Multimuse RP Blog, 18+ space! || Hazbin Hotel muses with other verses! || This blog likes and follows for my side blog as well, @winterlotusarts! || Lotus, She/Her, 27.|| I am an adult, who will post adult things. 🔞 || Please read pinned post! ||
This is a literate, 18+ RP blog for muses primarily for Hazbin Hotel. While I DO have mostly OC's, I will also be portraying both Alastor and Lucifer as needed for plot. {Please note, that I do have them with my characters and while I don't know if I'll write them for ships with others.. I might be open to the idea of polyships with your OC and mine included together! Bring me plots and we shall see. 👀}
I used to be @lotus-hub or @slash-hexxxed.
Please note, sometimes replies may take me awhile! This does not mean I've dropped things, I may simply be low on spoons - or thinking of how to reply, as I like my replies to be of as best quality as they can be. If you're curious what's going on, please feel free to come poke me and ask! ♡
Also, I will trim posts unless asked not to by my partners!
Okay um. I'm sure some or most of you know about what's going on in the courts right now with the laws that might be passed. The KIDS Act ( which we know isn't really about protecting kids) passed the House. This is going to affect the entire internet if it passes the Senate.. I think we should seriously start discussion about what we will do if the outcome isn't bright. This isn't me fear-mongering or trying to scare anyone. The vote can only go two ways. It's the flip of a coin. If we have to give up our actual legal identities to use this site, I imagine half or more of us are going to split.
So I think a discussion about where we should go if we want to stick together as a community is just logical. Gathering information about how we can continue and where we can continue is definitely essential right now. And doing so calmly as a group would be the best idea. The more brains the better. Nobody can do all of that alone, but as a community it would be possible.
I'm not saying I personally have an answer. I don't. But as a community maybe we should all start talking instead of ignoring it and just hoping for the best? I think a discussion would be great. And the first step would be figuring out where we could talk about it? Idk, just throwing out ideas.
Discussing which sites/places are best should maybe be the first and main concern. Maybe making free forum, or even a server on discord or stoat about discussing this would be a great way to start? Also, looking into reddit & similar to see if people are already talking about this? I imagine they must be! I'm just throwing out ideas. I do NOT want to lose you guys. Many of you are more than RP Partners.
You are my FRIENDS. And I am not going to lose you without a fight. So I have to say this.
Let's make tags just for this issue to organize?
Look around the internet to see if this is already in motion (reddit? twitter/x, blsky?)
Consider alternative places for our rp's (pillowfort, dreamwidth, stoat?)
Find places to discuss this (free temporary forums, reddit, discord, stoat, other messengers, etc)?
And I'm broken record with this but also, call your rep's. Send letters. Spread the word.
Stay calm. Stay in touch with one another. Don't burn yourself out on this. Keep at it but do it with resolve. Taking away free speech and privacy is something that can only prevail when good people fail to act, because we are just so, so tired. And that's by design. Working together to carry it all will make it easier. It's good to have alternatives in any ways. Changes or not. Because stability is never promised.
{ More replies are incoming, it's just been so hot here that my motivation's been low - and I've been focusing on ArtFight. ^^' Thank you again for your patience, those who have been waiting!
The apparent dismissal of his problem, and his question, only caused Lucifer to slowly look up from beneath the rim of his hat, a low growl coming from him at the use of his own words against him. He was, clearly, very upset. The stain, he ignored, after all his frantic rubbing just caused it to set into his clothes more.
"...Yeah, and I thought that marriage meant one person asked the other. I wasn't under the impression that you asked either of us - unless it was done behind my back that you asked her, you worthless sack of over-paid, over-hyped deer me--"
A knock on the door stopped Lucifer in his insult track, the familiar beat causing him to look to the door suddenly, then shrink back and try to at least feign good behavior again. He coughed, then started messing with the coffee stain on his clothes again.
"Come in," Lucifer called, the smile on his face straining.
"Oh, hey, dad! And uh..Alastor?" Charlie asked as she came in, looking like she still wasn't too sure what he wanted her to call him. "I came by because I wanted to let you both know.. the wall has finally finished being fixed!" She smiled and looked at her dad, then at Alastor in the way that said she was really, really hoping they would know which one she meant without having to come out and say it. It was a wall on the eastern side of the hotel, that the repairs of had been put off for awhile - one that had been caught in the crossfire of a 'disagreement' by the two.
"Ah..yeah, so, there was that, and.. on as I was on my way over here," Charlie tapped her fingers together. "I kinda..maybe..think I saw Niffty terrorizing Daisy? I was wondering if either of you might know what that was possibly..about?"
Alastor drained the last of his coffee, the final sip stretched into an insufferably long slurp—one that just so happened to drown out Lucifer’s equally insufferable whining. He set the empty mug down with a thud. The force jostled the flock of rubber ducks piled atop the table; several tumbled to the floor, joining new flocks among the countless piles that littered nearly every surface of the room.
His attention snagged on a splotch of red among the yellow revealed by their fellow ducks’ sudden migration. He plucked it free, turning the striped duck this way and that, head tilting at the crosshair painted dead center on its head. How quaint.
His eyes flicked back up to Lucifer, catching the tail end of his tirade as it devolved into insults. His grin stretched wider with each one, sharp teeth glinting beneath. A sickly green flame sparked to life in the hand holding the duck. He remained unblinking, smile locked in a rictus as the plastic began to melt and drip down his fingers, pooling onto the table below.
A knock at the door.
Oh, deer.
Alastor rose quickly, clasping his hands behind his back in an effort not to be caught quite literally red-handed.
“Come in.”
“Oh—hey, Dad! And, uh… Alastor?”
He turned, offering Charlie a bright, toothy grin.
“That’s great news!” he chirped, with no idea which incident she was referring to. He knew the wall, of course...that particular stretch served as collateral damage in nearly every dispute in the hotel. But as for the most recent cause of its destruction? Well, who could say.
“Mm, we really ought to reinforce it, considering how often it’s destroyed.”
He started to raise a hand as though to dismiss her concern, then caught himself. “Not a clue!” he chirped instead, already edging toward the end of the sofa where his staff waited. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry your pretty head about, my dear. But if it’ll put your mind at ease, I suppose I can go see what all the fuss is about, hm?”
Careful to keep his back turned, he leaned back just enough to retrieve his staff, slipping it neatly into his clasped hands.
// That’s it, upgrading the duck season mug to a fuck Lucifer mug—wait, no.. He might take that the wrong way. Ha! A Hell’s Greatest Husband mug that should be revenge enough. Ah, who are we kidding… Al is going to make Lucifer regret this deal. The mug is just the beginning.
As Charlie waited on an answer, her nose crinkled. The lingering odor of burned rubber made her eyebrow quirk in worry, but she elected not to mention it. Probably...best not to, she decided. Instead, she pressed that ever-worried smile on her face - the one she always hoped wouldn't show she was concerned, but did every single time. Making no mention of it, she rubbed the back of her head.
"Ah, yeahhh.. it really..probably SHOULD be reinforced." Charlie nodded, then, looking a bit more relieved. "Oh! Well, if you're sure you don't mind to do that, that'd be great!" She didn't have the energy for more right now; she'd look into it if she had to, but she didn't want to. That much was easy enough to tell.
"Great.." Lucifer grumbled under his breath. "That's not something I'd ever associate with.." as he'd began, still suppressing the eye twitch he'd gained from the noisy slurping not long before. When Charlie looked at him, he pretended to yawn and stretch like he'd not done anything. "Oh, hm? What? Sorry, I've been realllyyyy tired today." He lied, badly. Quick to redirect, he waved to Alastor.
"Way, way too tired to go and see what's going on right now. You should definitely go and do that." He made a shooing motion towards Alastor, with just enough feigned decency to pass Charlie's scrutiny. "I'm much, much, muchhhh too tired." Lucifer gave an exaggerated stretch and fake yawn again, peeking from one eyes to see if anyone was buying it.
"I'm sure Daisy'll appreciate it."
{ I am all for Alastor having as many mugs with phrases aimed at Lucifer as he pleases! Lu's going to level up his own pettiness the second he notices, though! XD
Also, I had X-kit trim up to the last two replies up there since I'm on my computer right now, if you need me to repost this without doing that, please feel free to let me know. <3 }
Her first job - first real one, anyway, where she was getting paid.
Felicity could hardly believe it. She was incredibly nervous, and almost shaking as she stood with the papers she was carrying. One would think that the way she'd finally stuck up for herself with her adopted parents would have gained her some self-confidence, but she'd actually found that that was not always the case. Or, not not always - more like hardly ever.
A tiny little smile pressed on her lips as she carried the papers she had in her arms from one person to the next; her first day here, she'd been assigned the duty of handing out notes and work to the other employees of the station. So far, she'd gotten at least two of them mixed up, been bumped into several times, and overheard more than one person talking about how pale she was. It was hard to hear that kind of thing again after having finally liberated herself from her adopted parents, but she made do the best she could.
Her carefully pinned up bun was coming loose by the time that she reached Alastor. She looked a little bit frazzled, but was doing her best to retain the polite and at least mostly put together appearance she'd been presenting to the rest of the station. Quietly, she cleared her throat in attempt to get Alastor's attention.
"I..um.. good morning, sir!" Felicity's smile wavered as she took the papers she'd been clutching to her chest, and held them out to him. After how she'd been treated by most of the other people here, she wasn't sure what to expect. A soft swallow was given, before she added "These are, uh..ahem, these are for you. The notes for your radio show today, I believe?"
And, if she was looking at him a little too long through those long white eyelashes of hers - and she was - it was with admiration. Not like those who looked and judged; Felicity liked what she saw. She thought he was beautiful.
Alastor hummed under his breath, as he attentively skimmed through the transcripts of the segments he would have to record that day. A mug of coffee set next to him on the desk, a hint of smoke rising from it and its strong aroma filling the room. Those tasteless, bland lines weren't a part of his job he took pleasure in, not in the least. They were tremendously lacking in flavour and charm, and he wouldn't have been boasted if he had said that his voice was the only reason why those dry sentences managed to catch the attention of their audience.
He had considered offering to write them himself, but he knew too well that his producers wouldn't have allowed it. For some foolish reason, they were convinced that those lines had an appeal, even when it was remarkably obvious that they did not.
Oh well, their loss! In his eyes, they would remain just a boring task he willingly fulfilled each day so that he could keep freely handling his own personal broadcasts. A small price to pay, mildly annoying but easy enough.
Slim fingers wrapped around the handle of the mug, nimble and elegant, and Alastor brought it to his lips, taking a slow, pensive sip of coffee. For whoever had worked at the broadcasting station for long enough, the sight would have been an extremely familiar one. It was no secret that the radio host liked his routines as tidy and well staged as his clothes and mannerisms, and he never missed to show a polite hint of vexation whenever something disturbed them.
Not because he couldn't handle it, of course. The young man was nothing if not adaptable. He had always been, since a tender age, and nowadays it was an essential skill for him to have, to properly balance his work and hobbies. Especially the most private ones.
The woman's presence on the threshold was sensed much before she could find the courage to make a sound, but he pretended not to have noticed her until her voice rang in the room in greeting. Only then sharp, dark eyes left the lines they had been scanning, to land on her.
Alastor's gaze took in her form from head to toe, quickly and discreetly, absorbing as many hints and information he could. The way her hair had started to get a little messy, the nervous quivering of her mouth and light trembling of her fingers, the tension in her shoulders. She was obviously struggling, desperate to please, to look like she belonged in her role.
It was obvious that her rounds hadn't gone as she had hoped for so far and that made him feel obliged to offer her some kindness. He knew far too well what it meant to be judged for the hue of your skin. Or lack of, in her case.
Also, that hopefully would have also dissuaded her from keeping on staring at him as she was doing. Alastor was very well aware that his looks were considered appealing, despite the darker shade of his flesh, and he had often been on the receiving end of unwanted compliments and attention, much to his chagrin, from both women and men. In his eyes, it was almost as distasteful as the scorn and belittlement his complexion earned him on a daily basis.
And he would have rather not deal with that so early in the morning.
"Thank you kindly, my dear," he answered, his ever-present smile not betraying any of the thoughts that were circulating in his mind. "Ah, a new face, I see! First day on the job, isn't it? My, my. I remember the jitters I experienced when I was in your shoes!"
He took the papers from her, careful to avoid any sort of accidental contact, and set them down on the desk. He would have looked at them later and then promptly discarded them, as per usual. He still hadn't decided if he found the persistence of the station writers to keep shoving them on him, when they knew perfectly that he wouldn't be using them, more obnoxious or more entertaining.
"May I be so bold to ask for your name? I make part of my job to get to know all the people I work with. Besides, it would seem like you and I will be seeing each other every day! One more reason to put a name to a face, don't you agree?"
The response she got initially seemed to break Felicity from the little 'trance' she had found herself in. Feeling immediately embarrassed that she'd stared for so long, her face flushed with more color than it would've had otherwise; she bit her lip, fought not to rub the back of her neck, and glanced away to collect herself more as she politely folded her hands.
"A-..I..um, y-yes, you're quite welcome," Felicity pressed a tiny smile, internally fearing that she'd just made yet one more co-worker think her to be completely inept and incapable of functioning. He had, however, been far nicer to her than the others here - this was a plus, in her mind. However stupid she'd made herself feel thus far into their first encounter.
Not to mention, he was the first person she could think of to actually ask her for her name, rather than demand it or completely overlook that she had one. As she started to speak again, the thought came to mind; she wasn't sure how someone who seemed so confident from her point of view, ever could have felt the level of nerves that she was feeling now. This was kept to herself, however, and left unvoiced.
"Oh, yes..of course, you are correct! I..honestly, I should have lead with that! I am so sorry," she coughed. "..And thank you, sir.. for actually asking." she'd added more quietly, just before answering the question of her name. "My name is Felicity," Nervous as she seemed to be, she was trying. Most likely too hard, but the effort was there nonetheless. "May I ask you your name, as well..?" Felicity had began to inquire, though not long before someone was calling for her from outside the booth. Not by her name, but by what they'd deemed to call her. 'Radio girl.'
An easy, jumpy, and nervous target, the others there assumed that the mousy little woman would be effortless to mistreat and pick on. What they didn't know, was that even Felicity had a breaking point - the flicker of something in those doe-like eyes of hers when she tensed up whispered that something darker may be hiding within her; it vanished almost as soon as it flared to life, though, and somewhat defiantly, she remained long enough to see if Alastor would give her his name, before choosing to go and see what it was that she was so needed for.
Alastor exited his radio tower and dropped into the armchair, legs draping over the side. He offered a pleasant, albeit strained smile at the sight of Daisy occupying the other armchair, waiting for him. He was tired—visibly so, if only one knew where to look.
“Remind me,” he muttered, draping an arm across his eyes, “to find a more efficient means of keeping unwanted visitors out of my tower.”
Daisy sat up and stretched slowly, her joints popping. A smile is given in return, though she senses that something may be up. Raising her eyebrow, Daisy propped her elbow on the arm of her chair and looked over at Alastor curiously.
"Hmm.." she mused, before speaking again. "Dare I guess that I may already know who, or what, this has to do with?" She inquired with a 'correct me if I'm wrong' sort of tone, falling quiet again as she observed him. Most people may not know what to look for, but she was not most people. Following her question, she added
"And...are you in need of something for a headache, or would you rather I try and work tension from your shoulders, dear?"
“I would rather you didn’t, my dear,” he said with a groan. He had no interest in discussing tonight’s broadcast.
“Are we offing the other member of the Dees? Because that would do wonders for this headache,” he added dryly, though there was no real intent behind it.
"Ah, very well." Daisy relaxed back into her seat, taking the hint that she should likely not pry much further into the who's and why's of his headache. Choosing when not to be a menace was a skill she was working on as well as deciding when to be exactly that.
However, the very suggestion of offing Lucifer brought an amused chuckle from her.
"No, no, I'm afraid that killing the king of hell isn't an option on the menu tonight." She sighed in mock disappointment, knowing very well he didn't mean it. "Is there anything else I can offer you, that might bring you some solace instead?" Daisy turned herself upside down as she was prone to doing, but kept her attention on Alastor just in case he may answer.
"....I suppose I could always see if we could get him to do something funny," she mused, tapping her chin. "They say laughter is good medicine, after all."
Alastor sighed. “I thought not. Well, I suppose a drink will simply have to suffice.” Some of the tension in his smile eased as he watched her throw her legs over the armchair and hang upside down.
He waved her back down as she went to right herself. A brief flicker of irritation passed through him, as it always did when he was reminded of the finer details of Daisy’s creation. He buried it quickly.
“I was offering, darling,” he said, summoning a shadowy tendril with a flick of his hand and sending it to retrieve the whiskey from his vanity.
Why it was that she liked to hang herself upside down, who was to say. Daisy had always been this way, even from the moment that she was created. Aside from hanging upside down at random moments for seemingly no reason, she also had the odd proclivity for sleeping in the oddest ways imaginable as well. Just the other day, she had startled Lucifer because he had come into his office and was sleeping on his rug...which had caused him to trip over her with a rather loud, rather undignified, yelp. He'd fallen on his face, actually.
"Hmm.." Daisy settled again, looking as comfortable as she had been when sitting the correct way in her seat. As she watched the shadow flick off to do his bidding, however, her interest was piqued.
"Yes, I think I will." Daisy nodded, looking over at Alastor as she began to sit up again, this time because she had the thought that she may want a drink as well. She paused for a moment, then continued with, "..How is it that you get your shadows to actually return with items?"
"I sent mine off to do something some time ago, and where it went...I'm not sure." She muttered something along the lines of 'stubborn thing,' but it was noticeable if one looked - the small queen did, indeed, appear not to be casting a shadow right now. Sentient or otherwise.
Alastor poured two fingers of whiskey into the pair of glasses resting on the side table. “They can be unruly things, can’t they?” he remarked absently, before leaning forward to offer her one of the glasses. His eyes flicked down briefly as he did so.
“My, my…” he chuckled, quirking a brow knowingly. “Should we be hanging up missing shadow posters around the pentagram?”
// To quote Lu: I’m not here, you’re dreaming. I have no idea whose BG3 blog that is.
"Shadows? Yes, quite." Daisy agreed, taking the glass he offered her and starting to lift it to take a sip. She felt a bit embarrassed, then, though she wasn't sure why. Her ears lowered slightly, and she laughed faintly as well. It was the embarrassment of not already knowing how to get the silly thing to return to her, she decided mentally.
"At this rate, I do believe that would definitely be in order. Then again, I suppose I could always take up the new mantle of being the 'shadowless queen' or something," she laughed again, this time with less embarrassment behind it, and more amusement. "How long did it take you to get used to working with your shadows, Alastor? I don't believe you've told me about that yet. As quick a learner as you are, I would venture to guess it didn't take long?"
{ Oh, goodness! Was that Daisy's missing shadow then? 👀 }
“No need to feel embarrassed, my dear,” Alastor said with a casual wave of his hand. “All of us who are gifted with such powers have, at one point or another, struggled with learning how to control them.”
“Why, even mine has a habit of slipping its leash if I’m not paying it proper attention.” He took a slow sip of his whiskey, then set the glass back on the side table. “Our shadows are reflections of ourselves. They respond to what we feel… to what we desire… spoken and unspoken.”
His grin sharpened, eyes glinting with faint amusement. “So tell me… where do you suppose yours has gotten off to?”
"Ooh, that burns more than I remembered.." Daisy murmured, her ears twitching a few times as the after-burn set in. It wasn't enough to deter her from finishing her drink, however, or even debating on getting more for herself. The comment about he'd made about those with shadow powers, and learning to control them, would have caught her off guard at one point. For Alastor to admit that he'd ever struggled for anything was a rare thing, even she knew that - but now, things were different, she noticed. And she knew better than to make that observation out loud.
"Mm..you do make a good point." Daisy nodded, her eyes flicking to his shadow, which she saw seemed to be interested in their conversation. Looking behind herself, Daisy tapped her chin as she contemplated. What was it that she wanted? Would that help her figure out where her shadow had gone?
"I am not quite certain where--" her ears perked up. From the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar shadow. Flitting around in the darkness, apparently calling to Alastor's shadow and trying to get it to come somewhere with it. As soon as Daisy's shadow had appeared, it left with a silent giggle. "....If I had to guess, it seems like my shadow wishes to play some sort of game with yours?" Daisy mused, reaching for the whiskey bottle to pour herself more. While she had it, she offered it to Alastor as well.
Alastor chuckled softly. “That would be because the swill Husker slings is scarcely more than water.” His gaze lingered, knowingly, as Daisy’s ears twitched at the liquor’s unpleasant burn. Hmm… Perhaps he ought to acquire something a touch more suited to her palate next time. After all, her tastes ran far sweeter than his own.
“I usually do,” he said, straightening in his chair. “Though it is a point I should have made much sooner. I do apo—” He broke off mid-word, catching the sudden perk of Daisy’s ears.
His own ears angled subtly, listening.
Let it be Niffty… or even Vox returning with the first of the many death threats he had promised. Anyone but Lucifer.
A faint, impish giggle echoed from the shadowed recesses of the room, and Alastor released the breath he’d been holding. “Ah… it seems we won’t be needing the posters after all.”
At his feet, his shadow gave a quiet chitter, stretching inquisitively toward Daisy’s before snapping back into place like a scolded hound. Alastor’s gaze dipped, head tilting slightly as he considered, weighing his curiosity about what Daisy’s shadow had in store for his own against the inevitable headache it was sure to cause him.
“Very well,” he relented at last, curiosity seeming to win out as he loosed his shadow from its tether.
It peeled away at once, darting across the room before slipping beneath the door in pursuit of Daisy’s.
Leaning forward, he retrieved his glass and drained the remaining whiskey in a single swallow. “Please,” he said, extending it toward Daisy for a refill. He suspected he would need it—he was certain to receive a litany of complaints from the other overlords come morning regarding whatever mischief their shadows got up to with their newfound freedom.
"...One would think that there wouldn't be much water to even be found down here, to water the drinks he serves down." Daisy observed, though it was a half-paying-attention sort of observation; while she was paying enough attention to know when Alastor held his glass out to her for a refill, she was very curious about what her shadow - which had enough of its own sentience it seemed to warrant possibly naming it - had planned. Why did it need to get Alastor's shadow in on the mischief?
Now, technically, she could try to tap into her shadow just enough to see what it wanted to do. However, it might also cause her shadow to be recalled...and, Daisy being Daisy, she didn't necessarily want to do that.
"What do you think they're going to do..." she began to ask him as she filled his glass, only to be cut off herself, by an ear-shattering shriek. In an instant, she dropped the bottle, and her hands flew up to her ears - which had flattened. "OW! Fuck!" Daisy hissed, frowning and closing her eyes tightly. The string of curses that she could hear following the embarrassingly feminine sounding shriek was one she recognized even with her ears ringing. Before Daisy could try to say anything else, or apologize for getting the whiskey on the floor, and Alastor's shoes as well as her leg, the door flew open.
There stood Lucifer, looking VERY upset, in just a towel. Drenched to the bone, a little sudsy, and holding a now sadly deflated duckie, the frown he had took up most of his face.
"Anybody wanna tell me WHY the FUCK my shower was just interrupted by.. by.. whatever those were, that looked like you two??" He waved his arms, his hair moving enough to show he'd been startled into his horns starting to pop out - as well as his wings, and tail. Both of which, were soaked and dragging the floor. "And how the HELL there was even.. even water that fucking cold down here??"
And..yet again...before too much more could be said...
The lights began to flicker in the hotel. Right before they went out entirely - prompting Daisy to sigh and grumble.
While simultaneously being glad that her and Alastor's husband seemed to still have retained his ability to glow in the dark. There was that, at least.
{ I may have to draw this at some point.. the mental image of Lu kicking the door open after his shower got ruined is hilarious to me. XD I hope this was as funny to you as it was to me, haha! }
“Mm, I believe it’s imported…,” he hummed, staring off in the direction of his radio tower.
It had been an itch at the back of his mind—persistent, irritating.
How, exactly, had Vox found his way into his radio tower?
It wasn’t like he could simply waltz through the hotel without anyone noticing…
And Alastor certainly didn’t have any of the spyware Vox peddled lying about.
No, that much he could be sure of. They had always been sensitive to each other’s signals.
Though, with the recent influx of new guests—most of whom were definitely in possession of such devices—was it possible he had grown so accustomed to tuning out the incessant interference that he had simply missed one… in his own quarters?
Why… such a device did not even need to be in his own quarters at all.
The Overlord could easily have slipped into a nearby room and made his way in from there.
Surely that was it.
After all, it wasn’t like he had summoned him.
Why’d you make me do this, Al? Fucking weirdo.
Alastor’s smile twitched.
He hadn’t… had he?
━━━━━━♠━━━━━━
The door flew open, slamming into the wall with enough force to jolt Alastor from his spiraling thoughts. Whiskey sloshed over the rim of his glass, spilling onto his hand, still curled around it. He released it, pulling a pocket square from his suit and meticulously wiping the sticky droplets away as he turned toward the source of his annoyance.
His nose wrinkled in distaste.
Lucifer stood in the doorway, completely drenched, a bath towel secured around his waist. Alastor’s gaze dropped to the puddle of soapy water spreading across the wooden floorboards. Another mess for someone else to clean. How wonderful.
A hiss of static slipped from Alastor as his lips parted, words like acid gathering at the tip of his tongue—
The lights flickered.
Then died.
“…Splendid,” he said, swallowing the acidic words instead.
With a snap, his fingertips ignited with sickly green flame. A flick of his wrist sent it arcing neatly into the fireplace, bathing the room in an eerie glow.
What were the chances this little outage was confined to the hotel and entirely unrelated to a certain Media Overlord with a habit of shorting out entire power grids?
He rose from his chair and summoned his staff, his eyes flicking down to where his shadow should have been, had he not so foolishly let it off its leash.
He’d say they weren’t great.
“Well, my dear, thank you for your company, but it seems I am needed elsewhere.”
He gave Daisy’s hand a light pat as he passed the table, already making his way out of the room.
Daisy sighed, rubbing her face with her other hand. Her ears fell back as she groaned, then gave Alastor a weak little smile.
"Alright, dear." She acknowledged, watching Alastor leave for a few moments longer before she turned her attention to the sudsy king who'd burst in yelling like a lunatic. I love him, I must remind myself. I love him.
"Lucifer.. was that truly necessary, love? I do not think you absolutely needed to yell like that, now, did you?" Daisy asked, her attention now on him instead of on Alastor, or on what their shadows were up to right now.
The shadows in question, however, had since fled the hotel. The goal of messing with Lucifer having been completed, their next 'task' in mind, was to seek out the very Media Overlord that Alastor himself had been thinking about not that long ago. Daisy's shadow was the lead instigator, thinking it amusing to lead Alastor's shadow on a trouble-making excursion. Given that they were free to move on their own, it would not take long to reach the Vee Tower - in fact, half the journey there had already been completed.
{ I am starting to use the thread tracker again, so I am hoping this will help me keep things organized. ^-^ (Though I haven't in so long, I have to remind myself of how to use it. XD)
{ I apologize to those still waiting on me. This month has not been a kind one and is, unfortunately, still going. I will get replies out when I can. 💜
{ Due to personal problems and an upcoming trip, I am on a short hiatus. Those who have replied, please do not worry. I will be replying when I can. I'm sorry it's not sooner. 💔
"...Whyever would I let you have your phone, if it is capable of telling people where you are? I'm often asked if I'm insane, not stupid." Misty replied, hands on her hips. "And I'm not insane, either, by the way. I'm.. morbidly creative."
"Fuck!" an electrical glitch with her phone caused her to curse, an irritated look on her face as she sat on the couch and crossed her arms. When he came back, she looked up. "...Well.. at least you're good at drink fetching I guess." Vira grumbled, holding her hand out for her cup so he could give it to her.
It took her a few seconds, to realize that what it was that was going on with her phone...was likely one of her sisters, trying to get her attention.
"...Ugh," her eyelights rolled and she groaned. Taking a loud slurp from her drink as soon as she had it, Vira nodded.
"It's my sister, Vyral. She put one of her stupid 'vy-ruses' on my phone because she wanted to break through my game to get my attention." She didn't feel like getting up off the couch, though. "Go see what she wants. She's on the next floor up." Vira waved her hand dismissively, glusing her eyes to her screen again.
Damian nodded before blinking "honestly that's how it is with siblings " the prince chuckled clicking his fingers before opening a portal to vyrals room and stepped into her room closing the portal
In her room, Vyral was still playing a game on her many, many, PC screens. She was waiting on Vira to tell her what she wanted for dinner, since VR had asked Vyral first. She didn't want to be bothered with thinking about it, so she'd passed the buck to her other sister. Right now, she was in the middle of a battle that she'd been building up to all week and was very into it.
Lyssa hummed softly, pursing her lips as she listened. Mentally cataloguing anything that caught her interest, or that she deemed possibly useful for later. She could admit, he was correct. He had been rather forthcoming with his question; being direct wasn't something that a lot of souls in Hell could say they were apt to do, and, while she suspected there was more to his reasoning for being here today, she did appreciate it.
And, something was to be said for the inquisition about whether or not she was 'someone he should worry about.' It was...brave? No, that wasn't the word. Smart? There it was. It was smart to ask her such a thing - especially since he didn't know her, or what she could do, very well. Setting the teapot down once she'd poured her own tea, Lyssa lifted her cup and slowly drank from it. A calm, if contemplative, expression on her face. A few seconds later, she replaced it on its saucer, and clasped her hands together.
"I would not go so far as to say that I will be an issue for you, Alastor, unless someone should come around here and seek to ask me to target you." She laid the facts out plainly, lifting her gaze to meet his. "As such deals are not out of the scope of what I can handle, it is not altogether impossible that one day, some poor, misguided soul may come here asking me to do exactly that. However," Lyssa lifted a finger, sitting up straighter.
"I believe in forethought. Forethought, and fore-planning. That is to say, should you desire to take preemptive measures to ensure that does not occur, and can offer me a good enough reason - a deal, perhaps, of some kind - to keep you out of my proverbial "line of fire" for good, the possibilities are in your favor." Lyssa let her statement settle, watching him to see what his reaction may be. Without waiting too entirely long, she was on to another topic. "As for what I do..." she thought for a second. "Emotional manipulation sounds...far too dodgy. Even for one in Hell." A dismissive wave of the thought was given, as well as a shake of the head. "Emotional recalibration, that sounds much better. Yes." settled on that, she continued.
"You know how one cannot go a day without coming across a Sinner with a broken heart? Some unfortunate soul, that, no matter how hard they try, is simply too burdened with their lives down here, or that which came before, to even attempt making something of themselves?" To demonstrate, a small purple orb formed in front of her, showing a bunch of sad faces, crying faces, and angry expressions floating within it. "Well, what I do.. is I help them. All of those souls who just can't seem to get out from under the emotional weight they're carrying come to me, and I take it all away for them. Lock up the unwanted, horrible things they're feeling, and leave them with a smile on their face and their hearts feeling oh, so much lighter!"
The little faces in the orb switched, becoming a lot of smiling faces rather than the ones from before. She clasped her hands and tilted her head, pantomiming the idea of being some form of 'altruistic benefactor'. The light didn't meet her eyes, however. And her smile didn't feel genuine, as she sighed. In an instant, she changed.
"...For a price." she snapped her fingers, and the orb vanished completely. "Nothing I do here, is for free. I begin with a taste - emotions recalibrated for a week here or there, a month, if they're lucky. And then, I reverse things. Shorter and shorter becomes the time, until it is something so depended upon that Sinners will do anything to have the peace and comfort I provide them with, that they practically come begging for me to take their souls just to regain it." He'd requested honesty, and she'd given it - more or less. She'd still not given the 'why' she did things, only the 'how.'
"Your hotel patrons should be fine, so long as I am not requested to target them. I do long distance draining for a soul plus additional labor." Lyssa noted, folding her hands on the desk in front of her. "That is an outright price, non-negotiable. So far, no one has approached me to ask for such a thing, as far as I am aware." The last thought he'd expressed, the one about feeling like he'd met her before, she had not addressed just yet. Truly, she wasn't completely certain why that was, either. Though she'd been on Earth for a time as an angel, and as the Angel of Empathy, had even been a guardian for a couple of human souls. She wasn't about to mention her time in Heaven or on Earth, however, not where it came to giving away what she was - or, well, used to be. The best he would get, because she was actually beginning to wonder if she'd met him before as well, was the simple comment:
"As for why you're feeling that way, Alastor...perhaps it could be possible that we have met before. In another life, or something. So to speak." It was cryptic at best, but it was all she was giving for now. Perhaps, all she would give him at all.
"I trust I've answered enough to let you in on what goes on here, now?" she rose her eyebrow, then nodded to his tea cup. "Would you care for some more tea, or is there something else you would like to know? I may, or may not, have an answer."
As Lyssa attempted assurances that the hotel would not be targeted unless commissioned so, Alastor's eyes only narrowed, his claws squeezing the teacup regardless of the heat under them. He liked the sting of the cup more than he liked the answer, but in its own way it was comforting in how predictable it was. Lyssa was an overlord, well placed in her position as such. Nothing was for free. Not her services, and certainly not her loyalty. A deal he expected and believed in, far above something as flighty and fickle as a friendship. Deals were something one could count on, measured, relied upon. They were safe, if only Alastor made sure to set his conditions correctly.
The radio demon's jaw set, but he made a show of drinking his tea politely, eyelashes fanning over his cheeks as he took in the aroma and sipped from his cup oh so daintily. One pinky extended to soften the blow of the cup to the saucer, creating little noise as to not interrupt. Red eyes stayed focused on hers, almost too intently, a green spark traveling the length of his body from the tip of his ear to the soles of his feet, red hair bristled not unlike a cat's fur.
She was clever. But honest enough to say exactly what it was she did to grasp on to the hearts and souls of her victims. But what was it that she did once she had them? Her power would increase with influence of course, but for what purpose? Power for power's sake? Well that was his thing, she'd have to move over.
“Recalibration, manipulation… it’s really the same thing, isn’t it? Changing the natural course of another being’s emotions for your own gain. We don’t have to be so polite, do we? In any case, regardless of my feelings on the matter it’s simply none of my business unless you make it so. I don’t care about all of the hotel's little creatures. Heavens no. There are too many to count at this point. But I do have a itty bitty list of names that I could be persuaded to make a deal over," Alastor replied, tenting his fingers together over his tea. “We could talk about that, possibly. But if someone isn’t able to keep themselves emotionally upright even with a bit of fiddling then… they were always going to give in, you just made it come sooner for them. I think you’ll find I’m benevolent enough as well though, and there are some souls I do see worth sparing the agony. Yours could be one of them.”
The way he spoke was gentle, airy, but his eyes remained on a knife’s edge. “My list is a short one. My request is for you to leave Charlie Morningstar, Lucifer Morningstar, and Niffty alone. I would also appreciate being kept out of the mix, but I’ll leave it to your discretion if you’d like to open that door. My offer to you is to leave your business well enough alone, and to be a confidant of sorts. I’ve been in hell quite some time my dear, and the amount of dirt I have is substantial. In the event you need to know something about an Overlord, chances are I’ll be able to weigh in or find out what it is you need to know. My condition to this is that I should be allowed to refuse if I believe it could backfire on either of us or our interests. Naturally, if I can tell you why, I will.”
Alastor reclined in his seat slightly, hands folded delicately over his lap.
“I think it’s a beneficial deal. Perhaps this is intuition speaking out of turn, but I have the feeling that you might just need all of the friends that you can get here in hell, don’t you?” His head tilted slightly, smile wolfish. “I don’t believe we’ve met before, no. But I believe I’ve met someone like you. Do you catch my drift? Or should I be more direct?”
He pushed his teacup forward slightly.
“I think, if you were to bleed into this cup it would look as if you’d filled it with gold. Just a hunch, but, like I said I’ve been in hell a long time. You’d be surprised what falls down here.”
"Hmm.." There was s a soft, slight little laugh that trickled up her throat. Oh, this was delicious. He was as intelligent as she'd heard, and then some. Not many in Hell, this could be said for. And yet, it seemed, he wasn't completely able to hide his ticks from her. Shows of emotion that were inevitable, that even the most composed couldn't hide from someone like her. Her eyes narrowed as well, following that set in his jaw, the green spark and the way his hair bristled. This chess game was far from over, in her mind. And, it was all too fun to give up before every move was made, in her opinion.
Eyes following each little tick and mind cataloguing them, she sat in her seat, feeling far more interested than she'd expected to be when he first showed up. Now, she wasn't draining him right now; she was too smart to do such a thing. What she was doing, was allowing herself to sort of "scan" the room to see what she could pick up on. It was intriguing - she didn't know the how's, the why's, or any specifics. But what she did know, was there seemed to be some form of an emotional blockage that she could sense. One similar to her own, she supposed. But..not as strong, perhaps? Hm. Rather than mention it right now, she held onto this bit of perceived information and kept it to herself. After all, she could be wrong in what she thought she could be sensing.
"Perhaps we do not have to be so polite, no. After all, these are no hallowed halls we sit in." Lyssa digressed carefully. She listened to each name, her eyebrow raising. "The Morningstars.." the way she said the name was almost as if one were politely spitting venom. She was calm enough, but the slightest shift in her voice, surmised Lyssa had a history of some kind with them; not the ones in Hell, but in general. "Now.. why, exactly, should the ones in power garner your good will? I should think, you'd have some beef to pick with them, just as anyone else in Hell does, Alastor." she turned her head, looking at him squarely. Silently asking, probing, moreso - wondering just why he'd ask her not to target them.
"The little angel-stabbing maid of yours.." she trailed off. her lips quirked up slightly, as if she savored the mental image of Niffty slaying angels. "I have no qualms with keeping her off of my 'hitlist.' Asked, or not, by my clients." Anyone who killed angels - that which Lyssa despised most - had her respect. Wheels turned in her head, with the remaining words he spoke. She was silent for a time; Alastor had gall, she'd admit. To as much as accuse her of being what she had once been on the very first meeting with her? It was either very ballsy, or it was very very unsmart.
A calculator through and through, she was not unprepared for this. Angels weren't going to be popular in Hell no matter whether they were fallen, or not. Lyssa knew this, which was why she had taken steps to avoid detection. Drinking tea with blood dye in it did wonders. It upset the stomach beyond reason, but it ensured that if she bled, the color would be tainted - so long as she kept it up. Leaning forward, she kept her eyes locked with his.
"I think you will find, my dear fellow Overlord, that there is not a single soul in this wretched abyss who hates those which bleed golden, more than I do. To imply that I may be one of them?" she shook her head slowly, tutting her tongue. "I could say 'how dare you'...but I believe I would rather return to the reason for our meeting. Business, wasn't it, you said? Not to discuss the color of blood, no matter what it may or may not be." Her tone sharply edged, she feigned a tiny smile and withdrew to her own seat once more.
"With my disdain for angels voiced, friend, I shall need something more important and precious than your assurance that the secrets you divulge are true. That, and," she held up her finger, quoting how he had seemingly just offered to be her 'friend' on his own. "As you have already asked me to spare one angel and one who shares his bloodline...that is my limit. I will not spare the Princess' girlfriend my power, unless given an additional reason to do so. Given you did not mention her, I shall suppose that means she is not considered 'off-limits' to you?" Lyssa asked, slowly pouring more tea into her cup. A pause.
"You yourself.. I will spare, on the condition of my own, that whatever deal we come to.. we shake on it. A deal of words is easily broken - I am not going to be making that mistake again." This was a slip, most likely, giving insight into her past that she didn't mean to give. Unless, of course, she did - and she was toying with his suspicions about what she may be.
"So, what will it be? Are you willing to finalize this deal with me properly, once we iron out the fine details? I think you may find it beneficial to yourself to do so, Alastor. As perceptive as you may be, you forget. You are not the only one who can see into the dark the way you do. There are others who can discover the unknowable." Letting the 'helpful hint' hang for a moment, she drew out a piece of paper and a pen. Archaic, both of them. One a scroll, the other, a feather.
"Shall we?" She wanted to write it out, then shake on it. Lyssa wasn't one to take someone's word on something and think it meant their good will was assured - not anymore.
In her first iteration, I decided that Misty had an array of sharp, colorful things she'd use as weapons. Including crystals, keychains, and even jewelry possibly.
