Ask Overlord Vox

Well, well, well, looks like this place needs some... technological updates. Move over, you stone age dinosaurs, and let the master work! You're looking at the newest member of the Hazbin Hotel Staff. Hold your applause, please, and sit back while I turn this ancient eyesore into the blazing bastion of hellfire it needs to be! ((Vox of the Lutualverse))

[askoverlordvox]

Breaking News Bulletin!

Experiencing a painful sensation of impending doom as the forces of Hell and Heaven continue to swirl in their eternal battle for domination? Well, don't worry, folks; here at VoxTek, we're listening to your ever growing concerns and stand ready to assuage them- for the right price of course!

We've teamed up with the folks at the Hazbin Hotel- our resident ruler's ridiculous little pet project- to remain on the front line of innovation for your Heaven Protection needs! To ensure customer satisfaction, I'll be personally handling any questions, comments, concerns, bitches, gripes, complaints, and other assorted feelings regarding this new, exciting direction for the company- and for all of Hell!

So come one, come all, and tune in to your best shot at surviving the coming revelation for the low, low price of-

your fucking soul!

*ahem* No refunds.

((This is an ask blog for the version of Vox seen in the Bratty Bottom Lute series, starting with Lute's Day Off. S1 of the show is the same for this iteration of the character but differs from there.))

((This is also the Vox of the Lutualverse. Vox is aware of the multiverse and may reference "another" when talking to a character but he tries to keep things as contained as possible.))

((Positively reacts to: other Voxs, Zestials, Velvettes, Sinners, some Hellborn))

((Neutral reaction: other Overlords, the Hotel Crew, anyone aligned with Heaven))

((Negatively reacts to: Vals))

[askoverlordvox]

A text message from Alastor arrived on Vox’s phone.

[May we talk in person please? Whenever you have time. I know you’re quite busy.]

(( @official-alastor ))

Vox raises a brow, then checks his calendar. Fuck, time's gotten away from him. Saving his progress on the latest reports, he smooths out his jacket and disappears into his system, emerging from Al's phone to appear right in front of him.

"Hey, Crackles." He flashes a wide smile, bowing a little. "Sorry it's been a while- I've been knee deep in a project. Among other things." Now is not the time to bring up his little run-in with Niffty. "How's your day been? Threatened any Sinners lately?"

[askoverlordvox]

Idea for a movie: three little pigs but adult and suspenseful.

Thank you for your suggestion! Although, reframing the story from the wolf's perspective as he tries to get those smug little piggies could be viable, too!

[askoverlordvox]

Hey, why did you confiscate Kori’s M1 Abrams tank before she could have any fun with it?

-the person who gave Kori the M1 Abrams tank

Because the M1 Abrams requires Kori to find three other people who can follow orders, which ultimately means she doesn't get to do the fun part- firing the gun- and sit in the commander's seat. Finding a halfway decent driver for a tank, though, is possible, and the Type 97 Te-Ke allows her to guide the driver while also operating the gun. Sure, it's not an explosive, but Kori's a big fan of blood, so a 7.7mm machine gun is a bit more fun for her.

Appreciate the thoughtfulness but leave the deadly presents to me.

[askoverlordvox]

Mod: this is such a well written Vox! You make him so charismatic and confident. It’s easy to read and enjoy your work!

((Doing my best! Thank you.))

[askoverlordvox]

Are you the big spoon or the little spoon?

Really depends on the other spoon! Ha- I haven't gotten a good chance to spoon my partners due to my ridiculous work schedule ~~not to mention the sheer number of partners I have; scheduling is key~~ but I imagine I'd be the big spoon with Jenn, Angel, and Lilin. Al and Zestial, I wouldn't mind being the little spoon.

[askoverlordvox]

I hear you’re into sharks. Wanna tame this tiger shark?

…Fuck, that was repetitive. -🦈💦

@ask-chaz

Oh, I've been looking for a tiger shark, now that you mention it!

Now get in the fucking tank.

[askoverlordvox]

Hello! Puppy Anon Newspaper! Mr. Vox, how are you feel about user @opalprince trying to harass you? What will you do if this user will keep bothering you and interfere with your work?

Now, now, I've been dealing with rabid fans for as long as I've been old enough to drive a car! A little bit of fan behavior doesn't bother me in the slightest! As for interfering with my work, I would say that this opportunity has provided some valuable market research! The best entrepreneurers are opportunists, after all!

[askoverlordvox]

* torture’s the Vee’s with the Wicked soundtrack *

Oh, I love this song!

[askoverlordvox]

As always, love what you’re doing with this account. It’s always a pleasure to see you updating.

((Thank you, trying to not disappoint!))

[helluvahotelfan]

*Stabs you*

Happy Ides of March!

“Ow! What the fuck!?” Jenn teleports to Vox’s place. “Babe! It wasn’t my fault this time!”

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

AGAIN!?

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn grabs the first aid kit. “Look, I wasn’t doing anything, ok?” She starts patching herself up.

[askoverlordvox]

"OF COURSE NOT! SHARP OBJECTS JUST END UP EMBEDDED IN YOUR BODY! ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE MAGNETIC!" Vox pauses, tilting his head in thought. "Come to think of it, there might be some merit to that. You sure scramble my circuits." He then sighs and turns. "I'll put on some tea."

[helluvahotelfan]

“Thank you!” Jenn calls after him and she finishes cleaning the stab wound. “I love you!”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox vaguely hears something from the other room as the water boils and the kettle begins to whistle. Jenn probably said something- maybe which blend to use. He grabs the one of the test boxes for the Cozy Shark's tea of the weak and finishes fixing the tea. He brings two cups out with him and sets one on the table in front of Jenn.

"So... did you kill the fuck who did this or do I get the honor?" He raises a brow. "You got to handle the last one."

[helluvahotelfan]

Oh… maybe he didn’t hear her… or he did and chose to ignore it. Figures…

“No I came here right after it happened…” she says quietly.

[askoverlordvox]

"Good, then it's my turn." He smirks, gulping down his tea before it had even cooled. "You stay here and take a bath, relax, recover- the usual, as is rapidly becoming routine for us." He then stands and bends down to kiss the top of her head, between her ears. "I'll be back shortly, after I've had my fill of making my point." He straightens up and shoots her a winning smile. "Don't miss me too much!" Electricity crackles around him. "Love ya!"

[helluvahotelfan]

Jen blinks a few times trying to process what happened. She pulls out her phone and sends him a text.

You WHAT!?

[askoverlordvox]

What? It's my turn to avenge you. Still not super thrilled about you getting stabbed all the time but at least I get to be the one getting revenge sometimes.

[helluvahotelfan]

No not that!

Did you say you love me!?

Having the conversation over text wasn’t ideal, but she was sure she heard correctly this time.

[askoverlordvox]

Is that a problem? I've been saying it for weeks. I get that you're not there- maybe you won't ever be. That's fine. I can stop if it's making you uncomfortable. It's not a big deal.

Texting one handed isn't ideal but his other hand is preoccupied with holding Jenn's latest assailant aloft and he honestly doesn't want to be doing this right now, even if he was tugging the tiger's tail, so to speak, by saying it as often as he does.

"Can't catch a fucking break."

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn stares at her phone. Weeks?

She teleports through her phone to Vox’s. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN WEEKS!?” she exclaims.

[askoverlordvox]

Vox blinks. One hand is occupied with his phone. The other is buried in the chest of the bastard that stabbed Jenn. "Babe, kinda in the middle of someone here, and you really shouldn't be moving around this much after getting stabbed. You need rest." He shoots a pointed look at the assailant, squeezing the fucker's heart to emphasize his point. "Right? Just because it won't kill doesn't mean it's not agonizingly painful and entirely unnecessary, right?"

[lutual-incidentals]

“If it makes you feel any better I also stabbed Sera. Ooowooo” (pronounced uwu)

[helluvahotelfan]

“So much better,” Jenn rolls her eyes and wraps a vine around the sinners mouth.

“Babe, what do you mean you’ve been saying this for weeks?”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox puts his phone away while tilting his head, confused. "Do you... not remember? When I was taking care of you after you got jumped?" He blinks, then furrows his brows in thought while rubbing at his chin. "Was that when I started? Or before that? Hmmm. Honestly, it's become such a habit, I can't really remember when it started." He sighs. "I figured... well, you've been busy with the tea shop and building your power as an Overlord, plus the R&D developments, two pets, maybe... you just didn't have the bandwidth for thinking about that. Or... you were trying to find a way of letting me down easy... Which, is fine- I don't mind, take your time, I can just-"

Vox stops.

He looks at Jenn.

"Hold on, why are you acting like this is a surprise to you?"

[helluvahotelfan]

“I was sleep deprived the first time you said it,” Jenn explains. “I was seeing and hearing shit and thought I made that up in my head. Then you said it again after I passed out after I got jumped. And then again just now before coming to deal with… that!” She gestures to the sinner.

[askoverlordvox]

He favors her with a flat look. "Damn, for not hearing me, you have a better memory than I do of when I said it." Vox turns his attention to the Sinner, jabbing a claw into the assailant's face while pulling the bastard close. "And this is another reason why you don't go stabbing people for no fucking reason." He then slams the Sinner back against the wall he's been holding the jackass against this whole time. "Now, I'm gonna deal with this, you're going to go rest, and then we can..." He sighs heavily, trying to regain his composure. "Look... I understand, you know. And I'm a better man than I used to be. You don't have to feel the same way- I... never expected you would. So. No hard feelings. I'm not going to be upset because I'm alone in this." He turns away; he can't bear look at her right then, despite his words. "Just... let me do this for you."

A helpless sort of fury begins building in him as he focuses on the Sinner. He meant what he'd said; he wouldn't repeat his past mistakes and take out the pain of unrequited love on Jenn...

... but this little shit had it coming, anyway.

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn watches silently for a moment. He really didn’t think she loved him, didn’t he? But she had never said it and he apparently has been saying it for a while. She could understand why he thought that way.

“Ok…” she says quietly with a small nod. She’s about to activate the necklace and head back to Vox’s but she pauses. “I do love you… I’m sorry it took so long for me to say it…”

She zaps through the phone and back to the apartment to let Vox carry out whatever he needed to against the sinner.

[maidniffty]

Niffty had been hunting her new boyfriend ever since their first encounter. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t exactly agreed to be her boyfriend, but come on—he gave her a knife! That had to mean something, right?

After hours of searching, she had finally, finally tracked him down, only to skid to a halt at the sight before her.

He was already incapacitated.

Her eye twitched. Her fingers curled. That was her boyfriend to torture!

A shiver ran through her as her gaze snapped to the man who had dared to beat her to it. Her pupil shrank, then dilated—sharp, feral.

Without hesitation, she did what she did best.

She stabbed.

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

Vox checks his settings, first, then accesses his playback and turns up the volume.

Yep, Jenn really did say that.

She... feels the same way.

"It's your lucky day, shithead." Vox then notices that the Sinner in question is... well... his heart's still beating in Vox's hand, so he's still alive- just passed out from pain or blood loss. "Okay, so you could've been luckier- doesn't matter! I've got more important matters to attend, and I do hope I've made my point clear-"

Vox sighs and looks down at his chest, noting the knife now sticking out of it. That wasn't there before. Because of course nothing could ever be simple and straight forward.

He looks behind him to see Niffty gripping the handle of the knife. "So..." He holds up the Sinner. "Does this belong to you?"

[maidniffty]

Niffty’s eye twitched as she yanked the knife from Vox’s chest with a satisfying squelch, a sound that made her grin stretch from ear to ear, all teeth and no restraint. She was practically buzzing with excitement as she wiped the blood on her apron, literally bouncing on her heels.

“Ooooh, that’s mine!” she sang, spinning around in a wild twirl, her movements erratic and unpredictable. In the blink of an eye, her bubbly voice turned sharp, her energy shifting like a storm.

“Why ya gotta be so mean, huh?!” she snapped, her eye narrowing in a glare that could cut through steel. “That’s my boyfriend, you big bully!” She huffed, her tiny fists clenching as she stomped her foot, looking for all the world like a child who'd just had their toy stolen—except with a knife and a lot more blood.

[askoverlordvox]

Vox knows enough about Niffty to understand that cowing down would lose what little respect she had for him, so he instead flashes her his biggest smile and readjusts his coat to try and hide the blood- while also covering the wince that moving with a fresh knife wound brought.

"Well, sorry, little lady, but he did stab my girlfriend, so fair is fair. Here." Pulling out his hand- without the fucker's heart- Vox steps back and tries to hide his stumble with a little bow. "He's all yours. Just try to keep him from stabbing my partners and I promise I won't be bothering him again."

[maidniffty]

"He what?!" Niffty’s voice shot up like a rocket, her glare whipping from Vox to the barely-hanging-on sinner with all the intensity of a hyperactive tornado. “Stabbed another girl? My boyfriend?!” Her expression twisted into something manic as her lips parted in a giggle that was equal parts eerie and gleeful.

With a twirl that could only be described as wildly energetic, she spun back toward Vox, a bright, chipper grin plastered on her face like nothing was wrong. “Don’t worry!” she chirped, her voice sickeningly sweet. “I don’t think he’ll be having that problem ever again!”

Her giggle bubbled up, turning into a long, insane laugh that grew louder and more hysterical with every passing second. The sound was pure chaos, and the longer it went, the less sane it sounded (not that it sounded very sane to begin with).

[lutual-incidentals]

“Two thousand and sixty nine years have passed and over two thousand and sixty nine times I have stabbed in honor of Caesar. Do you know the stories, little maid? Do you know of how sixty of us gathered and vowed to destroy that which stood between peace and tyranny? Do you know that I was the last to tuck a blade into his back? That he only had 23 wounds by the end?” Brutus smiles, wistfully. “It was a beautiful day, soured by the evils of the unrighteous oppressor’s hand, broken vows by senators and the blood of friend, brother, kin. It means much that you would so dutifully carry out action on my behalf.”

His chest begins to heal, slowly stitching itself together in front of them, though the pain barely registers. Sinners this old have built up a tolerance to it, after all. It’s almost insulting to believe this would have killed him after all these years.

“In the time since, I’ve learned the power of the blade. A knife’s edge is just as much a warning as any prophet’s words, perhaps prophecy itself written in the blood of those too overwhelmed by self-importance to know their own misdeeds. Arrogance is a magnetic force, let no man deny its power. Those above and below us both know that climbing to heights from a full pit means clawing your way through the backs of those around you. No good comes from those with good intentions and a blade.”

He turns to Vox, a sarcastic smile gracing his features. “If it were a year ago, it would have been you on my blade. I certainly gave it my best go, but if you even have a mind to remember, it was your partner then that I caught, too. The moth fellow. You didn’t seem to mind so much then…” He sighs and shakes his fingers at Vox, watching the blood soak his chest even as his own heals. “But I suppose thats how it is with you dictator types,” his eyes cut towards the TV demon, “you’d cut off your right hand if it meant saving your crown.”

Brutus laughs boisterously his wounds almost completely healed, though he stays where he lay, watching Vox carelessly. “But thats not you anymore, I suppose. Less power in your hands now that you’re using them to save others rather than build your empire. But I do wonder… your partner had quite a few stab wounds already when I got here. How close do you think she is to 23? And will it be you in the end? Last to realize she’s becoming just as much a monster as the one you’ve fought to escape from before?”

He pushes himself up, face to face with Vox, his nose filled with the scent of sinner blood.

“Et tu, Vox?”

Brutus dissolves into a pool of inky black, not to be seen until the next Ides of March.

UwU

[ask-daria-morgendorffer]

Vox got stabbed and no one told me? Do I really have to do everything around here? -🤓

[maidniffty]

Niffty didn’t so much as blink at the newcomer, her mind latching onto one singular, all-consuming thought. Her laughter cut off like a record scratching, her expression twisting into sheer, dramatic devastation.

“My boyfriend!” she shrieked, the sound splitting through the air as she dropped to her knees beside the oily, grimy puddle he’d left behind. Her hands clutched at the mess like she could somehow piece him back together—but then, her eye twitched, and her priorities snapped back into place.

“He left such a mess!” she groaned, already yanking a scrub brush from who-knows-where and scrubbing at the dirt with enough force to grind through concrete. “Tsk, tsk, bad habits! Ugh, the things I put up with!” she muttered, her grip tightening, her whole body shaking with the sheer fury of a cleaner scorned.

The entire speech? The grandiose declarations? Completely ignored. There was a stain. And that was the real problem.

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

Vox sighs, looking down at his wound.

"So... that's what they mean when they say everyone's the hero of their own story... his shit plan and assassination doomed the Republic because he was... too much of a fuckwit to outsmart Ceaser..."

Pressing a hand against his chest to staunch some of the bleeding- seriously, did she use angelic steel? Fuck why did anyone give her one of those? Oh, right, he should've seen this coming; he literally saw the psychotic little maid murder Adam- Vox then chuckles and edges away as Niffty begins cleaning up the scene.

"Well... I'm gonna leave you to it..."

He gets out of the alley and tries to slip into his system... but fuck his chest hurts. Maybe he could just take a little break to allow himself to heal a bit and then head back to his condo.

Yeah.

Just a little rest.

Vox leans back against the wall and closes his eyes.

"Also, fuck off, Daria- I haven't done shit to you. Today."

[helluvahotelfan]

*Stabs you*

Happy Ides of March!

“Ow! What the fuck!?” Jenn teleports to Vox’s place. “Babe! It wasn’t my fault this time!”

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

AGAIN!?

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn grabs the first aid kit. “Look, I wasn’t doing anything, ok?” She starts patching herself up.

[askoverlordvox]

"OF COURSE NOT! SHARP OBJECTS JUST END UP EMBEDDED IN YOUR BODY! ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE MAGNETIC!" Vox pauses, tilting his head in thought. "Come to think of it, there might be some merit to that. You sure scramble my circuits." He then sighs and turns. "I'll put on some tea."

[helluvahotelfan]

“Thank you!” Jenn calls after him and she finishes cleaning the stab wound. “I love you!”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox vaguely hears something from the other room as the water boils and the kettle begins to whistle. Jenn probably said something- maybe which blend to use. He grabs the one of the test boxes for the Cozy Shark's tea of the weak and finishes fixing the tea. He brings two cups out with him and sets one on the table in front of Jenn.

"So... did you kill the fuck who did this or do I get the honor?" He raises a brow. "You got to handle the last one."

[helluvahotelfan]

Oh… maybe he didn’t hear her… or he did and chose to ignore it. Figures…

“No I came here right after it happened…” she says quietly.

[askoverlordvox]

"Good, then it's my turn." He smirks, gulping down his tea before it had even cooled. "You stay here and take a bath, relax, recover- the usual, as is rapidly becoming routine for us." He then stands and bends down to kiss the top of her head, between her ears. "I'll be back shortly, after I've had my fill of making my point." He straightens up and shoots her a winning smile. "Don't miss me too much!" Electricity crackles around him. "Love ya!"

[helluvahotelfan]

Jen blinks a few times trying to process what happened. She pulls out her phone and sends him a text.

You WHAT!?

[askoverlordvox]

What? It's my turn to avenge you. Still not super thrilled about you getting stabbed all the time but at least I get to be the one getting revenge sometimes.

[helluvahotelfan]

No not that!

Did you say you love me!?

Having the conversation over text wasn’t ideal, but she was sure she heard correctly this time.

[askoverlordvox]

Is that a problem? I've been saying it for weeks. I get that you're not there- maybe you won't ever be. That's fine. I can stop if it's making you uncomfortable. It's not a big deal.

Texting one handed isn't ideal but his other hand is preoccupied with holding Jenn's latest assailant aloft and he honestly doesn't want to be doing this right now, even if he was tugging the tiger's tail, so to speak, by saying it as often as he does.

"Can't catch a fucking break."

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn stares at her phone. Weeks?

She teleports through her phone to Vox’s. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN WEEKS!?” she exclaims.

[askoverlordvox]

Vox blinks. One hand is occupied with his phone. The other is buried in the chest of the bastard that stabbed Jenn. "Babe, kinda in the middle of someone here, and you really shouldn't be moving around this much after getting stabbed. You need rest." He shoots a pointed look at the assailant, squeezing the fucker's heart to emphasize his point. "Right? Just because it won't kill doesn't mean it's not agonizingly painful and entirely unnecessary, right?"

[lutual-incidentals]

“If it makes you feel any better I also stabbed Sera. Ooowooo” (pronounced uwu)

[helluvahotelfan]

“So much better,” Jenn rolls her eyes and wraps a vine around the sinners mouth.

“Babe, what do you mean you’ve been saying this for weeks?”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox puts his phone away while tilting his head, confused. "Do you... not remember? When I was taking care of you after you got jumped?" He blinks, then furrows his brows in thought while rubbing at his chin. "Was that when I started? Or before that? Hmmm. Honestly, it's become such a habit, I can't really remember when it started." He sighs. "I figured... well, you've been busy with the tea shop and building your power as an Overlord, plus the R&D developments, two pets, maybe... you just didn't have the bandwidth for thinking about that. Or... you were trying to find a way of letting me down easy... Which, is fine- I don't mind, take your time, I can just-"

Vox stops.

He looks at Jenn.

"Hold on, why are you acting like this is a surprise to you?"

[helluvahotelfan]

“I was sleep deprived the first time you said it,” Jenn explains. “I was seeing and hearing shit and thought I made that up in my head. Then you said it again after I passed out after I got jumped. And then again just now before coming to deal with… that!” She gestures to the sinner.

[askoverlordvox]

He favors her with a flat look. "Damn, for not hearing me, you have a better memory than I do of when I said it." Vox turns his attention to the Sinner, jabbing a claw into the assailant's face while pulling the bastard close. "And this is another reason why you don't go stabbing people for no fucking reason." He then slams the Sinner back against the wall he's been holding the jackass against this whole time. "Now, I'm gonna deal with this, you're going to go rest, and then we can..." He sighs heavily, trying to regain his composure. "Look... I understand, you know. And I'm a better man than I used to be. You don't have to feel the same way- I... never expected you would. So. No hard feelings. I'm not going to be upset because I'm alone in this." He turns away; he can't bear look at her right then, despite his words. "Just... let me do this for you."

A helpless sort of fury begins building in him as he focuses on the Sinner. He meant what he'd said; he wouldn't repeat his past mistakes and take out the pain of unrequited love on Jenn...

... but this little shit had it coming, anyway.

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn watches silently for a moment. He really didn’t think she loved him, didn’t he? But she had never said it and he apparently has been saying it for a while. She could understand why he thought that way.

“Ok…” she says quietly with a small nod. She’s about to activate the necklace and head back to Vox’s but she pauses. “I do love you… I’m sorry it took so long for me to say it…”

She zaps through the phone and back to the apartment to let Vox carry out whatever he needed to against the sinner.

[maidniffty]

Niffty had been hunting her new boyfriend ever since their first encounter. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t exactly agreed to be her boyfriend, but come on—he gave her a knife! That had to mean something, right?

After hours of searching, she had finally, finally tracked him down, only to skid to a halt at the sight before her.

He was already incapacitated.

Her eye twitched. Her fingers curled. That was her boyfriend to torture!

A shiver ran through her as her gaze snapped to the man who had dared to beat her to it. Her pupil shrank, then dilated—sharp, feral.

Without hesitation, she did what she did best.

She stabbed.

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

Vox checks his settings, first, then accesses his playback and turns up the volume.

Yep, Jenn really did say that.

She... feels the same way.

"It's your lucky day, shithead." Vox then notices that the Sinner in question is... well... his heart's still beating in Vox's hand, so he's still alive- just passed out from pain or blood loss. "Okay, so you could've been luckier- doesn't matter! I've got more important matters to attend, and I do hope I've made my point clear-"

Vox sighs and looks down at his chest, noting the knife now sticking out of it. That wasn't there before. Because of course nothing could ever be simple and straight forward.

He looks behind him to see Niffty gripping the handle of the knife. "So..." He holds up the Sinner. "Does this belong to you?"

[maidniffty]

Niffty’s eye twitched as she yanked the knife from Vox’s chest with a satisfying squelch, a sound that made her grin stretch from ear to ear, all teeth and no restraint. She was practically buzzing with excitement as she wiped the blood on her apron, literally bouncing on her heels.

“Ooooh, that’s mine!” she sang, spinning around in a wild twirl, her movements erratic and unpredictable. In the blink of an eye, her bubbly voice turned sharp, her energy shifting like a storm.

“Why ya gotta be so mean, huh?!” she snapped, her eye narrowing in a glare that could cut through steel. “That’s my boyfriend, you big bully!” She huffed, her tiny fists clenching as she stomped her foot, looking for all the world like a child who'd just had their toy stolen—except with a knife and a lot more blood.

[askoverlordvox]

Vox knows enough about Niffty to understand that cowing down would lose what little respect she had for him, so he instead flashes her his biggest smile and readjusts his coat to try and hide the blood- while also covering the wince that moving with a fresh knife wound brought.

"Well, sorry, little lady, but he did stab my girlfriend, so fair is fair. Here." Pulling out his hand- without the fucker's heart- Vox steps back and tries to hide his stumble with a little bow. "He's all yours. Just try to keep him from stabbing my partners and I promise I won't be bothering him again."

[helluvahotelfan]

*Stabs you*

Happy Ides of March!

“Ow! What the fuck!?” Jenn teleports to Vox’s place. “Babe! It wasn’t my fault this time!”

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

AGAIN!?

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn grabs the first aid kit. “Look, I wasn’t doing anything, ok?” She starts patching herself up.

[askoverlordvox]

"OF COURSE NOT! SHARP OBJECTS JUST END UP EMBEDDED IN YOUR BODY! ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE MAGNETIC!" Vox pauses, tilting his head in thought. "Come to think of it, there might be some merit to that. You sure scramble my circuits." He then sighs and turns. "I'll put on some tea."

[helluvahotelfan]

“Thank you!” Jenn calls after him and she finishes cleaning the stab wound. “I love you!”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox vaguely hears something from the other room as the water boils and the kettle begins to whistle. Jenn probably said something- maybe which blend to use. He grabs the one of the test boxes for the Cozy Shark's tea of the weak and finishes fixing the tea. He brings two cups out with him and sets one on the table in front of Jenn.

"So... did you kill the fuck who did this or do I get the honor?" He raises a brow. "You got to handle the last one."

[helluvahotelfan]

Oh… maybe he didn’t hear her… or he did and chose to ignore it. Figures…

“No I came here right after it happened…” she says quietly.

[askoverlordvox]

"Good, then it's my turn." He smirks, gulping down his tea before it had even cooled. "You stay here and take a bath, relax, recover- the usual, as is rapidly becoming routine for us." He then stands and bends down to kiss the top of her head, between her ears. "I'll be back shortly, after I've had my fill of making my point." He straightens up and shoots her a winning smile. "Don't miss me too much!" Electricity crackles around him. "Love ya!"

[helluvahotelfan]

Jen blinks a few times trying to process what happened. She pulls out her phone and sends him a text.

You WHAT!?

[askoverlordvox]

What? It's my turn to avenge you. Still not super thrilled about you getting stabbed all the time but at least I get to be the one getting revenge sometimes.

[helluvahotelfan]

No not that!

Did you say you love me!?

Having the conversation over text wasn’t ideal, but she was sure she heard correctly this time.

[askoverlordvox]

Is that a problem? I've been saying it for weeks. I get that you're not there- maybe you won't ever be. That's fine. I can stop if it's making you uncomfortable. It's not a big deal.

Texting one handed isn't ideal but his other hand is preoccupied with holding Jenn's latest assailant aloft and he honestly doesn't want to be doing this right now, even if he was tugging the tiger's tail, so to speak, by saying it as often as he does.

"Can't catch a fucking break."

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn stares at her phone. Weeks?

She teleports through her phone to Vox’s. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN WEEKS!?” she exclaims.

[askoverlordvox]

Vox blinks. One hand is occupied with his phone. The other is buried in the chest of the bastard that stabbed Jenn. "Babe, kinda in the middle of someone here, and you really shouldn't be moving around this much after getting stabbed. You need rest." He shoots a pointed look at the assailant, squeezing the fucker's heart to emphasize his point. "Right? Just because it won't kill doesn't mean it's not agonizingly painful and entirely unnecessary, right?"

[lutual-incidentals]

“If it makes you feel any better I also stabbed Sera. Ooowooo” (pronounced uwu)

[helluvahotelfan]

“So much better,” Jenn rolls her eyes and wraps a vine around the sinners mouth.

“Babe, what do you mean you’ve been saying this for weeks?”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox puts his phone away while tilting his head, confused. "Do you... not remember? When I was taking care of you after you got jumped?" He blinks, then furrows his brows in thought while rubbing at his chin. "Was that when I started? Or before that? Hmmm. Honestly, it's become such a habit, I can't really remember when it started." He sighs. "I figured... well, you've been busy with the tea shop and building your power as an Overlord, plus the R&D developments, two pets, maybe... you just didn't have the bandwidth for thinking about that. Or... you were trying to find a way of letting me down easy... Which, is fine- I don't mind, take your time, I can just-"

Vox stops.

He looks at Jenn.

"Hold on, why are you acting like this is a surprise to you?"

[helluvahotelfan]

“I was sleep deprived the first time you said it,” Jenn explains. “I was seeing and hearing shit and thought I made that up in my head. Then you said it again after I passed out after I got jumped. And then again just now before coming to deal with… that!” She gestures to the sinner.

[askoverlordvox]

He favors her with a flat look. "Damn, for not hearing me, you have a better memory than I do of when I said it." Vox turns his attention to the Sinner, jabbing a claw into the assailant's face while pulling the bastard close. "And this is another reason why you don't go stabbing people for no fucking reason." He then slams the Sinner back against the wall he's been holding the jackass against this whole time. "Now, I'm gonna deal with this, you're going to go rest, and then we can..." He sighs heavily, trying to regain his composure. "Look... I understand, you know. And I'm a better man than I used to be. You don't have to feel the same way- I... never expected you would. So. No hard feelings. I'm not going to be upset because I'm alone in this." He turns away; he can't bear look at her right then, despite his words. "Just... let me do this for you."

A helpless sort of fury begins building in him as he focuses on the Sinner. He meant what he'd said; he wouldn't repeat his past mistakes and take out the pain of unrequited love on Jenn...

... but this little shit had it coming, anyway.

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn watches silently for a moment. He really didn’t think she loved him, didn’t he? But she had never said it and he apparently has been saying it for a while. She could understand why he thought that way.

“Ok…” she says quietly with a small nod. She’s about to activate the necklace and head back to Vox’s but she pauses. “I do love you… I’m sorry it took so long for me to say it…”

She zaps through the phone and back to the apartment to let Vox carry out whatever he needed to against the sinner.

[maidniffty]

Niffty had been hunting her new boyfriend ever since their first encounter. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t exactly agreed to be her boyfriend, but come on—he gave her a knife! That had to mean something, right?

After hours of searching, she had finally, finally tracked him down, only to skid to a halt at the sight before her.

He was already incapacitated.

Her eye twitched. Her fingers curled. That was her boyfriend to torture!

A shiver ran through her as her gaze snapped to the man who had dared to beat her to it. Her pupil shrank, then dilated—sharp, feral.

Without hesitation, she did what she did best.

She stabbed.

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

Vox checks his settings, first, then accesses his playback and turns up the volume.

Yep, Jenn really did say that.

She... feels the same way.

"It's your lucky day, shithead." Vox then notices that the Sinner in question is... well... his heart's still beating in Vox's hand, so he's still alive- just passed out from pain or blood loss. "Okay, so you could've been luckier- doesn't matter! I've got more important matters to attend, and I do hope I've made my point clear-"

Vox sighs and looks down at his chest, noting the knife now sticking out of it. That wasn't there before. Because of course nothing could ever be simple and straight forward.

He looks behind him to see Niffty gripping the handle of the knife. "So..." He holds up the Sinner. "Does this belong to you?"

[helluvahotelfan]

*Stabs you*

Happy Ides of March!

“Ow! What the fuck!?” Jenn teleports to Vox’s place. “Babe! It wasn’t my fault this time!”

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

AGAIN!?

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn grabs the first aid kit. “Look, I wasn’t doing anything, ok?” She starts patching herself up.

[askoverlordvox]

"OF COURSE NOT! SHARP OBJECTS JUST END UP EMBEDDED IN YOUR BODY! ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE MAGNETIC!" Vox pauses, tilting his head in thought. "Come to think of it, there might be some merit to that. You sure scramble my circuits." He then sighs and turns. "I'll put on some tea."

[helluvahotelfan]

“Thank you!” Jenn calls after him and she finishes cleaning the stab wound. “I love you!”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox vaguely hears something from the other room as the water boils and the kettle begins to whistle. Jenn probably said something- maybe which blend to use. He grabs the one of the test boxes for the Cozy Shark's tea of the weak and finishes fixing the tea. He brings two cups out with him and sets one on the table in front of Jenn.

"So... did you kill the fuck who did this or do I get the honor?" He raises a brow. "You got to handle the last one."

[helluvahotelfan]

Oh… maybe he didn’t hear her… or he did and chose to ignore it. Figures…

“No I came here right after it happened…” she says quietly.

[askoverlordvox]

"Good, then it's my turn." He smirks, gulping down his tea before it had even cooled. "You stay here and take a bath, relax, recover- the usual, as is rapidly becoming routine for us." He then stands and bends down to kiss the top of her head, between her ears. "I'll be back shortly, after I've had my fill of making my point." He straightens up and shoots her a winning smile. "Don't miss me too much!" Electricity crackles around him. "Love ya!"

[helluvahotelfan]

Jen blinks a few times trying to process what happened. She pulls out her phone and sends him a text.

You WHAT!?

[askoverlordvox]

What? It's my turn to avenge you. Still not super thrilled about you getting stabbed all the time but at least I get to be the one getting revenge sometimes.

[helluvahotelfan]

No not that!

Did you say you love me!?

Having the conversation over text wasn’t ideal, but she was sure she heard correctly this time.

[askoverlordvox]

Is that a problem? I've been saying it for weeks. I get that you're not there- maybe you won't ever be. That's fine. I can stop if it's making you uncomfortable. It's not a big deal.

Texting one handed isn't ideal but his other hand is preoccupied with holding Jenn's latest assailant aloft and he honestly doesn't want to be doing this right now, even if he was tugging the tiger's tail, so to speak, by saying it as often as he does.

"Can't catch a fucking break."

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn stares at her phone. Weeks?

She teleports through her phone to Vox’s. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN WEEKS!?” she exclaims.

[askoverlordvox]

Vox blinks. One hand is occupied with his phone. The other is buried in the chest of the bastard that stabbed Jenn. "Babe, kinda in the middle of someone here, and you really shouldn't be moving around this much after getting stabbed. You need rest." He shoots a pointed look at the assailant, squeezing the fucker's heart to emphasize his point. "Right? Just because it won't kill doesn't mean it's not agonizingly painful and entirely unnecessary, right?"

[lutual-incidentals]

“If it makes you feel any better I also stabbed Sera. Ooowooo” (pronounced uwu)

[helluvahotelfan]

“So much better,” Jenn rolls her eyes and wraps a vine around the sinners mouth.

“Babe, what do you mean you’ve been saying this for weeks?”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox puts his phone away while tilting his head, confused. "Do you... not remember? When I was taking care of you after you got jumped?" He blinks, then furrows his brows in thought while rubbing at his chin. "Was that when I started? Or before that? Hmmm. Honestly, it's become such a habit, I can't really remember when it started." He sighs. "I figured... well, you've been busy with the tea shop and building your power as an Overlord, plus the R&D developments, two pets, maybe... you just didn't have the bandwidth for thinking about that. Or... you were trying to find a way of letting me down easy... Which, is fine- I don't mind, take your time, I can just-"

Vox stops.

He looks at Jenn.

"Hold on, why are you acting like this is a surprise to you?"

[helluvahotelfan]

“I was sleep deprived the first time you said it,” Jenn explains. “I was seeing and hearing shit and thought I made that up in my head. Then you said it again after I passed out after I got jumped. And then again just now before coming to deal with… that!” She gestures to the sinner.

[askoverlordvox]

He favors her with a flat look. "Damn, for not hearing me, you have a better memory than I do of when I said it." Vox turns his attention to the Sinner, jabbing a claw into the assailant's face while pulling the bastard close. "And this is another reason why you don't go stabbing people for no fucking reason." He then slams the Sinner back against the wall he's been holding the jackass against this whole time. "Now, I'm gonna deal with this, you're going to go rest, and then we can..." He sighs heavily, trying to regain his composure. "Look... I understand, you know. And I'm a better man than I used to be. You don't have to feel the same way- I... never expected you would. So. No hard feelings. I'm not going to be upset because I'm alone in this." He turns away; he can't bear look at her right then, despite his words. "Just... let me do this for you."

A helpless sort of fury begins building in him as he focuses on the Sinner. He meant what he'd said; he wouldn't repeat his past mistakes and take out the pain of unrequited love on Jenn...

... but this little shit had it coming, anyway.

[helluvahotelfan]

*Stabs you*

Happy Ides of March!

“Ow! What the fuck!?” Jenn teleports to Vox’s place. “Babe! It wasn’t my fault this time!”

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

AGAIN!?

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn grabs the first aid kit. “Look, I wasn’t doing anything, ok?” She starts patching herself up.

[askoverlordvox]

"OF COURSE NOT! SHARP OBJECTS JUST END UP EMBEDDED IN YOUR BODY! ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE MAGNETIC!" Vox pauses, tilting his head in thought. "Come to think of it, there might be some merit to that. You sure scramble my circuits." He then sighs and turns. "I'll put on some tea."

[helluvahotelfan]

“Thank you!” Jenn calls after him and she finishes cleaning the stab wound. “I love you!”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox vaguely hears something from the other room as the water boils and the kettle begins to whistle. Jenn probably said something- maybe which blend to use. He grabs the one of the test boxes for the Cozy Shark's tea of the weak and finishes fixing the tea. He brings two cups out with him and sets one on the table in front of Jenn.

"So... did you kill the fuck who did this or do I get the honor?" He raises a brow. "You got to handle the last one."

[helluvahotelfan]

Oh… maybe he didn’t hear her… or he did and chose to ignore it. Figures…

“No I came here right after it happened…” she says quietly.

[askoverlordvox]

"Good, then it's my turn." He smirks, gulping down his tea before it had even cooled. "You stay here and take a bath, relax, recover- the usual, as is rapidly becoming routine for us." He then stands and bends down to kiss the top of her head, between her ears. "I'll be back shortly, after I've had my fill of making my point." He straightens up and shoots her a winning smile. "Don't miss me too much!" Electricity crackles around him. "Love ya!"

[helluvahotelfan]

Jen blinks a few times trying to process what happened. She pulls out her phone and sends him a text.

You WHAT!?

[askoverlordvox]

What? It's my turn to avenge you. Still not super thrilled about you getting stabbed all the time but at least I get to be the one getting revenge sometimes.

[helluvahotelfan]

No not that!

Did you say you love me!?

Having the conversation over text wasn’t ideal, but she was sure she heard correctly this time.

[askoverlordvox]

Is that a problem? I've been saying it for weeks. I get that you're not there- maybe you won't ever be. That's fine. I can stop if it's making you uncomfortable. It's not a big deal.

Texting one handed isn't ideal but his other hand is preoccupied with holding Jenn's latest assailant aloft and he honestly doesn't want to be doing this right now, even if he was tugging the tiger's tail, so to speak, by saying it as often as he does.

"Can't catch a fucking break."

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn stares at her phone. Weeks?

She teleports through her phone to Vox’s. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN WEEKS!?” she exclaims.

[askoverlordvox]

Vox blinks. One hand is occupied with his phone. The other is buried in the chest of the bastard that stabbed Jenn. "Babe, kinda in the middle of someone here, and you really shouldn't be moving around this much after getting stabbed. You need rest." He shoots a pointed look at the assailant, squeezing the fucker's heart to emphasize his point. "Right? Just because it won't kill doesn't mean it's not agonizingly painful and entirely unnecessary, right?"

[lutual-incidentals]

“If it makes you feel any better I also stabbed Sera. Ooowooo” (pronounced uwu)

[helluvahotelfan]

“So much better,” Jenn rolls her eyes and wraps a vine around the sinners mouth.

“Babe, what do you mean you’ve been saying this for weeks?”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox puts his phone away while tilting his head, confused. "Do you... not remember? When I was taking care of you after you got jumped?" He blinks, then furrows his brows in thought while rubbing at his chin. "Was that when I started? Or before that? Hmmm. Honestly, it's become such a habit, I can't really remember when it started." He sighs. "I figured... well, you've been busy with the tea shop and building your power as an Overlord, plus the R&D developments, two pets, maybe... you just didn't have the bandwidth for thinking about that. Or... you were trying to find a way of letting me down easy... Which, is fine- I don't mind, take your time, I can just-"

Vox stops.

He looks at Jenn.

"Hold on, why are you acting like this is a surprise to you?"

[helluvahotelfan]

*Stabs you*

Happy Ides of March!

“Ow! What the fuck!?” Jenn teleports to Vox’s place. “Babe! It wasn’t my fault this time!”

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

AGAIN!?

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn grabs the first aid kit. “Look, I wasn’t doing anything, ok?” She starts patching herself up.

[askoverlordvox]

"OF COURSE NOT! SHARP OBJECTS JUST END UP EMBEDDED IN YOUR BODY! ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE MAGNETIC!" Vox pauses, tilting his head in thought. "Come to think of it, there might be some merit to that. You sure scramble my circuits." He then sighs and turns. "I'll put on some tea."

[helluvahotelfan]

“Thank you!” Jenn calls after him and she finishes cleaning the stab wound. “I love you!”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox vaguely hears something from the other room as the water boils and the kettle begins to whistle. Jenn probably said something- maybe which blend to use. He grabs the one of the test boxes for the Cozy Shark's tea of the weak and finishes fixing the tea. He brings two cups out with him and sets one on the table in front of Jenn.

"So... did you kill the fuck who did this or do I get the honor?" He raises a brow. "You got to handle the last one."

[helluvahotelfan]

Oh… maybe he didn’t hear her… or he did and chose to ignore it. Figures…

“No I came here right after it happened…” she says quietly.

[askoverlordvox]

"Good, then it's my turn." He smirks, gulping down his tea before it had even cooled. "You stay here and take a bath, relax, recover- the usual, as is rapidly becoming routine for us." He then stands and bends down to kiss the top of her head, between her ears. "I'll be back shortly, after I've had my fill of making my point." He straightens up and shoots her a winning smile. "Don't miss me too much!" Electricity crackles around him. "Love ya!"

[helluvahotelfan]

Jen blinks a few times trying to process what happened. She pulls out her phone and sends him a text.

You WHAT!?

[askoverlordvox]

What? It's my turn to avenge you. Still not super thrilled about you getting stabbed all the time but at least I get to be the one getting revenge sometimes.

[helluvahotelfan]

No not that!

Did you say you love me!?

Having the conversation over text wasn’t ideal, but she was sure she heard correctly this time.

[askoverlordvox]

Is that a problem? I've been saying it for weeks. I get that you're not there- maybe you won't ever be. That's fine. I can stop if it's making you uncomfortable. It's not a big deal.

Texting one handed isn't ideal but his other hand is preoccupied with holding Jenn's latest assailant aloft and he honestly doesn't want to be doing this right now, even if he was tugging the tiger's tail, so to speak, by saying it as often as he does.

"Can't catch a fucking break."

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn stares at her phone. Weeks?

She teleports through her phone to Vox’s. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN WEEKS!?” she exclaims.

[askoverlordvox]

Vox blinks. One hand is occupied with his phone. The other is buried in the chest of the bastard that stabbed Jenn. "Babe, kinda in the middle of someone here, and you really shouldn't be moving around this much after getting stabbed. You need rest." He shoots a pointed look at the assailant, squeezing the fucker's heart to emphasize his point. "Right? Just because it won't kill doesn't mean it's not agonizingly painful and entirely unnecessary, right?"

[helluvahotelfan]

*Stabs you*

Happy Ides of March!

“Ow! What the fuck!?” Jenn teleports to Vox’s place. “Babe! It wasn’t my fault this time!”

( @askoverlordvox )

[askoverlordvox]

AGAIN!?

[helluvahotelfan]

Jenn grabs the first aid kit. “Look, I wasn’t doing anything, ok?” She starts patching herself up.

[askoverlordvox]

"OF COURSE NOT! SHARP OBJECTS JUST END UP EMBEDDED IN YOUR BODY! ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE MAGNETIC!" Vox pauses, tilting his head in thought. "Come to think of it, there might be some merit to that. You sure scramble my circuits." He then sighs and turns. "I'll put on some tea."

[helluvahotelfan]

“Thank you!” Jenn calls after him and she finishes cleaning the stab wound. “I love you!”

[askoverlordvox]

Vox vaguely hears something from the other room as the water boils and the kettle begins to whistle. Jenn probably said something- maybe which blend to use. He grabs the one of the test boxes for the Cozy Shark's tea of the weak and finishes fixing the tea. He brings two cups out with him and sets one on the table in front of Jenn.

"So... did you kill the fuck who did this or do I get the honor?" He raises a brow. "You got to handle the last one."

[helluvahotelfan]

Oh… maybe he didn’t hear her… or he did and chose to ignore it. Figures…

“No I came here right after it happened…” she says quietly.

[askoverlordvox]

"Good, then it's my turn." He smirks, gulping down his tea before it had even cooled. "You stay here and take a bath, relax, recover- the usual, as is rapidly becoming routine for us." He then stands and bends down to kiss the top of her head, between her ears. "I'll be back shortly, after I've had my fill of making my point." He straightens up and shoots her a winning smile. "Don't miss me too much!" Electricity crackles around him. "Love ya!"

[helluvahotelfan]

Jen blinks a few times trying to process what happened. She pulls out her phone and sends him a text.

You WHAT!?

[askoverlordvox]

What? It's my turn to avenge you. Still not super thrilled about you getting stabbed all the time but at least I get to be the one getting revenge sometimes.

[helluvahotelfan]

No not that!

Did you say you love me!?

Having the conversation over text wasn’t ideal, but she was sure she heard correctly this time.

[askoverlordvox]

Is that a problem? I've been saying it for weeks. I get that you're not there- maybe you won't ever be. That's fine. I can stop if it's making you uncomfortable. It's not a big deal.

Texting one handed isn't ideal but his other hand is preoccupied with holding Jenn's latest assailant aloft and he honestly doesn't want to be doing this right now, even if he was tugging the tiger's tail, so to speak, by saying it as often as he does.

"Can't catch a fucking break."