"Alright velvette my dear. Since you asked so nicely." Besides being in the company of women tended to make him feel more comfortable opening up. "We were friends as you already know. Things were pretty great between us. Then he had to ruin it. Then I made it worse." He was talking vague to stall but it also could come off as building up suspense. "I liked vox. He was charming. Full of amazing ideas. A genius and the only television I liked looking at." He actually sighed at that.

"He offered to make us partners and I laughed in his face. I also told him there are no friends in hell." He admitted suddenly. Wishing he had some tea to sip so this wouldn't look so vulnerable. Opening up wasn't the hard part. It was the shame. "Relationships with men and my views on my own gender have always been the worst. I find most of them classless and unsightly. At best annoying. So when I find a guy I actually like once I realize I tend to freak out and act like a dick. Normally I'm proud to piss people off but vox didn't deserve that."

He hummed. Moving back into his wheely chair. For comfort. "But it did lead to our very interesting relationship now which is so engaging and hilarious to watch and participate in. I broke his heart. I didn't mean to but look to where it was lead! He really built himself up. Hating me gave him more passion. More motivation to become almost the very best of his potential. Also there is something so romantic about the way he hates me. So many conflicting feelings towards me. Love, lust and hatred. It's a beautiful combination." He sang out his words doing a little spin in his chair.

"I don't only return his feelings but I argue I could be more into him. Two sides of the same coin but I can admit the object of my attention is very very stupid. Atleast when he's winning too fast or too much at once. Well that makes him especially stupid I guess but he is overall a dumbass. No man can be perfect. Except for me that is. Then he fucks everything up. I should know. I know everything about him. I never want demons to know what my motives are. There's a lot you can hide behind a smile my dear. Between the two of us I was just always better at hiding it. This and everything else but especially this."

This was back to feeling like a fun gossiping session so he span in his chair effortlessly towards her. "I spy on him you know. Not all the time but atleast once a day." He also felt comfortable sharing this for another reason. "Of course if you told him any of this he would not believe you. Not that you're not a trustworthy friend dear but it just sounds so obsurd doesn't it?" He giggled.

In all honestly, Velvette hadn't been sure if Alastor would have agreed to tell her his side of the story. Vox's reluctance to even just mention that fateful night was enough to tell her that it was a thorny subject, with plenty of unhealed wounds and vivid hurting still connected to it. If the red freak wasn't lying about caring about her best friend in turn, it would have been understandable if he had been just as unwilling to discuss what had passed between them.

Thus why, when he oh-so-easily agreed to her request, a spark of suspicion lit up in the fashionista's mind. The Radio Demon was had the reputation of being one of the most insidious master manipulators Hell had ever seen for a reason, so she felt very much justified to doubt every word that left his mouth, no matter how many times he assured her that he was being honest. Only a fool would have regarded his claims as completely true and reliable, and she sure as fuck was no fool.

Still, she remained quiet, biting back the protests that came to her lips almost instantly. Instead, she made a point to listen carefully, and watched Alastor's each and every movement with the same level of attention. His tone hardly betrayed any sort of emotion, which was to be expected, but she didn't miss how restless he got after he admitted how cruel and unfair he had acted towards the Media Demon.

Velvette pursed her lips, fangs distractedly nipping at her own skin. She could relate to what he was describing. Using mockery and hostility as a defence mechanism, treating people harshly and pushing them away because you were too scared of how much they could have hurt you, if you had let them in. She herself had done it countless time, especially back when she had still been alive, but also after her death. It was inevitable, an incontrollable instinctive reaction, born out of having been hurt one time too many.

To this day, there were times when she had to fight herself even when it came to Valentino and Vox. No matter how deeply she had come to love and trust them, there were times, when she was feeling too raw and vulnerable, when her first impulse was still to draw blood and run, even with them.

"Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me," she eventually spoke up after a moment of pondering what he had told her. It was...quite a lot to process, especially since some parts stridently clashed to the idea she had of Alastor and of his relationship with Vox. "I won't tell Vox, or anyone else. We'll soon be on the same time, so I have no reasons to undermine you. Even more if I'm gonna be appointed as your trusted stylist."

Unless he had pissed her off enough to force her hand, of course. She was all for "forgive and forget" when it came to her (two, soon to be three) loved ones, but only after she had gotten some deserved payback.

"But...if I have to be honest, it does sound like you're fucking with me. Everything you told me doesn't fit with what V told me, at all. And it clashes with what I've seen of the two of you too."

Even if it was also true that, in her experience, underneath the loudest shows of hatred and distasted, more often than not, hid hurt romantic feelings. No one could be more vicious than someone whose heart had been broken.

"Still, that doesn't mean that I don't believe you. I'll give you the benefit of doubt, because of the deal you offered to make."

And also because of how vulnerable Alastor had looked while confessing his regrets, even moving to take his spot on the chair he had been praised not long before as a steadying and safe place for him. If that wasn't a tell-tale, she didn't know what could be.

"But I should correct you on a few things. You may claim that you know everything about Vox, but it sounds like you don't. Did what happen between you gave him an extra push to work harder to get where he is today? Yeah. But it's also what made him so unstable and prone to be stupid. He was out of his mind before he met you, but I'm pretty sure you were the one to fully break him."

She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression dead serious.

"You wanna mess with him? Play your mind games, keep on driving him crazy? Sure, go ahead. But don't you dare breaking his heart again, or I will make sure that's the last thing you do before you meet your second death."

She was aware that Alastor was much more powerful than her, not to mention experience and cunning, but she would have found a way to best him at his own game, if he had given her the proper motivation to do so.

"Oh yes that always looks like the case dear. I've been putting on this smile for years now. Way before I finally died and became the powerful demon you see before you. It always seems like I'm fucking with people. Usually I am but sometimes not. Like right now. Even if you don't believe me you will." Sure he was technically vox's hostage but only by technicality. Like always alastor was in control of almost every situation he was in.

It also gave him an excuse to accept this deal. Let vox think he won one over him. He could handle that small blow to his ego. After all he was getting what he wanted from all this. All he had to do was earn back his trust. Make up for some things he did. He tended to never apologize and he wanted to see if he could get away with just treating him well enough where nothing from the past mattered or would have to be addressed. Beyond this anyway. "I've found you can hide anything behind a smile."

It was easier to talk to velvette about it. What he did. The regret he felt over it. The discomfort with his past actions which never happened with the radio demon. "He broke and managed to put himself back together with your help of course. Which I very much appreciate velvette my dear and I intend to make up for my mistakes in the past. Though I doubt if I gave him an explanation he would believe me. He may be obsessed with me but I have no doubts he viewed me as having no heart. Which I want the rest of hell believing but not him. So I will need to earn back his trust."

He hummed in thought. "I suppose I could do that. I'll have to be slow and steady with it though. Can't suddenly get lovey dovey. It would be wildly out of character for me." Not to mention while he had romantic feelings that didn't mean he knew how to act on them. It was uncomfortable as well as it was exciting in a way.

"I don't intend to. If that was my goal I would have never accepted this deal." He didn't hate vox nearly enough to accept his partnership only to break his heart after that. Did he currently hate anyone enough to do that? "I don't like owing people but I think you deserve whatever I can give you. For being the smartest of the bunch here and for taking care of him. I feel a certain way about the moth so I have no kind words for him but you my dear helped pick the tv head back up and helped him on his climb to his success. Which is something I always did want for him. I just always thought he rushed things just when things were getting good." He sighed almost mournfully. The saddest smile she'd seen from him so far. It was all in the eyes.

Her laughter was infectious. Causing the deer dinner to erupt into his own fit of giggles as well. Not something others would usually see but he liked velvette. Even with the romantic hold vox still had on him somehow years later she was looking to be her favorite out of the trio.

"For the longest time I didn't think he was obsessed with me more what I did. I admit how I ended things between us was a dick move." Laughing in his face wasn't something he even meant to do it was just a reaction. A nervous one. A freaking the fuck out one since friendships didn't seem safe for the deer back then.

Partnership. He liked hanging out with vox. Loved it even. He was so easy to talk to. Like he knew alastor deep down. It was nice. Why did he have to fuck it all up? Oh well new beginnings he supposed.

This was a second chance if anything else. He wasn't the type to apologize but maybe if he treated vox well enough it could make up for what he did. He was getting what he wanted all along after all. With velvette talking to him maybe thsi would really work out for everyone.

"I know it's horrid. The worst bob job you could give someone. You can tell they really wanted to punish me." He said with an annoyed scoff. It was then he pulled a picture out of his jacket pocket. "You are the expert. I trust you velvette." He spoke as he handed it to her. A picture of himself as a human. When his hair was actually good looking and curly. "Do whatever you want but I have one small preference. Perhaps something curly like how my hair used to look."

Velvette perked up a little at Alastor's comment, for two different reasons. First of all, Vox had never told her the full story of what had gone down between him and the Radio Demon all those years before. Her best friend never missed the chance to talk ill of his rival, but when it came to why things had gotten so bad between them, he suddenly became tight-lipped.

Secondly, Alastor's words seemed to imply that Vox's overwhelming obsession might not be as one-sided as they had all believed. So, now she had to know. How the Radio Demon truly felt for Vox, since when, what his intentions were...the whole package. Both because it sounded like another gossip goldmine and because she felt like she should watch out for the Media Overlord.

He might have been acting like a dick lately, but she still cared for him, and deeply. Not to mention that she was pretty sure he wouldn't have survived another heartbreak.

"A dick move, hn? Now you gotta spill, babe," she claimed, reaching out to lightly elbow him in the ribs. "What exactly did you do to him? I've met people with hate-boners before, but the one V has for you is unprecedented. Not to mention all the other kinds he gets for you."

Literal boners and heart boners first and foremost.

She pursed her lips slightly, tilting her head on the side as she considered how to word her next question. In the end, she decided that being straightforward would have been the best option. They had created some sort of judgement-free and honest bubble for when it was just the two of them and she should stick to it.

"Also...does that mean that you like like him? Because, no offence, but the way you act around him screams the opposite. Unless you're like those socially incompetent kindergarten girls who show their interest by constantly pulling their crush's hair."

And speaking of hair...The fashionista took the picture he handed her, a mixture of surprise and curiosity on her face. She hadn't expected him to trust her with something so...personal. After all, most sinners shed their Earthen identity the moment they woke up down there, in a different body. It was the reason why so many also changed their name, as if to put as much distance as possible from whom they had been.

Sharing with someone the form of whom you used to be, that considered, felt like a huge show of trust.

"Damn. I don't know what I was expecting, but...you were hot as a human. In a cute way, but definitely attractive." Beautiful was the word that came to her mind, but she refrained from saying it out loud. Her eyes bounced between the picture and Alastor's current hair. "Yeah, I think I can work some magic and give you the haircut you deserve."

One of her thin eyebrows arched as praises for Vox spilled from the Radio Demon's lips. Hearing them was almost as surreal as him wanting to become part of their team.

"Alright velvette my dear. Since you asked so nicely." Besides being in the company of women tended to make him feel more comfortable opening up. "We were friends as you already know. Things were pretty great between us. Then he had to ruin it. Then I made it worse." He was talking vague to stall but it also could come off as building up suspense. "I liked vox. He was charming. Full of amazing ideas. A genius and the only television I liked looking at." He actually sighed at that.

"He offered to make us partners and I laughed in his face. I also told him there are no friends in hell." He admitted suddenly. Wishing he had some tea to sip so this wouldn't look so vulnerable. Opening up wasn't the hard part. It was the shame. "Relationships with men and my views on my own gender have always been the worst. I find most of them classless and unsightly. At best annoying. So when I find a guy I actually like once I realize I tend to freak out and act like a dick. Normally I'm proud to piss people off but vox didn't deserve that."

He hummed. Moving back into his wheely chair. For comfort. "But it did lead to our very interesting relationship now which is so engaging and hilarious to watch and participate in. I broke his heart. I didn't mean to but look to where it was lead! He really built himself up. Hating me gave him more passion. More motivation to become almost the very best of his potential. Also there is something so romantic about the way he hates me. So many conflicting feelings towards me. Love, lust and hatred. It's a beautiful combination." He sang out his words doing a little spin in his chair.

"I don't only return his feelings but I argue I could be more into him. Two sides of the same coin but I can admit the object of my attention is very very stupid. Atleast when he's winning too fast or too much at once. Well that makes him especially stupid I guess but he is overall a dumbass. No man can be perfect. Except for me that is. Then he fucks everything up. I should know. I know everything about him. I never want demons to know what my motives are. There's a lot you can hide behind a smile my dear. Between the two of us I was just always better at hiding it. This and everything else but especially this."

This was back to feeling like a fun gossiping session so he span in his chair effortlessly towards her. "I spy on him you know. Not all the time but atleast once a day." He also felt comfortable sharing this for another reason. "Of course if you told him any of this he would not believe you. Not that you're not a trustworthy friend dear but it just sounds so obsurd doesn't it?" He giggled.

「 ☆ 」 Fluff bristles as Vox approaches despite his less-than-warm fuck off of a welcome, Valentino refusing to give him the courtesy of turning. Gritting his teeth as footsteps grow louder, claws dig into his arms as he sinks deeper into his seat. Eyes narrowed to glowing slits, furrowed brow and tense posture are reflected back at him in the full-length mirror taking up an opposing wall.

Valentino usually loves to look at himself at various angles, hence several mirrors and reflective surfaces. It always provides a wonderful show regardless of where he is in the room. But right now, all it does is force him to see Vox's stupid sorry face as he slinks his way toward him like a misbehaving dog trying to appease. But Vox had done far worse than track some mud on the carpet or chew up a pair of expensive shoes. Forgiveness— tantalizing a taste as it unfortunately is on the moth's tongue —feels far out of reach. Fear making Val hesitant. An often overlooked intelligence ( one doesn’t get where he is without knowing how to play the game when necessary ) , insisting to be on his guard.

Vox is a clever bastard. It’s one of the reasons Valentino adores him. It wouldn’t be the first time he manipulated the moth with wit and charm. He’s already trying to balm the situation with jokes, Val only growling in warning at the weak attempt. Yet sound and breath shakily catches in his throat, eyes unwittingly widening from the shock when… that word fills the tense space. Without a shred of hesitation or shame. Granted, it's an unapologetic accusation of Valentino's love for him.

He supposes it's easier for Vox than daring to admit the same.

Alastor would hum a cheery tune as the woman brushed his hair. Which he was very much appreciative of. Already the social media overlord was earning his favor. He found he liked her a lot. She was funny, mean and fashionable. "It's funny I really thought he would've gotten over me by now. Especially now that he has you and the moth."

No he would not refer to him as valentino. He wanted to make his distaste clear as day. Not to mention he was a little jealous. Not that he would ever say that out loud but in his eyes he saw the porn overlord as a cheap replacement.

"Thank you for doing my hair dear. I usually don't let anyone else touch it. Too many people love messing with my ears. It's annoying." He had wanted to get his hair fixed forever but before velvette could trust no one else to do so.

He sighed. "I have to admit doing all the heavy lifting has gotten tiresome but would you believe it if I said I liked my chair?" He let out a hearty laugh. "Once this thing was over I was gonna take it for myself." He hummed in thought.

"I have to say velvette he should've put you in charge of the pitch early on. You're much more convincing than he is." It may seem like he was kissing ass but he was actually being honest. Velvette was the only member of the trio that he had any respect for. It was rather refreshing to be around someone more capable.

"I know he's an idiot but won't he be suspicious if I'm suddenly on board? Or is he so head over heels in love and obsessed with me that he will throw away all ideas of logic in favor of finally having me the way he wants?" A chuckle was given. "I think I'm opening up to the idea. I could work out the details with vox but I would like a couple things from you to sweeten the deal."

Velvette would have never admitted it out loud, but having the infamous Radio Demon acting so friendly and relaxed around her was weird. She had heard the stories about him and, especially, she had been forced to listen to too many of Vox's rants about the boundless hate-love boner he had for the guy.

The side of Alastor she was witnessing during their little spa sessions...it didn't fit with any of the information she had. She wasn't complaining, of course, but it still felt a little odd.

Thankfully, her companion chose that moment to speak up, offering her an excuse to let go of those thoughts.

"Gotten over you?" She repeated, eyes growing wide, as if he had just spoken the most complicated nonsense in all the three realms. "Vox? Over you?"

And with that the fashionista burst into a full body laugh. She hairbrush escaped from her grip as she fell back on the mattress, gripping at her middle with both arms as she rolled over the sheets.

Alastor obviously had no idea of the level of fucked-up obsession he was dealing with. It was inconceivable to her that he couldn't see it, especially with how Vox acted whenever the Radio Demon was even just mentioned, but maybe her best friend wasn't the only one who clung to denial when it came to their...situationship.

"I'm sorry, but that was the funniest shit I've ever heard," she panted once the laughter had subsided into giggling. She wiped away the tears that had formed at the corners of her eyes, trying to catch her breath.

Her grin softened at the "thank you" she was offered, even if she pretended not to have noticed. Just as she refused to acknowledge the little spark of warm pleasure that the knowledge of being the exception lit up in her chest.

"People always get weird about things when they have no right to," she just said with a shrug. She would know. Unfortunately, she had had plenty of experience with it back when she had been alive. "Can't blame you for wanting to keep their stupid hands off you."

The admission that followed vanquish every lingering hilarity. For a few moments, Velvette found herself speechless, unsure of how to respond to it. Alastor, the guy who had prided himself about being the most dangerous, powerful and independent motherfucker in Hell, confessing that he would gladly keep his ass glued to a chair and watch as someone else too control?

It was mind-blowing. It was gossip gold. Perhaps even news material.

Her eyes wandered towards said chair. As shocking as it was, she could imagine why he would say such thing and actually mean it. It wasn't so different from why she had no interest on being boss outside her fashion business.

"How is giving you a makeover sweetening the deal for you? Because, from where I'm standing, it sweetens it for me," she ended up saying, deciding that it was best not to address the heavier parts of confession. "That hair job murders my eyes every time I look at you, I'll be delighted to get rid of it!"

To underline her words, she reached out and lightly pulled at a lock of red hair. She already had a few ideas on what she could have replaced the offensive haircut with.

"That aside...Yeah, Vox is an idiot, especially when it comes to you, but he would never believe that you had a sincere change of heart." Her best friend could be a fool, but that didn't change that he was one of the smartest people she had ever known. "And that's why I will vouch for you. I can convince him, and he'll trust me because I've never bullshitted him."

Not when it counted, at least.

"But I want something in exchange for putting my head on the line for you." She could have been content with having things going her way, but it was a too good of a chance to let it slip away. "Once you're all buddy buddy with him again, you need to talk him out of this 'taking over Heaven' crap. Sure, the idea was charming for a while, but...Murdering exorcists to keep them away from us is one thing, waging war is...a whole different story."

Especially since so much could have gone wrong in the process.

Her laughter was infectious. Causing the deer dinner to erupt into his own fit of giggles as well. Not something others would usually see but he liked velvette. Even with the romantic hold vox still had on him somehow years later she was looking to be her favorite out of the trio.

"For the longest time I didn't think he was obsessed with me more what I did. I admit how I ended things between us was a dick move." Laughing in his face wasn't something he even meant to do it was just a reaction. A nervous one. A freaking the fuck out one since friendships didn't seem safe for the deer back then.

Partnership. He liked hanging out with vox. Loved it even. He was so easy to talk to. Like he knew alastor deep down. It was nice. Why did he have to fuck it all up? Oh well new beginnings he supposed.

This was a second chance if anything else. He wasn't the type to apologize but maybe if he treated vox well enough it could make up for what he did. He was getting what he wanted all along after all. With velvette talking to him maybe thsi would really work out for everyone.

"I know it's horrid. The worst bob job you could give someone. You can tell they really wanted to punish me." He said with an annoyed scoff. It was then he pulled a picture out of his jacket pocket. "You are the expert. I trust you velvette." He spoke as he handed it to her. A picture of himself as a human. When his hair was actually good looking and curly. "Do whatever you want but I have one small preference. Perhaps something curly like how my hair used to look."