Red Smoke

Chapter 4 - Vox

As you walk up to the studio you can hear Valentino’s voice raising and shouting at someone, you start to walk slower up to the door... you had no idea what...or who was waiting on the other side of the door.

As your hand touches the handle you slowly open it to see Valentino talking to a slim figure with a flat screen TV for a face, he was wearing a navy blue suit with neon blue stripes down it and had neon blue claws as the end of his hands. He wore a small little top hat in-between one straight antenna and one slightly bent one.

You had never seen this man before...

“Vox! Your fucking cameras are messing up my shoot! How am I supposed to film anything if they don’t work?” Valentino growled.

Vox... their name was Vox..

“I-I’m sorry Val, they should be working fine” Vox stuttered.

Valentino turns to Vox “you calling me a liar?!” he growled.

“W-what no! Val I’m not saying that-” Vox starts to panic.

Valentino growls at him.

“I-I’ll have a look okay, I’ll try and figure it out” Vox replied as he gets to work trying to figure out what’s wrong with the cameras.

As you slowly make your way over to Valentino you start to feel uneasy.

Val eventually notices you standing next to him “no shoot yet cariño, fucking cameras aren’t working” he says sounding annoyed.

You stand there unsure on how to feel about that... lucky...relieved... so many things to feel. 

Valentino sees you still standing there and pushes a script into your chest “if your going to stand there memorize this... it’s your next shoot” he grumbles as he watches Vox fix the cameras.

Vox is panicking as he tries to figure out why the cameras aren’t working.

“Voxxy... How’s it going?” Valentino’s voice sounds calmer now. 

You make your way over to the side of the studio to sit down and read the script. 

Vox was silent as he carries on trying to fix the cameras.

Valentino growls “Vox!” he yells...making both you and Vox jump.

Vox startles “Val, please.. I’m trying to figure it out. I can’t seem to see a problem”

Valentino growls at him “you think I’m lying Vox?”

Vox looked up to him from kneeling behind the camera “no Val, I’m not saying that, I’m just saying I can’t find anything wrong with-“

Vox stops taking as he sees Valentino walk around to him.

“I’m getting really impatient now Vox!” he pulls him out from behind the camera “can you fix it or not?!” he spews at him, holding him by his bowtie.

Vox looked at him.. trembling a little bit “Val look, I can’t see what’s wrong with the camera”

Seconds after he finished talking Valentino punches Vox in his screen.

Vox let’s out a painful cry "Val!"

Valentino grunts at him “see, look what you made me do! Fix the fucking cameras Vox! I need to shoot my videos!” he pushes him to the floor and goes to sit back down in his directors chair.

As Vox lays there holding his face, he whimpers in pain slightly. He was used to this treatment from Valentino, it was nothing new.

He holds his screen for a while after Valentino cracked it. He glances over slightly to your direction with a sad look in his eyes, before he got back to work on the camera.