itsytitsyspider: (Ample Floof)
Angel Dust ([personal profile] itsytitsyspider) wrote2021-10-14 12:15 pm
Entry tags:

Behind Closed Doors



PSLs Catch All
lonelysmiles: (Shadowed Interest)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-14 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
There. Finished. And a good thing, too, as Angel began opening his eyes. He sat ramrod straight, eyes flicking over Angel one more time to make sure that he hadn't missed any places. It was a strange silence but not an uncomfortable one. For all of the noise that accompanied Alastor, there was something to be said for quiet.

And then Angel thanked him.

Alastor's ears pricked upwards, twitching periodically as he tried to process what he'd just heard. Someone thanking him. It was such a rare thing. After all, his reputation was one of terror and bloodshed and warnings to run very fast in the opposite direction the moment someone saw him.

"I...you're welcome...?"

The sound of a radio swinging uncertainly between channels accompanied the stilted response. The words tasted strange on his tongue. He'd said them before long, long ago, but it'd been so long that the phrase had turned rusty.
lonelysmiles: How adorable! (Being Threatened)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-14 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
Alastor's ears twitched backwards. "Not even in your wildest dreams."

He rose from his seat, snapping the lid back on the Tupperware container. There was still quite a bit of the poultice left. He then held it out to Angel.

"Here, you degenerate. Don't forget to reapply this in a few hours on any remaining cuts or swelling."
lonelysmiles: (Warning)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-14 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
Alastor's grin widened as his eyes narrowed, ears now flat against his skull.

"Don't ever say that again to me."

He could feel the flustered blush starting to tint his cheeks as red as his hair. With that, he teleported away, back to the relative safety of his room.

There. He knew where Angel was. The situation was back under control. The status quo restored. The spiders beneath his skin finally stopped their tap-dancing.

However, when he laid back on his bed, he still found it impossible to sleep. He groaned and buried his face in his hands as the embarrassed blush overtook him.
lonelysmiles: (Content)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-14 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
There was something comforting in the normalcy over the next few days. Everything was as it should be, even the parts Alastor personally didn't care for. He enjoyed being entertained but there was something to be said of having some sort of normal if it meant that it wasn't his typical version of normal.

He was getting too used to having people around him. Things were going well. Where was that blasted other shoe?

Alastor hummed along with the music his internal receiver had picked up on as he sipped his coffee. He and Charlie had gone over the budget regarding some of the upcoming larger repairs. Some parts of it he'd do with his magic, but Charlie had been insistent that the majority had to be done through good old fashioned hard work. After all, how could she expect her patrons to put in the effort if she herself wasn't? (Admirable in its own way but honestly she was biting off more than she could chew. Ah well. She'd come around and ask for more of his help soon enough.)
lonelysmiles: (Bemused)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-14 06:54 am (UTC)(link)
Alastor looked up from his coffee, giving the spider a bemused look. "Heading out, I see. Should we be expecting you before or after sunrise?"

The usual jabs. Nice and normal. Honestly as much as Angel's profession got under Alastor's skin, he kept the scathing remarks to first degree burns. The world's oldest profession could continue on so long as Alastor didn't have to participate.
lonelysmiles: (Eyeroll)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-14 07:13 am (UTC)(link)
Alastor rolled his eyes. "After sunrise then. Noted." He waved a hand as if shooing away a particularly annoying fly. "I'm looking forward to a night without your crass invitations!"

Near as he could figure, it was some sort of game to Angel. A game Alastor didn't enjoy playing. It was, quite frankly, embarrassing. Particularly given he always got the vague impression when he decided to end the game by leaving Angel to his vulgar devices that it was giving Angel the victory.
lonelysmiles: (Just Me And My Shadow)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-14 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
Ever since Alastor had come to the Happy Hotel, the little shadow creatures that were drawn to the deer demon had a tendency to hang around as well. They flitted about from shadow to shadow, watching the inhabitants of the hotel with equal parts curiosity and amusement. Sometimes they liked to play tricks on the demons living there. Mostly harmless things like moving things around.

This also meant that they acted as Alastor's extra eyes and ears even when he didn't specifically ask them to. They weren't bound to the Radio Demon like his personal shadow, but they liked Alastor. He always included them in his mischief, meaning the shadows thought he was great fun the vast majority of the time.

One of the shadows was watching Hell go by from beneath one of the eaves outside the hotel when it spied an unfamiliar limousine pull up in front of where Angel had just exited the building. The door opened, yet nothing but red smoke exited the vehicle, further drawing the shadow's curiosity. It watched as Angel hesitated with obvious discomfort and then ultimately got into the garishly pink machine. If this was some sort of game, it didn't look like one that Angel wanted to play. The last time the shadow had seen that had been a few days ago when Alastor had asked the shadow creatures to keep an eye out for Angel who'd been missing. If Angel went missing again, its deer friend would be upset.

It slipped into the hotel, seeking the Radio Demon.

---

Alastor's ears pricked at the sound of a car door slamming shut followed by the squeal of tires. It was probably nothing. Everything was fine.

...The spiders were starting to tap dance beneath his skin again.

Angel didn't have a car. Charlie didn't let anyone use her limo without asking. Yet it sounded like a car had been waiting for when Angel had stepped out. A client that had set something up ahead of time?

Or worse.

He stared into his half-empty coffee cup, the rich flavor suddenly tasting like muddy bayou water. He subconsciously rubbed at his arm while his ears twitched erratically.

One of the playful little shadow creatures appeared before him, chittering in his head as it transformed into the silhouette of Angel with a distressed look on his face. Alastor went shock still as he listened to the details: a strange pink limousine with red smoke.

Alastor's coffee mug cracked as the hand still gripping it clenched it.

"Thank you, my friend, for bringing this to my attention. Will you and the others let me know if he beats me back here?" He held out a ball of swirling green magic about the size of a golf ball to the shadow which it eagerly took, shifting back into its normal, vaguely-impish shape.

Then Alastor teleported away, leaving the half-finished coffee abandoned. He arrived in front of Valentino's studio, smile tightening with disgust. It would've been nice to teleport directly to Angel's location, but unfortunately Valentino wasn't a fool: His building was one of the ones warded against scrying. Alastor would've teleported in completely blind and could end up merged into a wall.

Well, appearing out front where people started emptying the street en masse meant stealth wasn't an option. Alastor's shadow leaned over his shoulder.

"Find Angel."

The shadow swooped into the building as Alastor followed at a more sedate pace.
Edited 2021-11-15 01:03 (UTC)
lonelysmiles: (Shadow Stag)

My turn to ramble on and on it seems.

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-15 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
When the main stage had still been dark, Alastor's shadow had found Angel. It relayed its findings back to its master, receiving an immediate response wreathed in ice cold static:

Sweep the studio. Learn every nook and cranny.

It mutely giggled in malicious glee to itself as smaller shadow creatures gathered to assist. These were locals to the area and had grown bored of the comings and goings of this place but it was the most excitement they typically saw. They'd picked up on Alastor's presence, eager to get in on the fun. This wasn't Alastor's favored hunting grounds. This was new and exciting, and they eagerly shared their intimate knowledge of Valentino's studio and clubs with Alastor's shadow who relayed the knowledge back to its master.

A new command came through their connection:

Get ready for a show.

Alastor's shadow silently reveled in evil delight. It had been far too long since the last grand performance. It was about time Alastor reminded those beneath the Pentagram that the only reason he wasn't running the place himself was due to lack of interest, not power. The Radio Demon's shadow shifted into the shape of a stag with red eyes and a grinning mouth. The small shadow creatures mutely cheered, darting about in their eagerness to join in the carnage they all hoped would follow.

---

Alastor walked with calm, confident strides towards Porn O Studios. He began humming along with a jaunty little tune that he'd come up with years ago as the radios across Hell began crackling with his arctic rage. His song hissed within the static, a hint that a major broadcast was potentially coming.

♪♫ Hello, it's nice to meet you!
Can you tell me where I am?
I don't know how I got here
But I think I'm starting to understand. ♪♫


---

Across town Vox was suddenly inundated with virtual blackouts spreading rapidly across Pentagram City like an invisible tsunami. Anything using a wireless signal was suddenly jammed and unusable. Digital transmissions that typically flowed freely through the air died. His electric empire wasn't completely crumbling, but it would take hours to get things back to normal once the cause of these "blackouts" stopped.

He plugged himself in directly to the network via cable connection and started seeking the source. It took only a few moments to determine the cause. Had Vox's body possessed actual blood rather than coolant, it would've gone ice cold when he heard the song near-hidden in the static:

♪♫ I don't belong among the angels,
But, darling, that's just fine with me!
The things I did up there were high school,
But now I'm going for my degree! ♪♫


Vox made sure to keep it very, very quiet, but the fact was that the wireless signals that flowed across the Pride Ring were ultimately Alastor's to command. Cellular signals, wifi, even television broadcast signals, they all ultimately relied on radio waves. And Alastor knew it, him having toyed with the radio waves as wireless technology grew ever more popular. Alastor had no interest in the modern conveniences piggybacking on his signal, but he liked to periodically remind Vox through localized virtual blackouts that he was well aware that, ultimately, Vox needed him.

Vox made a map of the virtual blackouts, searching for the epicenter. Had he any saliva, he would've choked on it as he saw just how massive the signal interruption truly was. It was all sweeping outward from one area but not one that Vox would've expected: the heart of Valentino's territory.

"Oh fuck. Oh fuck!"

Without thinking, Vox disconnected the wire giving him a direct connection to the internet and pulled out his cellphone, dialing up Valentino to warn him. Belatedly, he remembered the lack of cell signal and cursed his lack of foresight in keeping an old fashioned handset nearby for just such emergencies. He could hear his employees panicking just outside his office as his empire shuddered. It'd take ages to push past them all, get to his car, and drive to the studio.

He prayed that Velvet was with Valentino. The three V's tried to stick together for a reason: The old overlords had fallen one-by-one as Alastor had wiped them out during his grand entrance to Hell. Valentino, Vox, and Velvet as a united front was a deterrent even to the older demon. Over the years, Alastor had gone largely quiet, occupied with more solo interests and performances. Vox now realized he and his fellow V's had gotten complacent, no longer constantly in each other's orbits. The deterrent was no longer effective.

And now the Radio Demon was on the warpath.

---

There was a long line of sinners outside Porn O Studios. It was easy to tell which demons had been in Hell the longest as they immediately picked up on the crackling radio static and the music weaving in and out of it:

♪♫ Hey!
Sorry but you just got in my way!
I promise, honey, I can feel your pain!
And maybe I enjoy it just a little bit,
Does that make me insane? ♪♫


Those who hadn't been in Hell as long were initially excited as the line got significantly shorter from suddenly fleeing demons. They attempted to call friends to tell them that the wait wasn't as long as normal only to find that there was no cell or wifi signal to be found. And then they heard the malevolent static and faint jaunty music, realizing that something Very Bad was about to happen.

The security guard outside the studio watched as the line vanished in moments, paling in horror as the humming deer demon emitting static and music approached. He tried his walkie talkie, but the signal didn't go through. So he did the reasonable thing: He fled inside and started shoving his way through the unaware throng in an attempt to reach his boss to warn him.

---

Behind Angel, a shadowy stag with red eyes stepped in front of the neon pink spiderweb lights. It grinned maliciously at Valentino. The bass music began warping as static and the faint echo of a completely different song began slowly overpowering it.

♪♫ Haven't been the same since I expired,
But that doesn't mean that I plan to retire!
And now I have the power to bathe all of you in entertaining fire! ♪♫
lonelysmiles: (Shadowed Evil Grin)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-20 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Alastor stepped into the club, humming along with the jaunty tune now playing across every speaker. He stood, framed in the doorway, effectively blocking escape. The light behind him darkened as more shadow creatures came to join the fun. He could sense more of his army lingering in the shadows of the building, their giggles ringing in his head.

The shadow stag moved to step carefully over Angel, placing itself between him and Valentino per its master's silent order. Lightbulbs began to burst as the shadow creatures gleefully tore them from their sockets and hurl them to the ground, the only illumination coming from the spider web and the menacing grins of the Radio Demon and his shadow.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything~" he purred. "But I had urgent business, you see."
lonelysmiles: It's adorable! (Look At You Threatening Me!)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-21 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
Alastor's ear twitched in time with his shadow's as Angel called his name. Honestly, he hadn't seen the spider this bad off before. Not that he'd been beaten black and blue again but the drug haze...he'd never seen it that bad on Angel before.

It pissed him off.

But still he smiled, the crowd parting like the Red Sea as he walked towards the stage, still talking. He was deliberately turning his back to Valentino, insulting the man in his own territory.

"I'd be happy to leave your establishment. And I will. Once I've collected our wayward patron. Not a moment before."

One of Valentino's security made the mistake of rushing Alastor from behind, a knife poised to strike.

Alastor whipped around, long leg lashing out to send the man tumbling into him as he swept his claws up. There was a loud crack of shattering bones as Alastor's claws penetrated the guard's chest and grasped the heart. He then proceeded to effortlessly rip it out.

"Thank you for the snack," he purred before biting into it as casually one would an apple.

Alastor's shadow bent its head towards Angel, grinning at him.
lonelysmiles: (You're Trying My Patience...)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-21 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't own him, no," Alastor cheerfully agreed. "But I don't like it when people break my toys." He turned his head to look directly at Valentino, grin widening to feral proportions. "If anything, Valentino, you have me to thank for him being able to take the stage at all after your last...session."

His shadow blinked in surprise as Angel stroked its snout. Well, this was a new sensation. Kind of pleasant, too. Though Angel probably wouldn't have been as appreciative. The shadow was ice cold to the touch.

Alastor could feel his magic itching to be unleashed. He always kept himself so tightly compressed. It would feel so good just to stretch...
lonelysmiles: (Looming)

[personal profile] lonelysmiles 2021-11-21 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
The shadow deer silently pawed the stage as it kept blocking Angel from passing.

"Soft? Me?" Alastor began laughing at the idea, the sound unhinged. "Everyone knows I'm there to watch its denizens shoot for Heaven and fall back into the fire pits of failure! Angel himself was there when I told the princess."

Alastor turned to start walking towards Valentino, popping the last of the heart into his mouth as he did so. He swallowed.

"Hell is so boring. The hotel is such a delightful new source of entertainment. It's no fun when someone uninterested in the game interferes."

Alastor allowed his tight grip over his powers to loosen, its influence starting to spread across the club as black lighting bathed the room in neon shades. Deer motifs that had never been present before made themselves known. It wasn't much...yet...but he was giving a warning.

But simultaneously he was digging at not just Valentino but the three V's in general, arguably Lucifer as well. Hell and all its eternal torments was boring. Meaning the three V's didn't make things even slightly interesting. No, it was the often-mocked Princess of Hell and someone like Angel Dust that had peaked his interest.

And Alastor was known not to take kindly to those who went after things he saw as his.

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