Proposal

Chapter 17

Staring at his options, Angel tapped his foot, his arms crossed. He had to pick the right outfit to wear tonight, otherwise Val would eat him alive. Something stylish and sexy, without being trampy. Eyeing the choices he'd picked out, he couldn't say he liked any of them. Then again, he had no idea where this party was being held, what the theme was, who would be there, none of it. All he knew was that Val was dragging him to some swanky party with a lot of high profile people that he needed to impress. This was to make up for the stunt he'd pulled at the last party, so it definitely mattered what he wore. Back and forth he went through the articles sitting on his bed, and a few still in his closet. "Dammit. I can't choose." Pouting, he looked around until his eyes landed on Fat Nuggets. When the idea hit him, the smile crossed his face. "Nuggs, baby. Could you pick out my outfit for me? Pwetty pwease?"

The pig looked up from his bed before jumping excitedly to his hooves. Angel watched the animal as it wandered around, looking over the clothes on the bed, then heading for the closet. After a moment, the pig began to snort happily, so he closed the space between them to see what had been chosen. At first glance, he was confused as to why the creature would choose the piece, but it wasn't long that the style clicked with him. It was fun, yet sophisticated, and sexy all at the same time. And to top it all off, it was incredibly easy to get on and off. Scooping the pig up, Angel grabbed the dress and smiled at it. "Good boy, Nuggs. You always have great style."

Getting his makeup and hair done, he wrapped the short dress around him and skillfully buttoned it. The article stopped high on his thighs, but not so high you could see the goods without paying. It was made to give the appearance of a double breasted trench coat, except it was much too short, fell off the shoulders, and clearly wasn't made to go over something by how tightly it hugged every single curve Angel had. It was simple, though, and while the front had a slit in it that would show the goods in the wrong position, it still screamed elegance to him. Pairing the piece with a gold belt, earrings, and necklace, he slipped into a pair of knee high white boots. Once everything was ready, Angel looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. He looked good, of course. Too bad it wasn't for a specific person instead of a party. Sighing, he grabbed his bag and started downstairs to, begrudgingly, go to Val's party.

Reaching the lobby, his attention instantly turned to the bar, but there was nobody there. "Ooo, Angel, you look so pretty!" Jumping at the sound of Charlie's voice, he turned to her a smiled.

"Of course I do, doll. I know how to clean up well, unlike some people down here." Vaggie rolled her eyes, but he didn't bother to tell her that the comment wasn't about her. He waved the whole thing away and pointed a finger to the bar. "So, uh... where's Husk?" The two women looked to where the cat normally was, but found it just as empty as Angel.

"I don't know. He was definitely there earlier." Charlie nodded as Vaggie spoke before they all crossed the room to inspect the empty bar. He definitely wasn't behind it, and Angel didn't see any sign that he'd been there, either. No empty bottles, or used glasses, nothing but an old book hiding under the bar.

"Huh, didn't know he was reading down here." He mumbled the words before replacing the article and looking around again. Still, no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find any clues as to where the feline had gone.

"It's not like Husker to wander off, is it?" Looking up, he saw Vaggie shrug at Charlie's question and huffed.

"Well, I guess he's gotta leave the bar at some point, right?" The two shared a look before nodding. Bummed, Angel picked up his bag, which he'd tossed on the counter, and started for the door. "Whelp, I got a party to head to. Work thing, you know? Don't wait up!"

"Angel, wait!" Freezing in place, the arachnid turned around and found Husker walking towards him. Before he could ask where the hell the cat had been, his arm was grabbed and he was dragged off toward one of the back hallways. Following after the man, he didn't struggle, but he did watch Husker closely. The man's brow was furrowed, his mouth a straight line of concentration and determination. When they came to the overgrown garden, Angel was more than a bit confused. The feline turned to face him and took his purse and phone, setting both on the floor inside the door. "Come on." Even more confused than he had been a moment ago, Angel let himself once again be dragged through the door and out onto the path shrouded in plant life.