was true, it did make her feel a little bit better.
As they drew closer to 'Rosie's Emporium', Ellen smiled thinking about how this was where it all started. All that time ago she had sprinted through naked and afraid, unknowingly into the arms of the cannibal overlord. It seemed like ages ago. How long had she really been in Hell? Time seemed imperceivable here.
"Rosie was the first one to help me when I got to Hell." She turned to look at Alastor. "Did you know that?"
His gaze stayed forward, eyes lightly scanning the area. "I did. Do you forget that we talk in great depth?"
"So you guys do talk about me." She smirked. She already knew they did, how could they not? Aside from being an anomaly in Hell, she had captured Alastor's attention and affection. An interesting topic for sure.
His eyes moved to give her a look of warning to change the topic. It wasn't something to be discussed out in the open for just anyone to hear. It was a look she was starting to get a lot lately. She didn't mean to push those topics so often, but she figured since all of Hell knew about them, it didn't matter what was overheard. Apparently she was incorrect, Alastor keeping many things out of the public's ears. She should have figured.
She beamed up at him, but took the hint. "Did she tell you about her radio? I thought it was a person." She chuckled to herself before it slowly came to a stop noticing Alastor hadn't joined her. "Wait…" She turned back to Alastor to see his reaction. He was now sporting a smug gin.
"She gave me quite the scolding for that."
"That was you!?"
"My dear I am not a radio, I surely hope you are able to discern the difference."
"You are the Radio Demon, it's basically the same thing. I can't believe…how didn't it see it?" She shook her head. How had she never put it together? It seemed so obvious now.
"I had overheard the conversation between Charlie and Rosie. I couldn't resist. I will admit I was a bit disappointed to hear there were no screams. I suppose it was worth the wait, your first few weeks at the hotel, you were such easy prey." He leaned down to whisper in an amused tone.
"Now I make you scream in other ways. A sound still delightful to my ears, though for reasons of a different nature."
Her eyes widened as her head whipped to look at him astonished at his forwardness. "Alastor!" Her cheeks reddened.
In a blink he was back to his usual demeanor chuckling lightly at her lost composure, leaving her to try and resolve her flustered state.
He hummed amused. "I stand corrected, you are still easy prey."
Of course he had timed it perfectly to their arrival, now holding the door open for her to enter.
"Alastor! Oh! And Ellen, how delightful!"
In her fist and only other visit, Ellen didn't notice all of the items for sale. More so the 'treats' that those with a particular palate would enjoy. The packaging of most of the items were discrete enough, kinda like pretty halloween decor. Easy to pretend it wasn't really…parts. It hadn't occurred to her until now that there may not be anything for her here. She knew blood tea was a thing or at least normal tea with blood in it, it was something Alastor indulged in sometimes. Could she get normal food and drinks here?
"Rosie, charmed as always." Alastor took a quick scan of the store to find it empty. "You didn't need to close early for us."
She waved a hand in dismissal. "It's been a slow morning. Besides," she turned to watch Ellen. "It's been such a long time since we had company with our afternoon tea."
She clapped her hands together already turning toward the back, Alastor gestured for her to follow and Ellen did.
"Now I'll need a few minutes to get the tea ready, but feel free to make yourself comfortable. Normal tea for you Ellen?"
She shook her head. "Oh, please don't make a pot just for me. Water will be just fine." She had never really enjoyed water, but with her stomach still a bit out of sorts she didn't want to risk upsetting it more.
Alastor eyed her suspiciously but remained silent. He would probably ask about it later.
"You sure dear? I really don't mind."
Ellen put a warm smile on. "Whatever is easiest for you."
"Perhaps just a simple pot of tea would be best for today Rosie. We can adjust it to our taste afterwards."
"A thoughtful gentleman as always, Alastor." Rosie smiled, turning to the kitchen.
Alastor made a show of pulling her chair out for her before taking a seat beside her. He disapperated his radio cane, getting comfortable.
Rosie joined them shortly taking a seat across from them. "Now do tell, how is married life?"
Before Rosie could grab the pot to pour, Alastor pulled it from her with a tendril, pouring for the ladies first before himself. "Not much different from unmarried life."
Rosie gave him a disapproving look before turning to Ellen. "See what I have to work with? Never any exciting news."
Ellen snickered. "It's been well Rosie, better than I thought. I think we skipped past the honeymoon phase, simply enjoying each other's company." She turned smiling at Alastor who seemed bored with the conversation already.
"Well isn't that just splendid," she sighed contently. Her eyes turned sharp moving back to the other overlord. "See? Now why can't you give nice answers like that? It aint hard."
He simply waved her off knowing she was poking fun at him.
Ellen took a small sip of her tea and paused. It seemed to have a strange metallic taste; certainly not blood, she watched Rosie and Alastor add to their own cups meaning hers didn't have. This was more like water that was left in a metal bottle for too long. A distinct metal taste. She took another sip unsure if she had maybe imagined it. Nope it was definitely there.
Her eyes drifted over to the tea pot. It wasn't metal, it was ceramic so where was the metallic taste coming from? Was it the tea? The water to make the tea? She shook the thought trying to refocus on the conversation. The others didn't seem to notice anything off, clearly it was just her. Maybe she was a bit distrusting seeing as the last few times she was in another's company, someone had slipped her something. Rosie would never.
"...a lovely time. And to think you were worried all these years."
Ellen pulled her gaze to Rosie hoping it hadn't been obvious she had accidentally spaced out looking at the teapot. Rosie was giving Alastor a look but quickly moved her gaze to Ellen.
"What did you think of her?"
Ellen blinked blankly, trying to piece together any context clues to help her figure out who she was referring to. No such luck. Did she just fumble some nice words and hope that was a normal reaction? Better to say something nice, just in case.
"She was lovely."
Rosie clapped excitedly. "Oh good! I know that can always be such an awkward and stressful part of a relationship, I'm glad it went so well."
Ellen just pushed a smile onto her face, her eyes moving to Alastor wondering if he knew she had no idea what was going on. The lazy smirk and curious look in his eye confirmed he did indeed notice. Shit.
"My mother had quite a few pleasant things to say about you too." He paused to take a sip of his tea, now watching her intently. "Believes you are a good thing for me."
She would have to thank Alastor later for swooping in and saving her. He had discreetly brought her back into the conversation.
"And didn't I say the same thing?" Rosie leaned forward, a hand holding her head up. "Honestly, when are you going to trust that I know what I'm talking about? Women know these kinds of things. Ain't that right Ellen?"
Ellen chuckled. "It's hard for me to be a fair judge. I wasn't around to see him before my influence."
"Influence?" Alastor set his cup down, unfolding his leg to sit up straighter, his ears mimicking his posture. "My dear, you are terribly mistaken if you believe you have had any influence over me. No one alive or dead can sway my convictions. I am quite set in my ways." He leaned back again.
Rosie shared a look with Ellen before her smile widened. "Uh-huh. And what happened to never doing relationships? I also recall you assuring you didn't care for Ellen. That's not still the case is it?"
No amount of lip biting could keep the smile off of Ellen's face as the two ladies watched Alastors' ears flatten with a look of annoyance. Before he could argue Rosie continued, now both hands holding her head as she pulled her smile wider.
"If I'm not mistaken you called 'love' a foolish thing. Does that make you a fool then?"
"That's quite enough, both of you."
Ellen threw her hands up in surrender. "Hey! I said nothing."
It didn't stop Alastor from glaring at her before it moved to Rosie.
She didn't seem bothered by it at all. Now sitting up taking a sip from her cup before responding in a mild scornful tone. "Come now Alastor, you know it's all in jest."
"Be that as it may-"
"-ya don't like bein proved wrong. An easy thing to do in the company of astute ladies."
Ellen was still struggling to keep the smile from her face. She knew Alastor hated it when she talked back to him, but she never imagined he would let anyone speak like this. She thought she was pretty bad, pushing her limits, but clearly it was nothing compared to Rosie. No wonder he was so quick to cut her down, he didn't want her getting to this level.
On the other hand, this only proved what good friends they were. Dancing delicately on the line between just enough and too much. Rosie had to know she could push this hard because he wouldn't retaliate. Whether it was because he was too much of a gentleman or because she would only dish it back harder, she didn't know, but it was entertaining to watch regardless.
"So it would seem." He took a sip of his tea, his glare never leaving Rosie. Ellen took another sip of her tea to try and hide her smile that she couldn't seem to shake.
To ease the tension in the room Ellen decided to direct the conversation to something a bit lighter.
"So how'd you guys meet?"
Rosie brightened up almost immediately. "Oh! No one has ever asked that before. Let's see now, it would have to have been about what, ninety years ago?" She turned to Alastor for confirmation.
"About that, yes."
"So you guys hit it off right off the bat." She received blank looks from both the overlords. She tried again. "Uhhh. You guys got along from the start?"
The two exchanged a look before Rosie continued. "Yes, I suppose we did."
Rosie continued but Ellen remained silent, slowly sliding lower into her seat. Had language and slang really changed that much in a century? She didn't even think about it. Were there other instances that Alastor or Rosie just let it slide? She did. There were a few words or phrases Alastor had said that she would simply ignore. Maybe she should brush up on old slang.
By the time they were ready to go it was well into the evening. A normal occurrence for the overlords apparently. She could help but smile. She had always thought meeting up for coffee and catching up was an old person thing, but she could see the appeal. It was nice just sitting and chatting with a good friend sometimes.
The walk back seemed a bit slower, and despite sitting for a few hours she felt exhausted. The smells and sights were not helping either. She had to find an inconspicuous way of covering her mouth in hopes of not alerting Alastor, it was clear she didn't quite manage.
"These sights haven't upset you like this before."
She shook her head. While she didn't like them, it never made her stomach turn so violently before.
"Just feeling a bit off today."
She wasn't sure how true that was, but she also didn't want to make a big deal of it.
"That was why you originally opted out of tea."
He caught on quickly, always observant. She nodded.
"Then it would be best if you get some extra rest then." He didn't wait for a response, simply sunk the two of them into shadow back to the Hotel.
She was grateful he took her to her room before leaving her to herself for the evening. The second he was gone she bolted to the bathroom and threw up whatever she had consumed for the day. Retching until there was nothing left. Something was wrong, and she had no idea what it was. Maybe she was sick? Did people in Hell get sick?
With a tired sigh she rested her head on the side of the bathtub letting the cool porcelain help bring the heat of her face down. Sick. She probably ate something bad, nothing to worry about. After a few more minutes she finally pushed to her feet, brushing her teeth before getting settled into her bed. Alastor was right, she just needed a bit of extra rest and she would be fine.
AN: Apologies for the late post!