By The Light Of The Blood Moon

Inside Man

They could have teleported back to the hotel, but Alastor felt more like walking. He needed time to sort out his thoughts on this change in Angel Dust. Although the two were walking hand in hand and side by side, it felt more like they were oceans apart. The smile etched into the deer demon's face did little to lift his spirits.

When he had told Angel that he had begun to fall desperately into feelings for his soft, perfect arachnid, he had meant every word. Alastor wasn't certain, even now, why he had fallen and fallen hard for the person that Angel was, but he had. He could easily have named off several things that he found irresistible about his most prized relationship, but part of it was that despite Angel being a renown sex worker and a porn star to boot, he was innocent. Sure, Angel wasn't innocent when it came to lewd things, quite to the contrary, he was most likely the best versed person Alastor had ever met when it came to carnal acts. That didn't mean that he wasn't innocent, at least not to Alastor.

Angel Dust possessed something that Alastor had never once in his life or afterlife had of his own. Angel Dust possessed empathy. Angel cared about the people around him, he wanted to take care of everything and everyone, even if it wasn't readily apparent to people who knew him only on the surface. Alastor chalked it up to the fact that Angel, for all his outgoing nature, was truly a very private person. He knew that there were many times that Angel Dust would take care of everyone around him, and often, it was done anonymously. Angel didn't take care of others because he wanted the praise or for them to owe him something in return. Angel did it because he wanted to. He did it because it seemed right to him, and he made sure that he kept it to himself so that nobody felt like they owed him for his kindness.

Alastor had treasured that about Angel above almost anything else. Maybe that was why, he mused to himself, he felt so terrible about the change in Angel's temperament. What if, as time went on, he lost more and more of himself and became more and more what Alastor had always been? Alastor couldn't bear the thought of losing the parts of Angel Dust that he loved the best, although, if he were completely honest, it would be so nice to have a partner who was just as excited by hunting and killing as Alastor was himself. What an unstoppable force they could become, truly a force to be reckoned with!

Then there was another problem that Alastor had only just considered: If Angel is becoming more like Alastor, then is this why Alastor was feeling actual guilt regarding the change in his beloved Angel Dust? That would certainly be a problem. No small part of the reason that Alastor could live so comfortably was because he knew that there were only a handful here in hell that would have the nerve or stupidity to cross him. Everyone knew that the Radio Demon wouldn't tolerate anyone else challenging him or his authority. What, then, would happen to the two of them when Alastor suddenly developed a conscience and tried to avoid fighting or killing? He was not so naïve as to think that the strongest enemies that he had defeated wouldn't come back looking for blood. Angel may have a taste of Alastor's abilities now, but he had only dipped a single toe into the waters of the powers Alastor harnessed. Angel wouldn't be able to protect the both, let alone himself, should those powerful forces return to settle an old score. He didn't want to imagine how it would end if Angel couldn't protect them, and Alastor wouldn't protect them because he had a conscience now. One thing was certain. To ensure Angel's continued safety and security, Alastor was going to have to make an agonizing decision, and he didn't like the looks of it, to be honest.

Once they reached the hotel, Angel was off to go take care of Fat Nuggets, and Alastor had told him that he was going to where Valentino was to check up on him and see if he had something better to offer than his terribly vague and empty promise of the last visit. Angel seemed content to let Alastor handle Valentino. Angel didn't really want to be anywhere near the demon at this point, and Alastor couldn't blame him for that, although he was glad, this once, for he didn't want Angel to know what would be discussed. Alastor was almost certain that Valentino had something that he could easily trade for his (limited) freedom. Alastor set off and as soon as he was out of sight of the hotel, he teleported his way into the small square where Valentino was still stuck in the stocks Alastor had placed him in.

"Ah, Valentino!" Alastor called out rather cheerfully, a wide smile on his face. "I do hope the day finds you well." He said, ending with a chuckle as he took in the sorry state of the former overlord. The clothing that had been previously shredded and hanging from his tall frame was now completely absent. Apparently, the crowds had really enjoyed the chance to take out their own frustrations on someone that for the moment was weaker than they. One of Val's antennae was broken and hanging at a strange angle from his head, the other antenna was missing completely. Valentino's eyes had sunken in quite a bit in the last few days, no doubt from the combination of starvation and dehydration. There were an entire new crop of contusions and cuts from Lucifer knows what, and they seemed to cover every square inch of Val's frame. Someone had even managed to take off with the shoes on Valentino's feet! Although Alastor hadn't bothered to look at the poor demon's genitalia, he was certain if he had that there would be damage there as well, and likely not any less brutal than everywhere else on the demon.

"The fuck you want, Bambi?" spat Valentino, only the fatigue in his voice giving away that he was anything but in control of the situation.

Alastor squatted down in front of the former overlord, allowing them to look at each other eye to eye.

"Valentino," Alastor crooned, his face carved with a malicious grin, and it was growing wider by the moment. It wasn't difficult at all to see the fire blazing in the eyes of the red demon. He used his staff to gently lift the chin of the taller demon, forcing his eyes to meet the eyes of the feared Radio Demon. Alastor's eyes had changed to the perfectly round radio dials, twitching slightly to the left every half second or so. In layman's terms it was easy to tell from the voice, eyes, and longer antlers that Alastor was pissed. He used as few words as possible to make certain that his point was clear. "You will refrain from calling me that if you value your existence." He watched as Valentino blinked, swallowed hard, and offered a meek apology. Satisfied that the matter had been communicated very effectively, the deer demon allowed the chin of the other demon to drop when he moved his staff away and stood back up to his full height, a reminder that he had all the advantage at this time. He stood directly in front of Val now, who was looking down at the shoes of the radio demon, his skin looking almost green instead of its normal tint. Alastor knew that this was the time to strike a deal with Valentino. He would have bet his own soul that Val would agree to almost any terms Alastor could name at this time. "Address me properly, then," commanded Alastor. There was a brief pause, causing Alastor to tilt his head to one side, sizing the other demon up once again, wondering if he had miscalculated, but then Valentino spoke.

"I have had better days," followed by "sir"

Alastor knew immediately that he had not miscalculated. This was the time to strike. He laid the trap and baited it well. In a matter of minutes, Valentino had agreed to all that Alastor had proposed. Alastor finally had exactly what he needed to ensure that Vox did not gain the upper hand in this situation, he had his man on the inside, and what was best: his man on the inside was stuck in a deal with the radio Demon. He couldn't sabotage the operation, and he couldn't back out without paying the consequences which were, of course, heinous even by Valentino's standards.

With a wave of his hand, Valentino's body was clothed again, although it was different clothing than he was accustomed to. Alastor snickered as he replaced the look of Valentino's "pimp" clothes with spiffy and dapper cuts from the 1930's. Although Val couldn't have been pleased about the wardrobe change, he damn sure didn't let on. He didn't want to give the deer demon a reason to be upset with him.

"Ah, that look suits you much better, my dear." Cried Alastor, looking beyond proud of himself. "Now let's get to the hotel so that I may introduce you properly to everyone and we will go over the details of the plan." Alastor stopped for a second, glancing at Val. "Ah, where is my brain hahahahahaha! You must be starving. We shall stop and get you some food along the way" he called out cheerfully.

Valentino followed Alastor, as if he had any choice.