Daughter Dearest

thirty-four

Venus hadn't realized how deafening the silence would be until she sat there, staring at the doors as the acid rain beat down on the grounds outside.

She sighed, her hand falling to the Asmodean crystal that sat securely around her neck. She could hear the rain and distant sounds of the kitchen radio playing, but gone was the constant chatter and chaos that previously filled the halls to the brim.

"Where the fuck is everyone?" Angel Dust questioned, coming down the stairs. He stretched with a groan and several satisfying pops.

"Home." Venus replied quietly, barely turning her head in his direction. "I sent them home. . . I had to."

"So, you finally found a way, huh? Well, I'll miss most of them. The kid was pretty okay." Angel placed one of his hands on her shoulder. "They'll forgive you for sending them back. They'll understand."

She wanted to believe him, but all she could see were the various disappointed, confused, and betrayed looking expressions facing her before she closed the portal to the living world.

Angel didn't see their faces.
How the only thing she could manage was an apology before closing them off.

"I can only hope." Venus replied before clearing her throat and turning to face the spider demon completely; her demeanor changed entirely and his hand automatically dropped from her shoulder. "Are you off to work?"

"Yeah. . . Fucker wanted me in earlier, but thanks to the strings you pulled, I got outta three shoots that I wanted no parts of." He replied, already headed for the door.

Venus hummed, then a thought popped into her mind. "Might I join you? I'd like to check in on my pet. . . Make sure he still knows his place."

"If you're comin', we ain't got all day, Princess."

She smirked and approached the door. . . Angel decidedly didn't like the look on her face, yet he wanted to know what could happen.

★†★

It felt odd for Venus to be back in the Vees Tower, even more odd to be there with Angel, and most of all to actually be going where the 'magic' happened instead of some secluded floor.

She didn't know what was more shocking: the cleanliness of everything behind the staged spotlights or the mess of wires plugged into a singular power strip in the middle of the room — had nobody thought about the hazard? 

They both heard him before they saw him, Angel choosing to go off to his dressing room, leaving Venus alone to gawk at the many hazards around the studio. . . All of which she'd mention to Vox on her way out if she could. 

Or maybe she'd request a meeting while Angel was working, so she didn't have to see her friend in such a state.

Someone had to look out for his biggest investment in Hell. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” A voice hissed, bringing Venus away from her appraisal of the environment. 

Her thumb subconsciously ran over the ancient engravings on the ring on her left index finger; she never did try to learn. “Checking in. You've been suspiciously quiet since the club. . . I just wanted to remind you of your placement in the hierarchy. . . And remind you that it would be in poor taste to plan anything against me.” 

Venus chuckled lightly. “Need I show you what happened to the last person who planned something against me?” She raised her hand as if she was gonna touch him and force the memory into his mind. 

“No.” Valentino grumbled. 

“Good. . . Now I have a busy day. Much work to do. I'll check in every once in a while.” 

The porn demon and Asgardian Princess went separate directions — Venus finding herself in the elevator pressing the button with what looked like a plug on it. 

Mildly annoying elevator music played slightly louder than she could handle, making it feel like her own personal Hell, until the metal contraption came to a halt on the floor she selected. 

She stepped out and began walking down the hallway, unsure of where she was going.

“You don't have clearance up here.” The voice said from behind her; she turned on her heel to get a good look at the man that she had only had the pleasure of meeting once. 

Venus threw her arms up and grinned. “Just the man I was looking for! Listen — there are some things I must discuss with you in private. Do you have a few moments?” She questioned, clasping her hands in front of herself. 

“I have a couple hours before my next meeting. . . What exactly is going on?” Vox inquired, beginning to guide her in the opposite direction, towards one of his many offices. 

“I'm merely checking in with interest. . . There seems to be more than reputations on the line nowadays.” She chuckled lowly as he opened the door and allowed her to enter first. 

The door closed behind Vox as Venus dropped into a comfortable looking black chair. 

Vox sat behind his desk, watching the goddess closely — watching how she observed his office, seemingly taking in every detail from the blinking camera in the corner, all the way to the monitors on his desk flickering between every camera in the entire building in her peripheral vision. 

Finally, she looked back to him, a slight smirk gracing her face as she got comfortable in the seat. “So,” she began. “Have you looked into your system's blindspots?” 

“Excuse me?” 

“You heard me.” Venus stated firmly. “Have you?” 

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. “You were partially right, as much as I hate to admit it. . . There's not necessarily a blindspot, but surveillance on that whole floor conveniently goes down when —”

“— When Angel is working?” Venus cut off his sentence. He nodded, confirming her statement. “Doesn't that strike you as odd? What doesn't your little friend want you figuring out? Hmm?”

“You already know.” Vox stated, reluctantly.

“And it seems you've finally learned. . . This brings me to our next subject; are you aware of the fire hazard that is Valentino's studio? Have you seen the haphazard wires everywhere?”

Vox sighed once again. Suddenly, he was regretting letting the Princess of Asgard into his space — yet she quickly dropped the topic of wires when her eyes zeroed in on one of the security panels.  

A newer, yet familiar face was seen clearly on the screen. “Is that in the building?” 

“All of these ones are — yeah.” 

“What is Lilith doing here?” Venus groaned, getting a look at the time in the corner. “I must go. . . But contact me, Vox, please. . . I won't say too much, but her return has odd timing and I need to know her intentions.” 

He sat there as if he had to truly think about it. “What would I get out of it?” 

“The privilege of having your soul remain in your possession. . . We could be allies for whatever may lie ahead, Vox. . . So, I wouldn't get on my bad side if I were you.” With that, she stood and found her way out. It hadn't taken very long at all, yet she did everything she could to avoid running into Lilith.