"It's a long, sad story! I couldn't trouble you with it, my dear," Vox hummed, though he fully expected her to only have her interest piqued. "Much less while loitering where we might disturb people still in their rooms."
He's playing her like a fiddle, her eyes are wide and full of strong emotion at even the hint of a friendship ruined.
"It'd be no trouble, really." She reaches out and sets a hand on his shoulder, voice soft and warm and genuine. "It can sometimes help to get these things off your chest, and maybe I can help you find a way to reconcile."
Women like Charlie really were too easy... Vox 'softened' his gaze, gently brushing his knuckle under her eye as if to wipe a tear away. So gentlemanly! "Alright, alright... show me around the kitchen and I'll tell you about it over a cup of coffee, my dear."
He seems so much nicer than she had imagined any of the Vees could be, and a lot more openly friendly than the vast majority of demons. It's a shame Vaggie isn't here to see this today, she had been so concerned about Charlie meeting with Vox alone and had wanted to be there to glare protect her.
"Of course! Here at the Hazbin Hotel we have a wonderful communal kitchen stocked with food and drink to suit every taste."
Wheeling around, she practically jogs him to the kitchen and sets the coffee machine going.
"Those cupboards and that fridge all have communal food in, so please help yourself. Those ones--" She waves her hand to the back of the kitchen. "--are people's private foods, so please don't take anything from there."
Coffee machine, perfect - he doesn't have to go through the pretension of some old fashioned shit that Alastor would be obsessed with. He started peeking through the cabinets she hadn't opened until he plucked out a pair of mugs for them, setting them by the pot and leaning against the counter.
"You know, Charlie, I could pull a few strings and get some mini fridges in the rooms for guests as things expand - accountability is good, of course, but if this whole place fills up, the personal items fridge may not be able to handle it all."
She looks ever so pleased to hear him call her Charlie already; usually Sinners take at least a day or two in order to get over the whole 'princess' thing, but she loves it when they start to see her as one of them.
"Hmm, that might not be a bad idea! But I don't want to discourage residents from using the kitchen, it's such a good communal space. I mean we have the bar and parlour as well, but I read a book that says nothing brings people together quite like cooking! Though I suppose it might be nice not to have Alastor's... meat... near everyone else's food."
"As if you can get him to use anything but an old fashioned ice box, stubborn old--" Vox cuts himself off for the dramatics of the moment, and sighs!
"He wasn't always like that. When he picked me up that first time we met, after he saved my ass from the Exorcists? Alastor couldn't help himself, he insisted on knowing everything there was to know about how radio waves were being used to bring television into people's homes. He was excited about it. And he didn't try to strike a Deal or anything... I got praised for not selling my soul just because I landed in Hell in December and everyone was trying to get it from me in exchange for 'protection' from the Purge."
She wants to believe him, and she's not calling him a liar exactly, but that doesn't sound like the Alastor she knows. She's seen him defend the hotel, but never just protect a random new Sinner from the Exorcists, let alone then not try to make a deal.
"He saved you? That's... incredible. No wonder you got so close, so... what happened?"
"We got even closer - see, we can both 'talk' with just radio waves," Vox explained, tapping the side of his screen, "He wanted to see what television could do. How big it could get, all that - he'd wander off and do his own shit, sure. But Al always came back, always chimed in, we'd meet up at a bar and we'd drink and dance and all that good shit. Damn, that was always fun... we didn't have to lose our voices, and we could pretty straightforwardly gossip in front of people's faces and no one would even know. Hah!"
There's a big, dramatic sigh! Those 'good old days'...
"I know you're full aware about the Vees, about Overlords, all that. Something that was always true before Alastor came and tore down old power structures... Overlords couldn't trust anyone. They all had to accrue power themselves, be powerful individuals to make sure the other Overlords wouldn't swoop in and tear them to pieces.
"But Alastor tore through over half of them - proved that power didn't mean shit if no one missed you when you were gone. I realized... shit didn't have to be that way.
"If you worked with people you do trust... if you look out for friends, and they look out for you... you could make a difference. That's what it was always about. I wanted to bring together people I cared about and trusted. People who were smart, ambitious, invested... and people that actually gave a shit about each other."
"Fucking joke's on me," Vox snarled, punching the counter he was leaning against - not especially loudly or hard, just-- he was fucking mad. Of course he was mad.
"The man I'd been f̸͕̈́r̵͚͠i̷̘̓e̷̝̓ṇ̴͝d̶̩͊s̵͉̅ with since I died in the fifties... the guy that taught me everything about Hell and how to be an Overlord and shit... fuck, if it'd just been a simple fucking 'n̸̨̡̳̥͍͇̰̙͓͍̈́̇̔͐̚o̸̱̪̜̭͍̬̿͛̐̄̊̈̃̿̾̃͠͝' I wouldn't have been upset, but it was so much worse."
The worst part... he wasn't even really lying about any of this. The anger crackled over him, the rejection still utterly painful.
"I told him. 'Al, I want you to be my partner'," Vox said in a low voice, hands shaking. "'I want you to join my team. We could be everything together.'
"And then that fucker L̶̟̀̄͆̋͋̏̋A̴̡̛͎̝͍̟̻͇͔̬̟̖͔̱͈͓̗̝̿̽̐̇̑̆̂͆̔̚͝U̷̧̡̢͙̟̞͇͇͓͙̞̤̰̻̘͉͑̏G̷̨̩̟͈̖̣̬̱̫͙̤͉̮̙̞̊̓́̀̈́̂͌͜H̸̨̲̣̥͎̖̠̩͖̭̘̼͐̄͋̈́̑̓͐̆͛͋͜S̶̺͔͙͙̱̥̮͛͂͑͘̚in my ̴̤̬̖͙͈̮̼͕̜͓̺̖̱̘̪̈́́̎̃̎͐̊͂͑̈͂͋͌̇̈̇ͅf̶̡̫̯͇̲̮̣̹̩͔̻̍̈́̋͑̈́̀͌̓̽̊̈́̃̓̒ͅȁ̸̗̰̼̠̑ͅĉ̵̡̯̰̹̬̹̗̲̥͌ḛ̶̠̹̰̙̪̱̘̘͇͖͑̀̿͛̆̕̕͜͝!"
Oh, and how it had fucking hurt.
"Not a simple no, I have shit I want to do. Not no thanks, but good luck with that. No, he fucking looked me right in the eye, and laughed like he'd heard the funniest thing in the world. And he told me that was pathetic, that I was short-sighted, that I was stupid to trust anyone. And-- I told him, Alastor, I trust you-- and he fucking laughed at me again and said that I was stupid for that, too."
It's the vehemence of his words that sell her on this being truthful, the way he devolves from just telling a story into something of pure emotion is hard to see. He was obviously wounded horribly by that response, which she can completely understand. How awful, to lay yourself bare and have that spat on!
Her eyes are filled with tears as she reaches out tentatively towards him, hoping to set a comforting hand on his forearm.
"All it is, my dear, is a cautionary tale about the stupidity of trust."
Alastor's voice is chipper and amused as he slides out of the shadows between the two of them, back straight and heels clicked together as always.
"For someone who purports to always have their eyes on the future, you certainly spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing over the past. Come now, old pal, there's work to be done and you've bothered Charlie for long enough."
Vox is careful not to bump the Princess as he gestures at Alastor like SEE???
It'd gone from a careful manipulation to just... honest anger. He was crackling with electricity again, trying not to scratch gouges into the counter. Alastor has him seeing fucking red all over again.
"And for someone who's obsessed with clinging onto any little old thing from the past, you sure as shit throw away anyone in a heartbeat," Vox spat, viciously, having worked himself up. Oops.
Alastor's smile widens further, a shark that's spotted already bleeding prey, and his laugh is a thing of dark amusement. If Vox thinks that Alastor is at all ashamed of having their dirty laundry aired, with some bias and manipulation if what he had overheard was so, then he is mistaken.
"Which is why I think the advice not to trust me was particularly good advice, hm?"
He quirks an eyebrow at Vox and for the first time in a long time, he unblocks access to his radio waves, sending a silent message along the channels only they can hear.
"Best not to spread old tales unless you wish all sides to be told."
A warning not to push this, or perhaps he will reveal to Charlie that Vox had offered slightly more than friendship when he was turned down.
"Fuck you," Vox spat aloud, turning around to get the coffee for himself and the princess. He wasn't ashamed of his romantic intentions either. He knew he wasn't wrong for that, either.
'I'm keeping the cover because no fucking way you've bothered to do it yet.'
Charlie hurries to get between them with her hands held up in a giant X shape, worry at her brow for how volatile this situation is.
"I... I completely understand how painful past problems can be, Vox, but Alastor invited you to work with him here, so maybe that's the start of an olive branch?"
Alastor merely seals off the channels to their radio communication once again, effectively walling Vox out as he had done all those years back, turning his attention to Charlie with a smile like a jagged knife.
"My dear, don't speak such nonsense."
Olive branch, indeed.
"Vox, I need to speak with you privately. Immediately, if you would?"
He may not own Vox's soul from their deal, no chain of green, but there would surely still be a distinct tug to obey. After all, Vox had foolishly agreed to Alastor being his boss while in the hotel.
Vox sighed, scowling. He wordlessly passed the second mug into Charlie's hands, sipping at his own coffee still scalding and black. Not like he could taste it anyway.
"Sure, Al. Let's get this over with," he growled, fully expecting things to get ugly again. Not like he wasn't used to that kind of thing.
Charlie still looks like she might cry, but Alastor simply sweeps past her and expects Vox to follow. He lacks the patience for a ridiculous speech about getting along, not when he has business to attend to.
He leads Vox to a small office space that he has claimed on the ground floor, and leans against the desk nonchalantly.
"I am aware you took footage of the failed exorcist attack. Delete it. Now, if you please."
Vox doesn't answer at first - just. Looking around, at the decor, what little customization was in here. This wasn't where Alastor really spent his time, it wasn't Nawlins enough. He'd been so focused on looking that he almost didn't answer.
"Huh? Right. Done. I'll even send a memo to my assistant to remove it from my hard drive at work," he replied, voice full of disinterest. He wondered if Alastor expected him to dig in his heels over it more.
Alastor absolutely expected him to dig his heels in over this.
He had thought that video footage, however grainy and glitchy, of him getting wounded by Adam would be one of Vox's personal favourite possessions. Aside from his own personal pleasure in rewatching a rival get taken down, Alastor imagined that Vox might want it for political manoeuvring. It could be quite valuable to have in his back pocket, proof of the Radio Demon's weakness.
"Fine, fine," Vox fished a smartphone from his pocket, turning the thing on and setting it down - he'd already sent a message directly from himself, so there was already a text and a reply from the contact labeled 'Elliot'.
Vox: Go to the main server room, log in, and delete the file from the folder for June labeled 'fuckyoualastor.mp4'
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no subject
Her eyes are wide and guileless, the perfect mark for Vox because she truly does trust and want to see the best in everyone.
"I had no idea. Is that why Alastor is so-- I mean, that's so sad, what happened? Maybe I can help you reconcile, I'm sure it's not too late!"
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"It'd be no trouble, really." She reaches out and sets a hand on his shoulder, voice soft and warm and genuine. "It can sometimes help to get these things off your chest, and maybe I can help you find a way to reconcile."
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glareprotect her."Of course! Here at the Hazbin Hotel we have a wonderful communal kitchen stocked with food and drink to suit every taste."
Wheeling around, she practically jogs him to the kitchen and sets the coffee machine going.
"Those cupboards and that fridge all have communal food in, so please help yourself. Those ones--" She waves her hand to the back of the kitchen. "--are people's private foods, so please don't take anything from there."
no subject
"You know, Charlie, I could pull a few strings and get some mini fridges in the rooms for guests as things expand - accountability is good, of course, but if this whole place fills up, the personal items fridge may not be able to handle it all."
no subject
"Hmm, that might not be a bad idea! But I don't want to discourage residents from using the kitchen, it's such a good communal space. I mean we have the bar and parlour as well, but I read a book that says nothing brings people together quite like cooking! Though I suppose it might be nice not to have Alastor's... meat... near everyone else's food."
no subject
"He wasn't always like that. When he picked me up that first time we met, after he saved my ass from the Exorcists? Alastor couldn't help himself, he insisted on knowing everything there was to know about how radio waves were being used to bring television into people's homes. He was excited about it. And he didn't try to strike a Deal or anything... I got praised for not selling my soul just because I landed in Hell in December and everyone was trying to get it from me in exchange for 'protection' from the Purge."
no subject
She wants to believe him, and she's not calling him a liar exactly, but that doesn't sound like the Alastor she knows. She's seen him defend the hotel, but never just protect a random new Sinner from the Exorcists, let alone then not try to make a deal.
"He saved you? That's... incredible. No wonder you got so close, so... what happened?"
1/3
There's a big, dramatic sigh! Those 'good old days'...
no subject
"But Alastor tore through over half of them - proved that power didn't mean shit if no one missed you when you were gone. I realized... shit didn't have to be that way.
"If you worked with people you do trust... if you look out for friends, and they look out for you... you could make a difference. That's what it was always about. I wanted to bring together people I cared about and trusted. People who were smart, ambitious, invested... and people that actually gave a shit about each other."
no subject
"The man I'd been f̸͕̈́r̵͚͠i̷̘̓e̷̝̓ṇ̴͝d̶̩͊s̵͉̅ with since I died in the fifties... the guy that taught me everything about Hell and how to be an Overlord and shit... fuck, if it'd just been a simple fucking 'n̸̨̡̳̥͍͇̰̙͓͍̈́̇̔͐̚o̸̱̪̜̭͍̬̿͛̐̄̊̈̃̿̾̃͠͝' I wouldn't have been upset, but it was so much worse."
The worst part... he wasn't even really lying about any of this. The anger crackled over him, the rejection still utterly painful.
"I told him. 'Al, I want you to be my partner'," Vox said in a low voice, hands shaking. "'I want you to join my team. We could be everything together.'
"And then that fucker L̶̟̀̄͆̋͋̏̋A̴̡̛͎̝͍̟̻͇͔̬̟̖͔̱͈͓̗̝̿̽̐̇̑̆̂͆̔̚͝U̷̧̡̢͙̟̞͇͇͓͙̞̤̰̻̘͉͑̏G̷̨̩̟͈̖̣̬̱̫͙̤͉̮̙̞̊̓́̀̈́̂͌͜H̸̨̲̣̥͎̖̠̩͖̭̘̼͐̄͋̈́̑̓͐̆͛͋͜S̶̺͔͙͙̱̥̮͛͂͑͘̚in my ̴̤̬̖͙͈̮̼͕̜͓̺̖̱̘̪̈́́̎̃̎͐̊͂͑̈͂͋͌̇̈̇ͅf̶̡̫̯͇̲̮̣̹̩͔̻̍̈́̋͑̈́̀͌̓̽̊̈́̃̓̒ͅȁ̸̗̰̼̠̑ͅĉ̵̡̯̰̹̬̹̗̲̥͌ḛ̶̠̹̰̙̪̱̘̘͇͖͑̀̿͛̆̕̕͜͝!"
Oh, and how it had fucking hurt.
"Not a simple no, I have shit I want to do. Not no thanks, but good luck with that. No, he fucking looked me right in the eye, and laughed like he'd heard the funniest thing in the world. And he told me that was pathetic, that I was short-sighted, that I was stupid to trust anyone. And-- I told him, Alastor, I trust you-- and he fucking laughed at me again and said that I was stupid for that, too."
1/2
Her eyes are filled with tears as she reaches out tentatively towards him, hoping to set a comforting hand on his forearm.
"That's..."
no subject
Alastor's voice is chipper and amused as he slides out of the shadows between the two of them, back straight and heels clicked together as always.
"For someone who purports to always have their eyes on the future, you certainly spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing over the past. Come now, old pal, there's work to be done and you've bothered Charlie for long enough."
no subject
It'd gone from a careful manipulation to just... honest anger. He was crackling with electricity again, trying not to scratch gouges into the counter. Alastor has him seeing fucking red all over again.
"And for someone who's obsessed with clinging onto any little old thing from the past, you sure as shit throw away anyone in a heartbeat," Vox spat, viciously, having worked himself up. Oops.
no subject
"Which is why I think the advice not to trust me was particularly good advice, hm?"
He quirks an eyebrow at Vox and for the first time in a long time, he unblocks access to his radio waves, sending a silent message along the channels only they can hear.
"Best not to spread old tales unless you wish all sides to be told."
A warning not to push this, or perhaps he will reveal to Charlie that Vox had offered slightly more than friendship when he was turned down.
no subject
'I'm keeping the cover because no fucking way you've bothered to do it yet.'
1/2
Charlie hurries to get between them with her hands held up in a giant X shape, worry at her brow for how volatile this situation is.
"I... I completely understand how painful past problems can be, Vox, but Alastor invited you to work with him here, so maybe that's the start of an olive branch?"
no subject
"My dear, don't speak such nonsense."
Olive branch, indeed.
"Vox, I need to speak with you privately. Immediately, if you would?"
He may not own Vox's soul from their deal, no chain of green, but there would surely still be a distinct tug to obey. After all, Vox had foolishly agreed to Alastor being his boss while in the hotel.
no subject
"Sure, Al. Let's get this over with," he growled, fully expecting things to get ugly again. Not like he wasn't used to that kind of thing.
no subject
He leads Vox to a small office space that he has claimed on the ground floor, and leans against the desk nonchalantly.
"I am aware you took footage of the failed exorcist attack. Delete it. Now, if you please."
no subject
"Huh? Right. Done. I'll even send a memo to my assistant to remove it from my hard drive at work," he replied, voice full of disinterest. He wondered if Alastor expected him to dig in his heels over it more.
no subject
He had thought that video footage, however grainy and glitchy, of him getting wounded by Adam would be one of Vox's personal favourite possessions. Aside from his own personal pleasure in rewatching a rival get taken down, Alastor imagined that Vox might want it for political manoeuvring. It could be quite valuable to have in his back pocket, proof of the Radio Demon's weakness.
"...forgive me if I require proof, old pal."
I THOUGHT I REPLIED SMH
Vox: Go to the main server room, log in, and delete the file from the folder for June labeled 'fuckyoualastor.mp4'
Elliot: Yes sir.
"Anyone that matters has already seen it."