The Riddle Of Magic

Chapter 56: Palate for Whispers

As they descended into the lobby, Alastor could feel his shadow stir at the strange energy radiating from the basement laboratory, though the managers were spared a useless trip downstairs by a remark from Husk, who - like it or not - had ostensibly become the Hotel's messenger service.

It made sense, of course. The cat demon was one of the first faces residents saw upon entering the facility, and the one watching over them when they had a drink. And considering the bartender didn't have any real want for causing mischief or drama, he was one patrons could talk to and rely on for decent advice.

Husk shared his preference for honesty, and it was arguably the foremost part of why they'd gotten along despite the soul arrangement binding them. He was one of the few the Radio Demon regarded as a friend - the longest-lasting of his little herd, other than Rosie (though the veiled spectre had come and gone from Alastor's afterlife at her own pace).

Niffty had come tagging about a decade after he'd met his other companions, looking for her own entertainment; although her quest for amusement had wound up in a tremendous mess after she grew too reckless with another gang, and needed him to bail her out of it. It was a tangle full of deals-that-weren't-quite-deals; and despite all the attempts at being clever, the entire ordeal had wound up reduced to violence anyways, so the Radio Demon had bound her in a soul debt due to all the trouble.

Come to think of it now, the affair was one of Alastor's earlier brushes with being bored of battles, though the thrill of a well-fought victory had eclipsed that feeling soon after.

Vox had also been a member of their company, but had been more of a latecomer than the rest, and had left when all the foul seer business had gone down in '83. As far as Alastor had been concerned, the other deer demon was nothing but a hanger-on, only with their group to get the upper hand on the infamous Radio Demon. That suspicion had been confirmed after Vox had become an Overlord in his own right, taking the power of the television simply as an excuse to deride and rival him.

But now, with the benefit of time and distance from all those annoyances, it was clear that he had been less than kind to the other demon both as a companion and a leader. Perhaps some of their animosity was his own doing, in the end.

At this venture, Vox didn't seem to fault him for it any longer. They'd had their own chat after Valentino's departure - a recommendation by Charlie, though it was one the Radio Demon had thought of himself once the moth demon's hold had broken.

As offered, Alastor had made his attempts to track down Velvette, however it appeared the Social Media demoness was truly voided now. There were scraps of essence lingering around the Vees' headquarters, but nothing that could be healed with his magic.

The former TV Demon had broken down at the revelation, blaming himself for her demise; and though Charlie had made her assurances that the notion was merely his grief talking, Alastor knew that his partner's words were merely her being kind. The other deer demon had known it as well, waiting until the pair were on their own to really lay into his bout of self-blame. It had been quite the emotional display, to the point Alastor wondered if Vox might have been in love with his fellow Vee.

He didn't bother confronting him about it. Such feelings were meaningless now.

Charlie greeted the teal-haired Overlord sweetly as they entered the lobby, and he turned to regard her with a polite nod and a quiet hello in return. "I'm surprised you're still here so late, everything okay?" she asked.

The managers joined him at the bar, and a glass of whiskey was pushed in front of Alastor while the bartender went about making Charlie's preferred sunlight drink.

"Just catching up with Husk," Vox shrugged, swirling his own glass. "My businesses practically run themselves so if I'm not in all the time, it doesn't really matter," he replied.