I watched as Velvette did her best to enjoy her food without outwardly enjoying it.

It was such a weird dance the two of us were in. Honestly it was humbling for me and if nothing came out of this date, if we never spoke again after it, I would at least be thankful that she had been there to bring me down a peg. I had thought that I would be able to charm her and outwit her easily enough but Velvette? Oh, Velvette was matching me step for step. She was coming at me just as hard as I was at her, each of us trying to chip away at the other one's defenses and get what we wanted. And we were blocking blows like we were dueling with broad swords, locking our blades and struggling to find a way to untangle ourselves and go in for another strike… all while wearing smiles.

'It's a good reminder that I'm not the big swinging dick in Hell,' I thought to myself as Velvette rallied for her next volley. 'That I can't assume I can win just because I've gotten lucky a few times. I managed to take down Valentino my first day and then I managed to trick Stella… that inflated my ego. This… this has been good. This has been very good.'

Didn't mean I liked it or that I would allow Velvette to utterly embarrass me. But… it did help me out a lot in recalibrating.

"I don't think I believe you," Velvette said as she swirled a bit of meat in the sauce that was on her plate. She was trying to enjoy it without letting me know how much she was enjoying it; didn't want to admit that Bianca was amazing at her job. Because I had found her.

"About what?" I asked casually.

"You say that you don't like the limelight… that you don't want to perform. But… I think you secretly crave it. I can tell the type of person: the ones that hunger for the spotlight. Oh, you'll have your fake modesty, luv, but it doesn't fool me. So…" She leaned forward, purposely giving me another eyeful of her cleavage, "…what is your next move? How are ya gonna keep them on their toes, worried about what Edwin Cerberus will do next?"

"By not doing a damn thing," I replied with a smile.

That made her laugh. "You really expect me to believe that? Come on now… you aren't one for sitting on a chaise lounge being fanned with palms. You are a man of action… I can tell. Not like most of these lazy Sinners who call Hell home. Not that they actually do because who would want to call this shite hole Home?"

"Oh yes, it is sooooo terrible," I drawled as I took a sip of my cool crystal clear water.

Velvette didn't say a word to that. The point was clear and trying to argue against it would only make her look more foolish.

A little crack against the great mountain her image was carved into.

"What was the first video you ever made?" I asked her.

Velvette blinked, clearly surprised by the seemingly random change in topic but, because it was about her and her work, she went along with it. "I assume you mean down here. Just me… ranting about something. A demon, I think… yeah, that's what it was." She chuckled, waving her hand. "Honestly, I should have the thing scrubbed from online but you do that and more people want to see it. Leave it available and almost no on goes searching for it. Sometimes someone brings it up… tries to do a 'gotcha' moment, embarrass me with it, but I have long figured out how to deal with that. Its not my best work but it shows where I started… and I ain't that demon anymore."

"And the first one that was a hit?" I said as I cut into my chicken. It still amazed me that demon chickens tasted just like Earth Chickens. Made me wonder if they were chickens who had sinned on Earth and ended up here or if it was just a case of the different realms matching each other in certain ways. Couldn't imagine Heaven slaughtering Angelic Chickens for St. Sanders. "Not even viral. I mean… the first one to get some comments and make you realize people were actually noticing what you were typing out."

"Typing out?" Velvette asked.

'Fuck,' I thought, realizing the slip. "Posting." I then added, to minimize the damage, "Comparing it to my own stuff. I am a writer, though I haven't done much of it as of late."

"A writer, hmmm?" Velvette asked. "Yeah… yeah I can see it. You strike me as one of those people that would hide away in a cabin for a month and write some book about an old man dealing with a tree stump and how it was a metaphor for his failed marriage." She chuckled and I gave an innocent little shrug. "The first video…"

"Don't pretend you don't remember," I said. "We creatives… we remember our first work, our first success, our first breakthrough. It is tattooed on our souls."

"… it was a style breakdown," she said at last. "There was this Sinner Demon, Ursula Vanderclamp, who became the rage a few years ago. Did some videos where she acted out things, pretending to be angels in Heaven discussing the next Exterminations and how they would go. Amusing stuff but really most demons only watched her because her Exterminator outfit had her tits nearly falling out."

I nodded at that; I knew the type from back on Earth, back before I'd even ended up in Domino. "Did she actually change her voice to act out the parts or was it the same vocal fry thing that so many women do that they think makes them sound powerful?"

"Heh, yeah." Velvette shook her head. "Well, after the videos began to hit she made a grand show of going to the best clubs and the parties being throw by the different Overlords and just being seen there. Wearing different outfits and the like, pausing to 'accidently' get snapped by all the paparazzi. Everyone was oooin' and aahhhin' her. Fuck, I was doin' the same thing." Velvette gave a shrug as she reached for her wine glass. "What can I say, I can admire a set of nice tits, same as the next person. Point is, I began to look at the articles about her and I began to notice things on how she dressed. The choices she made. So I decided to do a video breaking it down. Why she chose to do her hair a certain way, how she would make sure that her purses always matched her shoes not just in color but in accents, that sort of thing."

"And the first comments began to roll in and you felt like a god?"

"…oh yeah," Velvette said, lost in the memory.

"I got the same thing with some of the stories I wrote," I said. "Walked into a well established group of people, put something out… and they looked at me like I was a breath of fresh air. Guess I was, now that I think about it. But yeah… having people go 'We love what you put out, please do more'? Better than any fucking drug." I paused. "I assume."

"Never tried?" Velvette asked.

"I come from a long line of addicts," I admitted, deciding to throw her a bone and get personal. "I've seen how they destroyed their lives. I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs. Because I choose my vices and I choose the ones I can control. And the creative process… well, I like the feeling it gives me and its safer for my body."

"Don't know what you're missing," Velvette said. "The way such things can take the edge off…"

"Yeah, except you can always tell when someone has suddenly gotten hooked because the work suffers," I countered. "If you got on something hard, Velvette… people would know. And it would make your product become damaged… your brand become damaged. And that is something you can't have."

"…touché," she admitted. "You're right… there was this director, LaBun, who got into heroin and it utterly changed how he filmed things. Probably made sense, the fuckin' angles and the lighting, when he was shooting it and high off his fuckin' horse, but to everyone else it was just garbage." She smirked at me. "Still don't know what you are missing. Some of these help take the edge off."

"I have my own methods."

"Oh… do tell," she purred as she leaned back in her chair and rolled her shoulders in a way to make her breasts jiggle slightly.

"Maybe at some point I will show you," I said with a flirty little smile before moving back to the topic that had started this all. "So… you went from a video ranting about things to a style breakdown to now having everyone desperate to see what you will post next, even if its you just talking about a balloon you saw that made you laugh. Impressive."

"What can I say," she said with a bit of smugness than only a creative could generate, "I was able to strike when the iron was hot and I knew where to keep striking."

I nodded. "You ever miss the simpler days though? When you didn't need to worry about impressing everyone?"

"What? Like when I could just do a casual long form vid where I went on a tangent?" Velvette considered that. "Well, I do that still-"

"But you have to think about it, don't you?" I said, cutting her off. "You can't just put something up without thinking it through. Can't just go "Alright, I need to get this off my chest". Have to think about the algorithm or how it will look to the brand. And then there is the danger of doing too much."

"Too much?"

"Let's say you and I do a collab." And at once I saw her perking up at that and cursed mentally; wonderful, I was going to be in one of her videos. Lovely. "And we make it this big deal. And right after that you do a collab with someone else… not sure who, some big name that everyone wants to talk to. Do that again… and again… and again. Do a whole slew of collab vids. Have prizes, Q&As, all that fun stuff.

"And then… one day… you put out a casual video. Nothing special. Nothing daring. Like some of your older stuff. A style breakdown. And even though everyone loves those… you get so many complaints about that one. 'Where is your guest?' 'Why aren't you giving things away?' All that garbage. And you realize that in your effort to build yourself up… you ended up creating walls behind you. Can't go back to it. Because it now has lost impact."

Velvette stared at me before narrowing her eyes. "Okay, what are ya leading to here?"

"I've watched the Overlords," I commented. "I've seen how all of you have acted. Seen the little power plays and the games you guys engage in. And something I've noticed is that you all keep trying to top each other… and when one can't? That's when their power begins to wane. Because what once terrified people loses its power when it became the first reaction. You slaughter someone who looks at you the wrong way… that makes people take notice. But then you begin to get more and more creative… and suddenly you can't just slit a throat. And then if you do it actually hurts your rep. "Oh, Velvette has lost her edge… she only slit that guy's throat!"

"That is why I plan to do nothing for a while, unless pressed. That display I did? That was needed. That was me breaking the emergency glass and pulling the fire alarm and making clear to the world "This is what happens if you fuck with me". I begin doing that once a week and no one cares. It's no different than my cursing. If I snarl "fuck" no one cares. Same with you. But Charlie Morningstar? Or Alastor? They curse and suddenly everyone perks up. Pays attention. Because they were careful about how they used that weapon."

"So… you are sitting back because you made your mark and now you are going to wait til you need to do so again? Risky."

"Only if you don't know how to play the game," I commented. "And… there is another reason too."

"And that is?"

I leaned forward. "Sometimes… its tiring to be…us."

"Bullshit."

But I just stared at her.

And smirked.

"Then why did you agree to go on this date?"

Velvette raised an eyebrow at that, lips falling in that position that was between a smile and a frown. Utterly neutral and yet filled with so much emotion. "Because you, and that mouth of yours, decided to claim that the only things I knew when it came to dating where lazy fucks. And I wanted to either prove you wrong or have you have to admit that you are, and I quote, a 'lazy fuck'."

"Maybe," I said, "or maybe its because all those demons you are with… they want you to be Velvette."

"I am Velvette," she said with a roll of her eyes. I could tell she was getting annoyed which wasn't the best thing to have when on a date but I was right now dancing between her storming off and getting her to truly open up. I just needed to be careful.

"Velvette is a brand. A powerful brand, don't get me wrong, but a brand. And there is nothing wrong with being a brand. I mean… all of us are brands, unless we just are 100% open about who we are to the world all the time and that isn't a good thing at all. I mean… look at Charlie."

She scoffed at that. "The girl never learned how to put on a brave bold face, did she?"

"Oh, Charlie can be brave… when she actually FEELS brave. That's the issue. She never learned to fake it. I am… working on it." My lip twitched at that, remembering how those lessons had not been going well; Charlie was someone who believed in being open with the world because the world would then be open with you. She simply didn't understand that sometimes you had to lie and present a false version of yourself just to survive. "So… call it a persona. Call it a brand. Whatever you want. You have to have it.

"But… it is nice to be able to put that away at times. To be able to be someone else. Even if that is who you really are. Because sometimes it is just so tiring to be the Final Boss who is always ready and prepared."

Velvette laughed at that. A cruel, dark little laugh. I didn't react at all. "You've been an Overlord for a couple of weeks and already you want to give up? Oh… that's disappointing."

"I've been an Overlord for several months, officially, and I have been working to get that status since I woke up in Hell, before I even knew what an Overlord was. And I'm not going to give it up, Velvette. That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what the fuck are ya sayin'?" she said in exasperation.

"That sometimes its nice NOT to play the game and just… be yourself. That's why I agreed to this date and why I think you did to."

"You haven't been paying attention because we are playing games."

"I know. Its disappointing."

That neutral expression gave what to exasperation. "Then what the fuck do you want?"

"A night where we don't play games. A night where two people who don't know each other, who don't need anything from each other because we are so powerful already, just have a nice meal together and later go walk in a private garden. Where we aren't trying to score points or be the victor. And maybe, if we enjoy it, we get to do it again. Become two people who can at least offer each other a few hours where we aren't trying to impress or lie to at least one person. That is what I want, Velvette."

And with that I went silent.

Velvette… did too.

~MC~MC~MC~

Tea frowned as she saw Lute shift again.

Selene and her honestly hadn't expected Lute to come to them. They had been playing their games with her, trying to get her off her game, to get her to either reveal she was a hidden little sex freak or get her to run and thus give the two an excuse to begin exploring the Heaven and Hell she and Adam guarded to search for traces of Edwin.

The former… well, the old Tea would have been startled that she kinda wanted to see what type of deviant the angel could be. Tea had always been the good girl, at least when it came to sex. Oh, her and Yugi had slept together… a horribly awkward thing where they were all hands and blushes… but that was it and even then it had been utterly bland and vanilla. Selene though had opened her eyes to so many new and different things. Selene liked to joke she was Greek and that meant she had to be a pervert but Tea didn't see it like that. Selene was just so utterly comfortable in her body that she didn't feel any need to hide who she was or what she desired.

Tea didn't know if it was a result of her becoming her sister on a power/genetic level or if it was merely being around her but… she found herself also becoming bolder. More daring. More comfortable in her own skin. The first night Selene and her had slept together it hadn't been Selene tempting her. No… Tea had been the one to push first, not that Selene needed much convincing. And they continued to work together to find what Tea liked and didn't like. That had been the most arousing thing for her: the discovery. Its why she wanted to draw Lute in for some fun, because having that uptight angel reveal all her kinky fantasies would be like a lightning rod of sexual delight.

As for the latter? Well, if Lute caused a scene then Tea and Selene would be able to do as they pleased and no other god or goddess would rush to chastise them. As startling as it was to think of, when it came to how she had meddled in their lives on earth, Selene did fear some of the other gods. Zeus could still cause problems for her, as could his brothers. Hera she was rather sure would be on her side because Endymion had been startling faithful for her, considering that in their day cheating on your spouse was quite common. But there were other gods that could cause them problems, if they decided to push too hard. But blatant disrespect? That would be breaking guest rights and Lute would find her Heaven isolated.

Tea… hadn't expected the poor woman to have a breakdown in their room.

"What's wrong?" Tea asked as Lute continued to shift.

"I… what are we doing?" she asked softly.

"Lying here. After you grew quiet we thought you might like some sleep."

"Oh," Lute replied. "And… you two… just hold one another?" She looked down at their conjoined hands; Lute still hadn't let go of Tea's or Selene's fingers.

"Sometimes," Tea said. "Though usually its more like a cuddle."

"A… cuddle?" Lute said and at once any sleepiness Tea had felt left her and she propped herself up, seeing Selene do the same thing.

"You… don't know what a cuddle is?" Tea asked, trying to keep the judgment out of her voice. She squeezed Lute's hand, trying to get her to see that everything was alright, that she wasn't judging her, that she just wanted to understand.

Lute shook her head. "I've… never done anything like this before."

"I would have thought that Heaven was big on cuddling," Selene stated.

"No," the angel said. "Maybe the Winners do it but… I have been born and raised to be a warrior. To defend Heaven and all within. I don't have time for-" She cut herself off, the fire that had been slowly leaching back into her words as she spoke at once sputtering off, like an oven that had been turned off.

Tea and Selene shared a look, silently debating which should speak up first. Tea was the more gentle of the two but Selene had the knowledge and experience to be able to dance around the topic. Finally Selene nodded her head and, with utter gentleness, she began to stroke Lute's hair. The Angel tensed and for a moment Tea thought she was going to bolt but then she just kind of… collapsed into her self.

"And not when you were a human?" Selene asked.

Lute scoffed at that, though it lacked a lot of the fire it might have held only hours earlier. "I was never a human. Those are Winners… and they are too weak to be able to be Exterminators. We allow them into the bootcamp, to give them a chance to try, but they are always washed out and sent to do other jobs in Heaven to keep them busy." Her mood darkened. "Odion though…"

"So you were born an angel?" Selene asked, moving to keep Lute from focusing on Odion and thus bring back her temper. If she got angry she very well might begin putting up walls again. "What was that like?"

Lute shrugged. "I don't know…"

"Oh, I think you do," Selene said and she continued to just pet Lute's head like she was a stubborn kitten that didn't want to yield. "You said you didn't know about cuddling…"

"Our lives were all about preparing to defend Heaven and deal with the demons," Lute stated, pride tickling her words. It was clear to Tea that even as she hated Adam for what he had done recently she still respected what the two of them had accomplished. "Waking up right at 6am, dressing and getting our rations. Training in the yard. Looking in to make sure the babies are remaining strong. More training. Planning sessions. Meals of course. And then bed."

"The babies?" Tea asked.

Lute nodded. "We are born to be Exterminators. We are given over the moment we come into existence."

'And… she has no idea what a cuddle is,' Tea thought, her heart dropping. She saw the image of Lute as a pudgy little infant, all wiggly limbed and big eyes, lying in a nursery much like one would find at a hospital… but no one came to look at her and coo. To hold her close. To kiss her adorable little face. Just… let her lie there until she was old enough to hold a spear.

Tea shifted and wrapped Lute in a hug.

"What… I don't want sex-"

"This isn't sex," Tea said firmly. "This… is cuddling. It means you are safe." Selene, after a moment, mimicked Tea, wrapping her own arm around the two of them.

Lute was utterly stiff and still… but then, inch by inch, fraction by fraction… she relaxed.

~MC~MC~MC~

Velvette shot Edwin a look as they stepped into the limo.

He had taken the time to thank the wait staff and the chef, paying his compliments to them all and offering them each a tip.

It had been the most he'd talked since he'd laid out what he wanted on the date.

'I should take advantage of this,' Velvette thought to herself. 'He admitted he's looking for someone to open up to. To talk to. I… I can use this.'

It would be so easy. So utterly easy. She just had to say the right words and get him to believe that she had come around to his way of thinking. Maybe tell a few harmless personal stories about herself to encourage him to be more open. Hell, she could fucking lie. Make up some bullshit story about a struggle she had had and get him thinking it was true. Would work easily.

So… why didn't she?

'He'd look into it,' she thought. 'This is all a test… a game he is playing to try and catch me in a lie and expose me.' She could see that… it felt like something an overlord would try to do. Form an alliance with someone, tricking them into faking it, only to reveal their duplicity and ensure that no one ever worked with them again.

But… it didn't feel right.

"…I have Vox and Valentino," Velvette stated as they began to drive off. And as soon as she said the words she winced, realizing how stupid that sounded.

But Edwin, who continued to prove he was nothing like she suspected or expected, smiled at that. "I know. Vox… he seems like someone that would be good to talk to, if you could actually trust him."

Velvette almost said she did before stopping herself. Because… she didn't. Not really. She was more relaxed around him but she still didn't trust him… not even after all these years.

So instead she said, "And Valentino?"

Edwin's eyes flashed.

There was the Overlord who had tortured an imp crime boss just to make a point.

"I have my issues with him."

"Oh? He do something to you?"

"He offended me."

"Well, that sounds both in and out of character for him," Velvette said, feeling on safer ground once more. She could deal with a bit of gossip and hey, it might work to get some juicy info out of him that she could use later. "Usually he's such a charmer."

"His existence offends me," Edwin replied. And then he smirked, every so slightly. Oh, he was still angry, she could tell…

"I thought you wanted a date without games?" Velvette asked.

"Touche," he said at getting caught at trying to trap her into asking. "I don't like people that strip the free will from people without their consent." He held up his hand. "You and I are different."

"How so?" Velvette asked, truly curious. Because she knew that he had sensed she was about ready to bring up the fact that, as overlords, they enslaved people all the time.

"For most people when they sells their soul they are making that choice. Yes, there are those that do it under duress. Because someone is holding their loved ones hostage or because they are being tortured. But… even though it might not seem like it… they still do have a choice. They can choose to not give up their soul. It's a sadistic choice but it is still a choice. But Valentino? I know about that disgusting potion he makes." And now Edwin was utterly sneering. "It's the same reason I don't do drugs, Vel. Because I believe we should be in control of ourselves, even if it's a small amount. Even if its an illusion. But those potions? They are rape and enslavement all poured into a vial."

Velvette scoffed. "If you are stupid enough to drink one…"

"Then you don't mind that Biance slipped you one," Edwin replied.

"I'd know the taste in my wine."

"It was in the drizzle of your steak," Edwin replied. "She had to find the right… mix."

For one moment… just one moment… Velvette felt dread. Horror. Disgust.

And then she knew… he was lying. Completely and utterly. Because no one could hate Valentino that much and then turn around and… act like him.

"…made you're point," Velvette muttered darkly.

"Sorry," he said and he… he actually did sound sorry.

'What the fuck is with this man?' Velvette thought. 'Sometimes its like he wants to play the game and other times he is all… open and honest. What the serious fuck?'

"I'm glad you have Vox in your life," Edwin stated. "We all need people we can rely upon, even if just a little bit."

"Like you and that hellhound of yours?" Velvette asked. "What is the deal with her?"

"Old friends," Edwin stated and Velvette knew there was more to the story that he wasn't telling. Because she was a hellhound, not a Sinner, so he had to have met her in Hell… so how the fuck could she be an 'old friend'? "But even with her… I can't be fully myself. Just like I imagine you can't fully be yourself with Vox."

"And what… you think you and I could be… completely ourselves?" Velvette chuckled at that. "My my my… someone is arrogant."

"Oh, not completely ourselves. That won't happen. You can't ever truly trust someone to be completely honest." Velvette opened her mouth to speak but Edwin just cut her right off, smiling softly. "But… we can be different versions of ourselves with each other. Just like we are different versions of ourselves when we are with those we live with. Or with those that allow us a chance to show off just how much hatred and rage we hide behind our smiles.

"Maybe this is the beginning of a romance that shocks all of Hell. Maybe we date a bit before we have a nasty breakup where we don't speak about the other but still think of the good times. Maybe we realize that at minimum we can be friends who meet up and bitch about the stupid people in our lives. We just have to see. But… I am hopeful we can find some connection. Because honestly? We both need it."

Velvette didn't say a word.

Because what he was suggesting?

It had appeal.

~MC~MC~MC~

Valentino wasn't out in his club that night.

He knew he needed to go out. To put on a show. It was expected that he would make an appearance, bring out some of the sexiest demons in all of hell to be his arm candy, perhaps throw around money to his adoring fans (who didn't realize he was just gifting back a 10th of what they themselves had spent in that hour alone) and, if he was feeling really in the mood, he would put on a bit of a performance himself and show why he was considered one of the best fucks in all of Pentagram City.

He needed to go out. To be seen. Because in the last few days he hadn't and people were beginning to whisper about him.

Had Valentino realized that he was proving the point that Edwin Cerberus had just made it would have left him gagging in disgust.

'There must be some pretty little thing out there that is desperate for my attention,' he thought not for the first time. It wouldn't be that hard; there were always plenty of Sinners that were willing to throw their souls away for fame and fortune. They knew they weren't that powerful and aligning yourself with a powerful Overlord was not just a way to ensure you woke up the next morning but that you were able to make your damnation a bit easier. Sometimes very easy. And Valentino… well, he was an easy Overlord to serve! Simply do you as you were told and understand your place and everything would be fine! The only demons he hurt were the ones that didn't understand that. The ones that began to believe they were something without him. Who forgot how they had come to him and needed to be reminded…

'I just need to get out of this chair and go find one…' He thought. Val could do it in a hundred different ways. He could simply sit in his booth with a smile and motion for whoever caught his eye to come over, listening to them fawn over him. Or he could wait for them to come to him, draw in like… well… a moth to a flame. He had plenty that had sent him all sorts of lurid photos, showing how huge their cocks were or how far they could spread their legs all in the hopes of getting his attention; simply call one of them up and make clear if they didn't drop everything they'd lose their chance. He might even make a game of it… he'd done that before. Stopped everything in the club with the raising of his hand and select several lovelies to prove they had what it took to be his newest star. Show off, perform, do whatever he commanded with a smile. And then when they won and were all giddy and excited he'd draw them in close and remind them that it was all because of him…

But he didn't move.

He made no attempt to find someone.

He… just couldn't.

'What is he planning?' Valentino wondered. 'What the fuck is that dog-faced bastard planning?'

Val had no idea what Edwin's endgame was and it was driving him insane. Scattered about his desk was every scrap of information he had, breakdowns of all his actions, and theories on just what he might be trying to accomplish.

All the souls Valentino had collected before he'd been tricked into that contract had been forcefully transferred to Edwin, leaving Val with only those he collected now… and the knowledge they too could be taken away from him with a wave of his hand. Before Edwin had allowed him to at least keep a leash on them but during the Hellfire Gala he had grasped them all and claimed them for himself, leaving Valentino with nothing; clearly he had been planning that little attack on the Imp and wanted to ensure no one could claim that Valentino was the power behind the throne.

No one had bothered to go through yet the crowd that Edwin had gathered but when they did Valentino knew someone was going to realize a lot of his former favorites had been there. He was already fielding calls about why the Red Light District had nearly shut down during the demonstration, with clubs emptying out of dances, whores, and patrons to all see Edwin murder that imp. None of the souls he owned had said a word yet, buying Valentino some time, but he needed to figure out his statement. Because if people realized that Edwin held his soul?

And then there was the fact that Edwin hadn't bothered to summon him. The Gilded Demon, as the press was fucking calling him, had made a show of calling everyone BUT Valentino. He was the only soul that hadn't been called…

'Or am I?' Valentino suddenly thought, rifling through his paperwork, looking for some information. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for… he didn't keep a list of names of demons Edwin DIDN'T own the souls of… but… he needed to do something. Anything. 'What if there are others like me? What if there are other Overlords that he's managed to trick and that's how he got all those souls? They could be of use… they could help.' He found a sheet of paper detailing the known associates of Edwin Cerberus and looked each name over. No… that wasn't it at all. They were ones that if he had claimed he would have been crowing about… or not. 'Carmilla. Alastor. Rosie. He's been spotted with them. Vox and Velvette… he's trying to-'

"Knock knock!" Vox called out as he stepped into the room, Valentino's eyes going wide in horror before he quickly moved to shove as many of the papers as he could into his desk. "Aw, don't hide your lunch from me, baby!" Vox teased as he came in and sat down across from Valentino.

Rather than respond to that joke about moths and paper Valentino hurried to clean up. "Private matters," he said only to wince at that, knowing what was coming.

"Oh? Private matters? Private from me? Now that is interesting…" Vox leaned forward and snagged a paper. "Aw, that's so cute! You are worried about Velvette!"

"…yeah, sure," Valentino stated; it wasn't a lie though he wasn't worried in the ways that Vox clearly assumed.

"Heh, I am worried for her too. Our little girl, out trying to break hearts while not getting her own broken. Except, of course, we don't want any hearts broken. No no no… we need that boy smitten and if Velvette actually feels something for him? Well, that would be amazing. Really help us move up-"

Valentino tuned him out. He couldn't listen to a word that Vox was saying.

How could he, when it was clear, even if he didn't realize it, that they were picking out Valentino's replacement?

"-need to not think about it. So… you and I are going out for dinner. Someplace overly expensive where everyone gets jealous of us. Come on, up up up! I brought a change of clothes so you can get ready in one of the rooms here… I'll scare the dancers out so you aren't distracted!" He laughed at that but Val turned so he couldn't see him face.

How long would this last?

How long before the truth came out… and everything came crashing down?

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Note: Just one quick note, just gauging interest: is there any interest in me doing commissions for one-shot? Someone pays me for a one-shot, sfw or even nsfw?

Please don't just review talking about this, review the chapter. Thank you