#dealingmanipulator

[narrativehazbins]

@dealingmanipulator // plotted

Listen. Anomaly hadn't made a plan to go out and make a deal with the princess of hell itself. They hadn't woken up that day and decided that was a good idea. It hadn't been their prerogative at all to do such a thing. Actually? Honestly? Anomaly didn't think it was a good idea. But that hadn't stopped them from forking over a phone in the end.

It was a bad idea. For a million and one reasons. It's not like they could do anything if she decided to march right up on to Vee Tower and hand it over to them personally. She was sort of untouchable in that way. Anomaly was going to have to trust her to keep her word that it wouldn't end up with the Vees, and Anomaly was going to have to keep a special, very, very close eye on where this phone went.

Hence why, less then ten minutes after it exchanges hands with the Princess of Hell to someone else, it starts ringing. Loudly. Obnoxiously. Insistently. It's not going to voicemail, this thing, if it's not picked up, it will just keep ringing.

[narrativefinale]

@dealingmanipulator // round and round we go...

It's a different phone number each day that passes. They call in, they make horrible, stupid jokes or just play bizarre sound effects and then hang up. Sometimes multiple times a day. But it's a different phone number each and every time, at a different time during the show, no pattern, no consistency. Just chaos.

Such is Sass's nature.

When they call in today, their voice is as monotone as it ever is, but instead of cracking jokes or just all around harassing the radio host they say something a little different.

"i want to tell a paranormal story today. and you should let me. if you let me i'll stop calling for at least... a day. which is a good deal, because i think you've figured out by now i don't have much going on during the day and can call whenever i want, so..."

[countlessrealities]

Send 🗨️ for my muse to drunkenly confess a secret they have been keeping from your muse || Accepting !

@dealingmanipulator sent: 🗨️ for Vox ! :3

Vox was drunk. Drunker than he should ever be in public and, especially, around his rival.

In his defence, the pub he had picked was almost empty and Alastor hadn't been there when he had gotten started on the whiskey. Nor the Media Overlord had expected his nemesis to show up at a place that was far away from his usual stomping ground and taste. It should have been too modern for him.

And yet, at some point throughout the night, the Radio Demon had appeared perched on the stool next to him. When and how, Vox couldn't remember it to save his life. It had been as if the other had materialised next to him in the blink of an eye, but his intoxicated mind couldn't be trusted to remember the events properly.

"...The fuck're you doin' here? You stalkin' me?" Had been the slurred words that had firstly left his mouth and they had instantly echoed as completely ridiculous in his ears, even despite the liquor in his system.

He was the stalker between the two of them, the obsessed one, he had always been. Alastor had never showed any sign that he might reciprocate that sort of toxic interest. And if the awareness stung his soul as hard as acid upon flesh, he chose to remain in denial about it.

For that reason, he didn't give his unwanted company the chance to respond and instead spoke up again, more words spilling from his lips without control.

"I've always wanted to touch those ears, y'know? They look so fuckin' soft an' I always wanted to know if they were or not. But you've always been such a picky prick with physical contact and back then I...I never wanted to take more than I was allowed to."

To never overstep boundaries that, nowadays, he was questioning. After all, he had always assumed that he had managed to not cross said lines, and yet Alastor had accused him of doing so not long ago. How was it his fault? How was he supposed to know if the other had always accepted it willingly and easily?

It wasn't fair. But then again, nothing in their relationship was.

"Dumb, weird...cute, fluffy deer ears. Why do they looks so touchable? So tempting? Fuck you, Al. It's not fair. Nothing about you is."

[rabbitfaceted]

@dealingmanipulator 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠   𝑡𝑜   ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟   𝑎   𝑗𝑜𝑘𝑒   .ᐟ   ❛   I’m   just   saying,   murder   is   an   option.   ❜

❝   𝑊ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒   𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡   𝑖𝑠   𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦   𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑒,   𝑎𝑖𝑛'𝑡   𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡   𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑡   𝑎   𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒   𝑡𝑜𝑜   𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑦   ?    ❞           arms   crossed   over   his   chest,   head   tilting   to   one   side.   that   large   smile   not   faltering   upon   his   face   an   inch.       ❝   I'd   rather   keep   making   their   life   miserable   until   they   can't   take   it   anymore.   Yeah   ya   kill   em,   and   that's   nice   and   all,   but   they   just   come   back   and   move   on   !    Where's   the   fun   ?    ?    Where's   the   whimsy   ?    ?    I   know   we   can   come   up   with   something   better   !    ❞

[narrativehazbins]

@dealingmanipulator // surprise: roof time sequel!

They were on the roof again. It made a little more sense this time, since they were actually staying at the Hazbin Hotel. They don't expect anyone, except maybe Dr. Carrard to come up here after them. They don't want anyone to come up here after them. Anomaly came up here to be alone, so when they hear the footsteps-- distinctly not Dr. Carrard's-- behind them, their ears flatten back down against their head.

It takes them only a moment to place who they belong to, and they almost laugh at the absurdity of it. Of course it would be Alastor, up here, again. Of course it would be. They seem to be better, at least more or less. They're up and about again, and the distinct rattle that had come with their breathing is gone.

"y'know, if you keep following me up here i'm gonna get the wrong impression." They say, not looking back at him.

[narrativehazbins]

@dealingmanipulator // texts

[txt: a. (rd)]: i'm not as stupid as you think i am [txt: a. (rd)]: you can't just trick me into fucking up with something as stupid as soup [txt: a. (rd)]: when i'd get sick as a kid i'd really only eat banana popsicles and yellow gatorade anyway [txt: a. (rd)]: sometimes by sister would make this god awful beef stew for me. it was awful because our mom showed her how to make it probably. she wouldn't even use broth for it, just water. tasted like shit and looked like dirty dish water. haha. [Not Sent]

[txt: a. (rd)]: you'll never guess what dr carrard just told me. do you even know how to text. if you don't then nevermind. don't call me.

[narrativehazbins]

@dealingmanipulator // serious texting business

[txt: alastor! 📻📻]: Hello! This is Dr. Carrard. :)

[txt: alastor! 📻📻]: I would like to discuss a matter with you.

[narrativehazbins]

@dealingmanipulator // plotted

It had been six days since Anomaly had been at the hotel.

Now, it wasn't unusual for Dr. Carrard to sometimes be gone for a day or few in a row, he had the ultimate failure of getting wrapped up on his work and forgetting to do anything but his work, but Anomaly wasn't like that. They rarely left the hotel now, except when one of the others dragged them out to enjoy more than their own company.

Six days, they'd left to go get something, they'd texted Dr. Carrard that they were going to get a few things to upgrade their computer and that was it. They hadn't returned. Not for the past six days.

They hadn't answered their phone, not for the numerous amount of times any of them had tried calling them or texting them. All of their things were still in their room as they had left them, so it was unlikely that they had just decided to leave and stay gone.

Dr. Carrard had checked everywhere he knew they had essentially ever been, but not only were they not there, no one had even seen them. It was like they'd just. Fallen off the face of hell.

It's late, nearing the end of the sixth day of their shared attempts to find Anomaly, when Alastor will receive a call from the doctor. His tone is calm. Too calm, that upbeat tune it has dropped for his doctoring tone. "i've found them. we are heading back to the hotel. there is ah... some problem."